SEATTLE — Camp Sparkle has all the elements of a traditional summer camp.
Fun, food and friendship are a big part of what makes Camp Sparkle so popular, but it’s the campers and counselors that make the camp unique.
Camp Sparkle was created to provide healing, joy and friendship for kids and teens facing cancer. Whether they have cancer or a family member who does, Camp Sparkle surrounds the young people with compassion and other kids who understand the complicated realities of cancer.
“So many of our campers find new friends and understanding they don’t get at school. Many of our counselors are former campers so it’s a unique bond,” said Founder and Executive Director Anna Gottlieb.
The organization that runs Camp Sparkle, Cancer Pathways, was formerly Gilda's Club Seattle, named in honor of Gilda Radner. Radner used her fame to highlight her battle with cancer. She celebrated the emotional and social support and called for places of participation, education, hope and friendship for people and families facing the disease.
Camp Sparkle has become increasingly popular since it launched in 2003, Gottlieb said. More than 2,300 kids and counselors have spent the summer together and many return the next year.
This week campers have been on field trips, made arts and crafts and wrapped up the week with swimming and a barbecue at Magnusson Park in Seattle.
The campers each shared pictures that represent their family's journey with cancer, including tributes to family members who lost their battle with cancer.
Michelle Massey is a mental health counselor at Cancer Pathways and has been designing therapeutic craft projects like the “friendship chain” for 15 years.
“Every child writes a well wish or happy thought for their new friends and then we staple them together so each camper has a chain to take home,” Massey said.
Camp Sparkle wraps up in Seattle today and moves to Bellevue in late July before moving Everett and Tacoma later in the summer.
“We’re expanding and also offer a virtual camp because the need is really increasing,” Gottlieb said. You can learn more or register a camper or counselor in training at www.cancerpathways.org.