CK Legacy Newsletter

7/31/2019 CK Legacy Newsletter

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Upcoming)Events)

Edition II May 2012

Legacy NewsletterCamp%Kesem%Alumni%Newsletter%

Kesem%(n.):%magic:%

The%ability%to%change%a%life;%an%agent%of%growth;%the%

unique%power%that%transforms%kids%into%Camp%Kesem%

Campers.%%

June)18324)) Camp)Kesem)2012)

Loma%Mar)

June)2) Visitors)Day)

Camp%Loma%Mar%)

Join%us%for%our%annual%

Carnival%to%celebrate%the%

final%day%of%Camp!%%%

It%makes%me%feel%like%a%warrior%to%hang%out%with%other%kids%who%

know%what%its%like%to%have%a%parent%who%has/had%cancer%or%has%

died%from%cancer,%and%they%give%me%the%strength%to%fight%the%

hardships%in%life.%Plus,%I%know%they%are%fighting%with%me.%

%

9th%Grade%Camper%

Brian)CK)Magic)Elliot))A%Brief%Interview%with%one%of%the%Founders%In%a%recent%interview,%Brian%Elliott,%one%of%the%original%student%founders%of%Camp%

Kesem,%shares%two%of%his%favorite%memories%from%Camp%Kesem:%%

I%will%never%forget%coming%back%on%the%bus,%after%the%first%carnival,%and%just%being%so%

OVERJOYED%that%it%had%worked!%Before%this%first%week%of%Kesem,%the%whole%thing%

was%really%a%big%experiment.%%We%didnt%have%a%proven%modelwe%had%no%idea%if%

Camp%would%be%successful%or%a%big%flop.%%But%Ill%always%remember%some%of%the%

things%parents%said%to%us%that%first%day,%which%went%along%the%lines%of:%I%dont%know%

how%much%longer%I%have%to%live,%but%I%havent%seen%my%son%or%daughter%this%happy%in%

months.%For%the%first%time%we%were%discovering%the%true%impact%of%Camp%Keseman%impact%which%is%now%very%well%known%and%described.%Hearing%those%first%

reactions%from%campers%parents%was%incredible.%%

Also,%I%distinctly%remember%during%my%years%there%was%one%family%coming%down%

from%Alaska%for%the%week%of%camp.%%I%never%forgot%those%two%campers.%Then,%ten%

years%later,%I%got%reconnected%with%Emily,%one%of%the%campers,%and%found%out%that%

she%was%a%senior%at%Stanford,%and%the%

leader%of%Rainbow.%%It%was%one%of%the%most%

beautiful%full%circles%I%had%every%seena%

camper%becoming%a%leader.%

Brian&is&now&the&Founder&and&CEO&of&

Friendfactor,&a&gay&rights&organization&for&

everyone&with&close&friends&and&family&

members&who&are&gay.&&

In)this)Issue)Brian%CK%Magic%Elliot...1%

Turning%Chemo%Caps%into%Flowers2%

Financial%Report2%

From%a%Local%Summer%Camp%to%a%

National%Organization..3%

Rainbows%Trek%to%Indiana.4%

Join%the%Counselor%Alumni%Fundraising%

Team.4%


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Edition II Spring 2012

Turning)Chemo)Caps)into)Flowers:%%A%Partnership%with%the%Stanford%Cancer%Center%

For%the%past%two%years,%the%Stanford%Hospital%has%supported%Camp%Kesem%Stanford%

with%a%$5,000%grant.%This%year,%in%addition%to%Stanford%Hospital's%generous%financial%

support,%the%Stanford%Cancer%Center%invited%members%of%the%Kesem%community%to%visit%

the%Stanford%Cancer%Center.%On%February%1st,%a%group%of%counselors%met%with%Sridhar%

Seshadri,%Vice%President%of%the%Stanford%Clinical%Cancer%Center,%and%Beverly%Mitchell,%MD,%

Director%of%the%Cancer%Institute,%for%dinner%in%the%Bing%Dining%Room%at%Stanford%Hospital.%

Seshadri%and%Mitchell%gave%a%presentation%providing%background%information%on%cancer,%

the%role%of%the%Cancer%Center,%and%some%current%advances%in%cancer%research.%After%

dinner,%Seshadri%led%a%tour%of%the%Cancer%Center.%The%Stanford%Cancer%Center%has%also%

gave%the%Kesem%counselors%12%copies%of% The&Emperor&of&All&Maladies:&A&Biography&of&

Cancer.%%%

A%month%later,%Kesem%counselors%paid%another%visit%to%the%Cancer%Center,%this%time%to%

meet%with%RNs%Esther%Yu%and%Chris%Tucker%who%work%at%the%Infusion%Center.%After%seeing%some%fliers%for%Camp%Kesem,%Yu%took%it%upon%herself%to%start%a%fundraiser%for%Camp%Kesem%

Stanford.%Together,%Yu%and%Tucker%turned%the%plastic%flipoff%caps%on%chemotherapy%

containers%into%flowershaped%badge%holders%and%fridge%magnets.%In%the%first%week,%they%

sold%75%of%their%flip%off%

flower%badge%holders%and%

magnets,%and%have%given%

all%of%the%proceeds%to%

Camp%Kesem%

Stanford.%%Camp%Kesem%

counselors%Camp%Director%

Heather%Paul%met%with%

both%RNs%at%the%Infusion%

Center%for%a%photo%op%

A Fundraiser by Stanford

Hospital Resident Nurses

Financial%Report%Update%As%you%may%or%may%not%remember,%Camp%Kesem%is%provided%free%of%

charge%to%all%of%our%campers%to%avoid%placing%financial%hardship%on%

families%already%struggling%with%the%burden%of%cancer.%%Each%year%we%

fundrasie%through%grant%writing,%reaching%out%to%family%and%friends,%

and%doing%other%small%fundraisers.%%%

This%year%we%are%trying%to%improve%our%fundraising%by%pursuing%new%fundraising%ideas%such%as%looking%for%corporate%sponsorships,%

creating%a%new%webpage%giving%site,%and%reaching%out%to%our%

counselor%alumni.%%

We%hope%that%you%often%look%back%on%your%Kesem%experience%and%

remember%both%the%way%it%influenced%your%personal%growth%as%well%

as%the%impact%camp%had%on%the%kids%you%worked%with.%%Wherever%you%

might%be%in%your%life,%we%hope%that%you%will%consider%supporting%this%

life%changing%organization,%and%give%future%counselors%the%same%

opportunity.%%

Private%%Donaons%

45%

Grants%

27%

Reserves%

21%

Other%7%

Total)Budget))$18,112)

Chemo)Bottle)Caps)

into)Flowers))

followed%by%a%tour%of%the%infusion%

center,%led%by%Yu%and%Tucker.%

Camp%Kesem%looks%forward%to%

building%on%our%relationship%with%the%

Cancer%Center%in%the%future%by%providing%

both%opportunities%for%Kesem%students%

to%learn%from%medical%professionals%

associated%with%the%Cancer%Center%and%

opportunities%to%connect%in%different%

ways%with%those%affected%by%cancer.%


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From)a)Local)Summer)Camp)to)a)

National)Or anization)

Rainbow 2012

Heather)Autumn)Paul %

Camp%Director%

Emily)Jingle)Kizzia)

CoChair%

Lucyann)Rizzo)Murray %

CoChair%

Eric)Axolotl)Miller %

Programming%Coordinator%

Julie)Squish)Koenig %

Family%Relations%

Lane)Sunfish)Hartman %OLP%+%Counselor%Coordinator%

Lauren)Zumba)Platt %

Private%Donor%Coordinator%

Michael)Panda)Kim %

Counselor%Coordinator%

Sara)Sarge)Grossman %

Foundations%Fundraising%

Sara)Buffalo)Silberstein)

Community%Relations%&%Marketing

As%many%in%the%alumni%counselor%community%know,%the%first%Camp%

Kesem%was%held%by%Stanford%in%2001%and%hosted%35%campers.%It%didnt%take%

long%for%the%founders%to%realize%they%had%a%good%thing%going,%and%Camp%Kesem%

National%(CKN)%was%founded%in%2002.%By%2010%there%were%24%campuses%hosting%

Camp%Kesems%around%the%country,%and%this%summer,%with%the%help%of%the%

LiveSTRONG%Foundations%Community%Impact%Project,%14%new%camps%will%host%

their%first%ever%weeks%of%Kesem!%This%brings%the%grand%total%to%37%CKs,%and%

marks%the%largest%singleyear%growth%for%CKN%so%far.%

CKN%provides%support%to%individual%campuses%primarily%through%four%

Program%Directors,%each%of%whom%stay%in%touch%with%specific%campuses%and%

fulfill%a%role%similar%to%the%Stanford%Camp%Director%(previously%Houdini,%and%

now%Autumn).%At%Stanford,%we%have%been%working%with%Liz%Gray,%or%Phishy,%

our%Program%Director,%to%stay%connected%with%the%CKN%goingson,%but%our%

primary%support%still%comes%from%our%longtime%partnership%with%Hillel%at%

Stanford.%We%are%also%lucky%to%have%the%CKN%Director%Scott%Arizala%(Funsize)%

now%living%close%by%in%Menlo%Park%%his%wealth%of%child%behavior,%team

building,%and%general%camp%knowledge%has%been%invaluable%to%us.%

The%CKN%staff%also%works%hard%to%promote%the%Camp%Kesem%name%

nationwide.%In%recent%years,%CKN%has%been%recognized%by%Chase%Community%

Giving%($125,000%award%in%2010),%was%involved%with%the%Pepsi%Refresh%Project%in%2010,%and%was%most%recently%a%close%runner%up%in%the%2011%Chase%American%

Giving%Awards%campaign%through%Facebook,%narrowly%missing%the%chance%to%

compete%for%$1%million!%Camp%Kesem%currently%serves%only%1%of%the%potential%

demographic%%with%bigger%national%fundraising%campaigns,%CKN%hopes%to%

fulfill%their%goal%of%15%camps%in%the%next%5%years%in%order%to%reach%the%

thousands%of%kids%who%can%benefit%from%the%magic%of%Kesem.%

Memories)from)Camp)Kesem)2011)

How%Camp%Kesem%Spread%Across%the%Country%


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4


In%October,%Rainbow%Unit%traveled%to%Indiana%for%the%5th%annual%

Camp%Kesem%National%Conference.%Hosted%every%year%somewhere%in%

the%middle%of%the%country%(much%to%the%chagrin%of%all%west%coast%

campuses%but%theoretically%done%to%minimize%overall%travel%time),%the%

conference%is%an%opportunity%for%new%and%seasoned%camps%to%network,%

share%best%practices,%and%prove%unequivocally%which%campus%can%truly%

outsing%all%the%others%(hint:%its%not%Stanford).%This%years%highlights%

included%teaming%up%with%UCLA%to%perform%a%thoroughly%misunderstood

iteration%of%an%old%Fleet%Street%skit%for%the%conferencewide%talent%show,

and%sleeping%overnight%on%the%linoleum%outside%LAX%baggage%claim.%

As%the%original%Camp%Kesem%and%the%largest%camp%so%far,%

Stanford%struggles%somewhat%to%find%our%place%at%a%National%Conference

geared%toward%newer%programs.%However,%connections%with%Phishy%and%

Funsize%have%provided%us%some%great%support%following%the%conference,%

and%we%came%away%with%some%big%new%programming%ideas%for%this%

years%camp.%Ultimately,%the%best%part%of%the%conference%is%meeting%

students%from%around%the%country%who%are%as%passionate%about%CK%as%

we%are,%and%feeling%pride%in%being%from%the%legendary%campus%that%

started%it%all!%

Rainbows)Trek)to)Indiana:Camp%Kesem%National%Conference

New Camp Kesem

Chapters in 2012

John%Hopkins%University%

University%of%Oregon%

Southern%Utah%University%

University%of%TexasAustin%

Augustana%College%

Florida%State%University%

University%of%Georgia%

University%of%WashingtonSeattle%

University%of%MinnesotaTwin%Cities%

Columbia%University%

University%of%Missouri%

University%of%Pennsylvania%

Vanderbilt%University%%

%

Giving)Back:)How)to)Join)the))

Counselor)Alumni)Fundraising)Team!)

We%are%incredibly%excited%to%announce%the%launching%of%our%brand%new%website%for%online%giving!%Now,%

using%this%website,%the%Counselor%Alumni%can%come%

together%and%donate%in%one%unified%group.%%Our%hope%

is%that%the%counselor%alumni%will%come%together%and%

inspire%each%other%to%support%camp%by%contributing%

as%much%as%they%are%able.%%

Visit%our%website%today%to%contribute%to%Camp%

Kesem%Stanford!%

Red%team%preparing%their%cheer%

for%the%Olympics.%%

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