It's difficult to imagine losing a parent to cancer. It's even harder to picture the pain and confusion of a 6-year-old dealing with that type of loss.
But each year, the disease affects families, and children in these homes are asked to grow up quicker.
Seven years ago, a group of college students from Stanford University formed Camp Kesem to give these children the chance to enjoy being a kid again. Today, a few San Diego State students are working to provide the same opportunity for children in the local community.
At Camp Kesem, children ages 6 to 13 who have or had parents with cancer get to enjoy a free week of fun.
SDSU Camp Kesem co-chair Crystal Nguyen said she wanted to bring the club to campus after she heard of its success at UCSD.
Nguyen said she wants to make the opportunity available to more children in San Diego because UCSD's Camp Kesem could only accommodate a limited number of children.
Kelly Tuveson, a coordinator for Camp Kesem at SDSU, said the idea behind the camp is to provide children who have been affected by cancer with an environment where they can feel normal because their situations might make them feel different from their peers.
"Our camp will provide these children with a place where they can interact with others going through the same thing," Tuveson said.
Tuveson said that although the camp will have a psychologist on-site, the idea is not for the week to be a big therapy session. Instead, camp coordinators want to give the campers the opportunity to play like normal children, she said.
SDSU's Camp Kesem is scheduled to be held from Aug. 5 to 12 at Camp Mariastella in Wrightwood, which is near Angeles National Forest. Camp Mariastella offers a low-ropes course, arts and crafts, hiking trails, an outdoor swimming pool and other activities, Tuveson said.
Both Nguyen and Tuveson said they hope to see more SDSU students recruited to help with fundraising or serve as counselors.
Nguyen said joining Camp Kesem is an opportunity to gain valuable leadership skills in areas such as marketing, recruitment and fundraising.
"Students that attend camp also will have the invaluable experience of touching the lives of families throughout San Diego," Nguyen said.
Counselor training will be provided, but Nguyen said students who enjoy spending time playing with children have most of their training done.
"Whether you have one hour or several days a week to spare, you will be a significant contribution," she said. "Everyone is welcome."
Tuveson said between $10,000 and $15,000 needs to be raised in order to hold the camp.
The group is looking to find sponsors for the camp, get more student support and hold raffles and fundraising events to meet their goal, Tuveson said.
Students can help by participating in an SDSU Camp Kesem fundraiser from 3 to 7 p.m. March 21 at the East Commons Rubio's. A percentage of food purchased during that time will be go toward benefiting the camp.
-Students interested in joining the club or those interested in signing a child up for the camp should send an e-mail to SDSUCampKesem@gmail.com.
Facts about Camp Kesem
•The first Camp Kesem project was founded at Stanford University in 2000.
•The project was developed by a group of
students who wanted to create a summer camp for children in need.
•The first summer session of Camp Kesem was in June 2001 with 37 campers.
•Camp Kesem's national organization was
founded in August 2002.
•Camp Kesem's national camp programs are offered free of charge.
•The camp was originally founded by a Jewish organization. Kesem means magic in Hebrew.
Source: Camp Kesem National Web site at
www.campkesemnational.org/index.htm
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