Penn State news by
Penn State's student blog

Topics

More

Penn State Students Open Camp Kesem Chapter in Central Pennsylvania

There’s no question that Penn State students go above and beyond in the fight against cancer. Recently, some inspirational Penn State students continued that mission by taking part in a unique new initiative.

Camp Kesem Central Pennsylvania, a branch of a national college student-run organization that has helped more than 11,000 children living with a parent with cancer, was established at the end of the spring 2013 semester at Penn State. The free camp ran from August 16-24 in Schweksville, Pa., and provided a peer support network for children affected by a parent’s cancer.

Parth Patel, one of the co-directors of the chapter, heard Camp Kesem’s mission and knew that he wanted to do everything he could possibly do to get it to Penn State.

“I initially decided to start Camp Kesem here because I realized that this population of kids is severely underserved,” Patel said. “We tend to focus on the actual person who has cancer, and we forget that these kids are going through such a tough time. They get their childhood taken away from them.”

But it wasn’t easy to start the camp. During the spring semester, the students won an online competition with 11 other chapters through the Livestrong Foundation to receive $10,000 to begin a chapter of the camp. Although Livestrong gave the chapter the generous donation, the students still had to raise $15,000 more to pay for camp. They worked with an advisory board and held fundraisers, sent letters and emails to family and friends, canned, and even held events like carwashes to raise the money for the camp’s inception, which was this past week from August 16 through August 24.Screen Shot 2014-08-26 at 1.25.05 AM

Senior Aaron Jacobs was one of the camp’s Volunteer Coordinators. He dealt with student recruitment and running training sessions for the 20 counselors who attended it. The student counselors organized themed days and activities, ranging from Harry Potter day to Color Wars to ziplining, while also giving the campers the opportunity to participate in “Cabin Chats” to share their experiences.

“The children entering camp were not the same when they left,” Jacobs said. Overall, 21 campers attended Central Pennsylvania’s first Camp Kesem.

More than 3 million kids are affected by a parent’s cancer every year. According to studies, children whose parents have cancer have a distinct set of needs from other children since they are ostensibly the same as their peers. Camp Kesem is a chance for these kids to get together and share their experiences.

“Going in, we all thought we would be teaching these kids a lot, but our campers ended up becoming our role models,” said Patel.

Penn State’s chapter of Kesem, which means “magic” in Hebrew, is one of 54 campuses nationwide that has brought the camp’s magic to the central Pennsylvania area.

If you’d like to sign your child up or are interested in becoming a counselor yourself, contact [email protected]

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

About the Author

Bridget Markham

Bridget is a junior majoring in journalism with minors in Spanish and art history. She still hasn’t figured out what she wants to do with her life yet, hence the art history. Like the typical north Jersey native that she is, Bridget enjoys Bruce Springsteen, the Yankees, and the Jersey shore… and she refuses to acknowledge that she has an accent from her home state. She can usually be found at either Saint’s or Webster’s, and if not there, the hiking trails. You can contact her at [email protected]

DuBois Goodwill Sells Rare Lego Piece For Over $18,000

While it took some time for Goodwill experts to know what they had on their hands, initial offers for the piece came in at $30,000.

Lady Lions Outlast Mississippi State 92-87 In WBIT Quarterfinals

Penn State scored 46 points in the paint to advance to the semifinals.

New Defensive Coordinator Tom Allen Brings Key Wrinkles To Penn State Football’s Defense

“We try to keep things simple so we can play fast.”

Follow on Another Platform
113kFollowers
164kFollowers
59.4kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Other posts by Bridget

Freebies for Finals Week

With all of the freebies offered to students throughout next week, exam week doesn’t have to be as bad as you think. Check out this collection of stress-releasing activities and free goodies both downtown and on campus.

Camp Kesem Recruiting Students for Second Annual Camp Season

Trans-Siberian Orchestra to Return to State College