Reflections on Ten Years of a “Crazy Idea”
Every food-allergy family is creative in its own way. My husband and I became amazingly innovative when we realized that our son had seven life-threatening food allergies. We agreed as a family that we would avoid the foods at all costs, but we weren’t going to let this diagnosis get in our way of a full, happy family life. Of course, it did get in the way. Our family had to make major adjustments and shift a few expectations, but we were committed to living life at its fullest and to pass on the experiences that my husband and I had enjoyed in our lives.
Creating a happy place
Summer camp (overnight, of course) was, and is, one of my fondest childhood memories. Having been a camper and camp counselor myself, I knew that a camp environment was a place to be your true self, have some independence, take a few risks, and learn how to live in a community -- essential qualities to becoming a competent and confident adult. This is an experience I wanted my son to have. I wanted him to be able to spread his wings. But, as a child living with food allergies and restrictions, finding places to experience this kind of growth is difficult, if not impossible. And not just for him – for me, as a parent and a Food Allergy Mom.
So, I did what a lot of us do. I googled “food allergy summer camp” in 2009 – and came up a big nothing! No overnight camp could give my son a camp experience where he (and his parents) would feel safe. Fortunately, I’m an eternal optimist, so I decided to start a summer camp – how hard could it be?! When my son started first grade, I was fortunate enough to be able to leave my job as a Project Manager for the City of Portland so that I could be the food allergy mom who organized every party and chaperoned every school field trip and activity (Turns out the Food Allergy Moms can also be Super Mom School Volunteers)
When the recession whittled down my small consulting practice to near zero, I decided to dig into this idea of a summer camp for kids with food allergies. I spent the next year talking with camp directors and food allergy organizations, physicians, other parents and anyone else I could think of. All of this discovery eventually led to the launch of Camp Blue Spruce in 2012. Since I spoke with everyone I could find and conducted countless google searches, I can confidently say that Camp Blue Spruce is the only week-long overnight camp in the country dedicated to kids with food allergies and other related conditions.
So, I did what a lot of us do. I googled “food allergy summer camp” in 2009 – and came up a big nothing! No overnight camp could give my son a camp experience where he (and his parents) would feel safe. Fortunately, I’m an eternal optimist, so I decided to start a summer camp – how hard could it be?! When my son started first grade, I was fortunate enough to be able to leave my job as a Project Manager for the City of Portland so that I could be the food allergy mom who organized every party and chaperoned every school field trip and activity (Turns out the Food Allergy Moms can also be Super Mom School Volunteers)
When the recession whittled down my small consulting practice to near zero, I decided to dig into this idea of a summer camp for kids with food allergies. I spent the next year talking with camp directors and food allergy organizations, physicians, other parents and anyone else I could think of. All of this discovery eventually led to the launch of Camp Blue Spruce in 2012. Since I spoke with everyone I could find and conducted countless google searches, I can confidently say that Camp Blue Spruce is the only week-long overnight camp in the country dedicated to kids with food allergies and other related conditions.
Build it and they will come
Our first year, we had 27 kids, many of whom had never had a meal outside of their home, let along slept away from home. We rented out a camp and spent the 24 hours before the campers arrived cleaning and preparing the cooking facilities to accommodate the needs of our campers. We created menus that every child (and counselor) in the camp could eat. And we set up a private Facebook page with communications back to parents so they could see that their kids were happy, healthy and safe.
How’d I make this happen? I’m a professional project manager, community organizer, and the executive director of a start-up non-profit —all which requires skills to do this crazy thing. But what made this work is that my super power is finding people who know things I do not and who approach problems from a completely different perspective. The heroes of the story of Camp Blue Spruce are the amazing team of wonderful colleagues, many as nearly full-time volunteers, who have brought their expertise and skills to create an enduring organization that focuses on meeting the social and emotional impacts of children living with food allergies. Together, we’ve have had a profound impact on hundreds of kids by creating a safe camp experience where kids explore new things and really feel like they belong.
How’d I make this happen? I’m a professional project manager, community organizer, and the executive director of a start-up non-profit —all which requires skills to do this crazy thing. But what made this work is that my super power is finding people who know things I do not and who approach problems from a completely different perspective. The heroes of the story of Camp Blue Spruce are the amazing team of wonderful colleagues, many as nearly full-time volunteers, who have brought their expertise and skills to create an enduring organization that focuses on meeting the social and emotional impacts of children living with food allergies. Together, we’ve have had a profound impact on hundreds of kids by creating a safe camp experience where kids explore new things and really feel like they belong.
Childhood experiences: more important than ever
The pandemic has been particularly hard on kids with food allergies, adding yet another reason to be sheltered at home. Kids need camp now more than ever. After two years of screens and isolation, camp brings kids together to make new friends, play, be silly, and try new things. The perfect antidote to the pandemic!
A decade and counting……
We’re celebrating ten years! In August, we are holding two weeks of camp for the first time and this fall are expanding programs that connect campers year-round. We’re using virtual tools to build and maintain relationships between campers, so when they come back to camp, they’re among friends.
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