Students who are looking for more service opportunities are in luck. Camp Kesem, a nationwide organization that supports children whose parents have cancer, is looking for more volunteers to run a week-long summer camp for these children, to let them engage and have fun with their peers.

According to Tia Mullins, the co-director of Case Western Reserve University’s Camp Kesem, there are nearly three million children in the United States who are affected by their parents’ battles with cancer.

“Because they don’t appear sick, their needs are often overlooked and they suffer quietly, leading to academic, social, emotional and developmental problems,” notes the Camp Kesem website.

Camp Kesem came to CWRU last summer, and the camp was a success. Now, the organization is looking for help running it again this summer.

“Students can get involved in Camp Kesem by being a part of the executive board, becoming a camp counselor, or becoming a member of our general body,” said Mullins.
Students affiliated with Camp Kesem can sit on committees and assist the camp coordinators with fundraising and marketing.

Interested students can apply to become counselors until Dec. 2. After a thorough review and an interview process, the chosen counselors will have the opportunity to work at the camp next August at Camp Asbury in Hiram, OH.

The organization is also holding the Krazy Kesem Week from Nov. 17 to 21 to celebrate the club and bring more awareness to its mission.

Mullins, who has volunteered as a camp counselor in the past, said that her experience with Camp Kesem was life changing.

“I was awed and inspired by those kids’ intelligence, charisma, and compassion,” she said. “Not only do you gain useful leadership and communication skills, but you also become a part of one of the largest and supportive communities in the nation.”

“Camp Kesem is an organization that I will continue to be passionate about,” she added. “I hope that our organization will grow within the CWRU community.”