Camp helps kids affected by parents’ cancer

Located in the San Bernardino Mountains, USC’s Camp Kesem helps give children with parents who have cancer the chance to be children.

This August, Camp Kesem’s fourth year in operation, the camp hosted 20 more campers than the year before.

The Camp Kesem mission is “to support children through and beyond their parent’s cancer with innovative, fun-filled programs that foster a lasting community.” The organization was started in 2000 at Stanford University and now has over 80 chapters in 38 states across the country.

The USC chapter of Camp Kesem was founded in 2013. The camp supports children in the Southern California community by providing a week-long summer camp experience. It also gives campers year-long peer support, even after summer’s end.

The Camp Kesem chapter of USC is an entirely student-run organization, from fundraising to camp counselors to staff. Students raise money annually to cover the cost of camp so that every child can attend for free.

“We want them to enjoy it without the financial struggles because they’re already going through a lot at home,” said Ryan Cenicola, a sophomore undeclared major and Camp Kesem counselor.

The Camp Kesem organization reports that over 3 million children are affected by their parent’s cancer, highlighting the need for more support for the children. USC’s Camp Kesem serves 75 students annually. This year, the organization raised $65,000 to cover costs. Staffers say they hope to expand their outreach to serve more campers and eventually raise enough funds to host two camps each summer.

“[We] have been supporting children through and beyond their parent’s cancer for the last 3 year and looks forward to making the magic happen every year going forward,” the USC Camp Kesem team said in a statement.

The week involves typical camp activities such as nature hikes, canoeing in the lake and talent shows, but it is also designed to address the needs and struggles the campers are facing, according to the organization’s website

“Just for how mature [the children] have to be, it’s really unfair how quickly they have to grow up but that’s what’s amazing about Camp Kesem,” said Ryan Ballard, a sophomore majoring in human biology and a Camp Kesem counselor. “We give them a chance to not have to grow up so quickly.”

For Ballard, the Cabin Chats, when the children talked about and reflected on what they are going through in a group setting, allowed him to really hear about what the campers were facing at home.

35 student volunteers work together to make this experience possible for campers. The program is not just for the children — the student volunteers said that it impacts them as well.

Nana Sarkodee-Adoo, a senior majoring in policy, planning and development, started out as a counselor before becoming a volunteer coordinator.

“What’s so cool is [to see] a 16 year old who is having such a difficult time at home but will still make time out of their day to check on all the people around them, check on all the counselors who should be checking on them,” Sarkodee-Adoo said. “That just inspires me to [make] sure the people around me are having a good day and finding little ways to spread magic in their lives. There is nothing that I have done at USC that has changed my life more.”