On August 17 through 21, a delegation of University of Richmond students — with 30 Richmond children in tow — will descend on Goochland for a special summer camp experience.
The children who will attend, ages 5 to 14, were selected because they met a single application requirement: They all have a parent or guardian who has battled or is currently fighting cancer.
Run entirely by college students, Camp Kesem is a branch of the national nonprofit begun seven years ago at Stanford University. The UR students running Richmond's inaugural camp receive a weekend of intense training by professional counselors and therapists, and a registered nurse and therapist will be on-site at all times.
"So often kids with parents who are dealing with cancer are forced to become more mature than a 6-year-old is supposed to be at that age," says Eric Piasecki, a rising junior at UR. "The goal is to … create a nurturing experience for these children, an environment where they can forget what is going on at home and … socialize with others who [understand]."
For more information, visit campkesem.org .
