Celebrate Good Times! Camp To Belong MA Campwide Birthday Party!

Last night we welcomed the Rise Above Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing enriching activities, opportunities and experiences for Massachusetts children in foster care to camp and introduced them to our Youth Leadership campers. Rise Above generously took our 15 Youth Leadership campers and many Sibling Connections volunteers to a beautiful and delicious dinner at Church Cafe in Lenox, MA. The goal of the dinner was to convey to our older campers in foster care that they have a support system, that they aren't alone and that they are appreciated. We acknowledge that foster care can sometimes prevent them from being "normal" teenagers and Rise Above wants them to know that regardless of their circumstances they are rock-stars and true HEROES. Their founder, Wade Sulzman is a current Department of Children and Families worker and has a tremendously big heart. 

Kids in foster care often don't have the opportunity to celebrate their birthdays with their siblings. At Camp To Belong MA everyone has two birthdays. How great is that?! If you think back to your childhood and your birthday celebrations, many of you can remember that favorite gift, or that homemade cake your mom or dad worked so hard to prepare you. Our kids don't have many of these memories, but our hope is to create special birthday memories so they can look back and remember the joy and excitement of celebrating their day with their brother or sister.

After a long day and night of waiting, campers were finally able to exchange the gifts they had picked out for one another during arrival day. The theater house was decorated with happy birthday banners and many balloons. Counselors and campers arrived in many different fashionable attires - some as bears and some with beautiful dresses they saved for the birthday celebration. After gifts were opened, campers and counselors created a long congo line and danced around the room to Pharell's hit song "happy."

Another fun activity that many of our kids have been enjoying is collecting the many frogs and insects that live at Camp To Belong. Just this morning, an eight year old brother was eager to show me his two new friends, "nettie and kettie", two adorable caterpillars. We are thrilled that camp not only gives campers the opportunity to see their siblings, but also the space to explore nature and just be kids.