Type 1 Residence Camp

Session 5, Week 2: July 25-31, 2008

Break dancing, singing, and wrestling, oh my! Those are just a few examples of the talents seen at Tuesday night’s talent show. The night was filled with campers and counselors who created performances for everyone to enjoy and where we learned that many of our campers have great artistic abilities. Many of the campers sang songs, some performed dance routines, including the step-dance class taught during morning hobbies, and there were even card tricks. Since there are so many campers that have such fantastic skills, the night went on longer than even expected, and ended with an extremely entertaining dance performed by our camp cook, Elizabeth. The show was a great success, and it was just one of the highlights of the final week of session five. There were definitely good times had by all.

The week began with the British Empire games held on Saturday. All of the campers were divided in to two countries: Canada and Britain. The day consisted of a track meet, a dodge ball game, and a song competition. Canada, led by Maggie Cole and Justin Molesky dominated the day, but Britain, led by Dylan Diblik and Alyssa Wangler, put up a good fight. The counselors took a back seat during the games, letting the campers show their leadership skills and their ability to work together. Congratulations goes out to both teams, they did a great job! Congratulations also go out to our Iron Chef winners, Rachel Epstein and Amber Knepp.

Wednesday night was a very adrenaline filled night. Campers received red carpet treatment as they all came together for the camp dance. The great hall was booming with music provided from our D.J. and counselor, Micah, as the campers danced and let loose to some of their favorite songs. After the dance, the evening took a more somber tone as everybody relaxed and quieted down for their candlelit walk to the pool. Once there, everyone sat around the exterior of the pool with candles which, after making a wish, they released into the water. Several campers reflected on their two weeks at camp, acknowledging friends and acknowledging their gratitude towards the entire staff at Camp Ho Mita Koda. It was a wonderful and eloquent way to end our last night at camp for the remainder of the summer.

This summer has been a fun experience. New friends were made and old friends were reunited. The campers not only got to have fun and meet other children with diabetes, they also gained valuable information that will help them maintain their diabetes at home. Thanks go out to all of the campers and their parents, and also to the counselors, the dispensary staff, the kitchen staff, and to our camp director for making camp as wonderful as it is. It has truly been a remarkable summer, and we hope to see all of you again next year!