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Camp Rules, Literally
As a previous volunteer at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut, I am one of so many who are cheer leading the mission of North Star Reach. There are many reasons I chose this organization and this cause, but the foundation for my choice is simple – I can’t get camp out of my head.
I haven’t actually been back to camp since the summer of 2008, when I left for camp the day after finding out we were pregnant with our first child. And though my life has changed significantly since then, the impact camp has made on me flows in and out of my life daily. Some days I think of how I miss the inspiration that came from witnessing the amazing team that makes camp happen every summer, every weekend, and even inside hospital walls. Some days, I reflect on the children who play so hard and so happily while they are away at camp – free of the pressures their medical diagnosis puts on their small little bodies, and enormous minds. And some days, I think of the brave families who put their faith in the concept and people of camp – that camp can do wonders for their child who has had to grow up too quickly when faced with a serious medical diagnosis during their childhood years.
It is not surprising to me that I have actually incorporated camp rules into my own life at home. Because the coolest thing about camp is that there are very few rules. For me, that is precisely what I need in my home with two toddler boys, as research will support that having too many rules or saying “no” too many times could hinder a young child’s ability to make choices. And imagine, being a child with a serious medical diagnosis who lives with a lot of rules daily. Yes, these are necessary rules, but rules nonetheless. So to attend camp where you can actually count the number of rules you have to follow on one hand is a relief in itself.
At The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, the rules are introduced to the children at the start of camp. Before you know it, you will hear the kids chanting them – #1: No physical violence. #2: No put downs. #3: No unsupervised activity. #4: Have fun. Simple right? Consider that if we all lived with this set of rules, life would be more like camp….and trust me, I think we would all smile, laugh and relax a little more.
North Star Reach has some amazing rules in the works too. #1: Safety. #2: Respect. #3: Love. #4: Challenge by choice (i.e. children may choose to challenge themselves – nothing at camp is meant to feel forceful). And #5: Have fun. Genius. Because the overview of North Star Reach, and all SeriousFun Camps for that matter, is to create a camp that changes lives – in more ways than one. I challenge you to talk with a camper who has attended a SeriousFun camp that hasn’t been changed by their camp experience.
So, recently, when I was called away from kitchen duties to rescue a bewildered toy caught in the middle of my two boys, I heard the boys arguing begin to escalate. As I rounded the corner, I saw the youngest hit the oldest. Sigh. And then, I saw the oldest take his hand, look him straight in the eye and say “No physical violence.” And I immediately smiled, and thought to myself “Yes! Camp really does rule.”
By Jenni Attie
North Star Reach Board Member Readies for Afghanistan Deployment
Next week, Edward Walton, M.D. – a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve and head of the Pediatric Emergency Center and Beaumont Children’s Hospital – will deploy to war-torn Afghanistan to care for injured soldiers and nationals.
“I would encourage everyone to serve in some way. It doesn’t have to be in the military. I’ve gotten so much more out of my service than I’ve given,” says Dr. Walton.
“Our primary mission is to care for the troops,” he says, “but another part of our mission is to care for the children hurt by war. We’re over there to win hearts and minds and what better way to do that than to care for someone’s child?”
Between 15 and 20 percent of the patients cared for at the NATO medical facilities throughout Afghanistan have been children.
Dr. Walton joined the Navy Reserve two years ago. “I thought I had a skill my country could use,” he says. “Our country has given me great opportunities and I am privileged to be able to give back. There are still soldiers in harm’s way and someone needs to be there to care for them.”
As a lieutenant commander, Dr. Walton will report to his home base in Saginaw and will then fly to San Diego to do casualty training with others in his medical unit. He’ll then proceed to an Army base to complete combat training with M4 assault rifles and side arms. “After our training, we’re expected to deploy to Afghanistan in mid-Pediatric emergency medicine director readies for Afghanistan deployment August. We’ll be ‘sand sailors’ then,” he says.
He’s being deployed as an “individual augmentee,” which means he’s going to fill a specific medical role. “We’re required to do more than 100 hours of online training to get ready. I’ve also gotten my immunizations, medical screenings and created a will and power of attorney,” Dr. Walton says. “The hardest part will be the separation from my family. My wife recently retired from the military and my children are on their own. They are supportive, but it’s still going to be difficult. My orders are for eight months up to a year.”
For security reasons, Dr. Walton can’t be any more specific than to say he’ll be serving at a medical facility at a base in Afghanistan. “I’m honored to be going,” he says. “If any casualties reach our facilities, they have a 98 percent survival rate. The injuries we will see can be pretty horrific. You have to be constantly aware, and remember that you’re in a place where people are hostile to you, even as you are trying to help.”
Deploying so close to the Fourth of July has special meaning to Dr. Walton. “Being in the military makes you look at the flag differently,” he says. “When you’re wearing your uniform, you’re wearing the cloth of your nation. I hope to do my best, whether I’m caring for our troops or an Afghani. Everyone who has been deployed as a medical provider returns feeling like they’ve done some good.
I believe that when Americans go somewhere to help and provide care, that’s when we have a chance to change the way the world looks at us.”