Brooke is an amazing fourth grader who loves dance, theater, and reading pretty much anything she can get her hands on! She is kind, caring and compassionate. Brooke lives with her mom and her two idols, her siblings Dylan and Chloe.
Brooke was only four years old when her father died suddenly. Brooke’s mom Jen is most proud of Brooke’s resilience and helpful nature. “I was lucky to stumble across Experience Camps as I was looking for resources available to children who had suffered the loss of a primary caregiver. It was really something I knew my kids needed, a place to feel like they are not alone. ExCamps has been that place!”
Brooke was so excited leading up to camp; she was packing everything on the checklist to her suitcase! The night before camp, Brooke and her family were running some last minute errands, and she accidentally slammed her finger in the car door requiring an ER trip and lots of tears. Brooke’s mom was overwhelmed by the quick response of the Experience Camps team. “We emailed and got a response right away! They said it would be no problem to accommodate the last-minute medical stuff for Brooke and the team handled it amazingly!”
Brooke came home gushing about all the amazing activities they had done and how she felt special when her team had won College League and jumped in the lake. Her counselors made sure she was part of the action while keeping her hand dry! She came home and talked about the friends she had made, the activities that were so awesome, and of course the food. She talked about how kind and helpful her counselors were. She also couldn’t believe how cool the bunks were (considering she’d never been to a “camp” before, she had visions of bugs and gross, but was happy by bunks and showers).
Jen tells us, “One resource I really love that ExCamps provides is the ExCamps Caregivers Facebook page. This group provides great outlets and resources for families, it allows for the connection from the camps to carry over to the grown-ups too!”
Brooke and her family are grateful to Experience Camps and everybody in the community. “The ExCamps village has provided so much comfort to my family. My son and youngest daughter cannot imagine a summer without ExCamps, and my son as a LIT2 is already talking about how he plans to “give back” as a counselor someday to help other kids the way he was helped. And, Brooke benefited because she was able to venture outside her comfort zone and be independent.”
“ExCamps is something I always share as such a positive in a dark time. It is a light at the end of a dark tunnel and I know my children are better because of it!”
