The main lobby of the Munroe-Meyer Institute was quiet.
But weave your way through a few hallways and the space was bustling with pajama-clad campers, as MMI’s Recreational Therapy Department hosted its annual winter camp in December.
Nearly 200 campers — ranging in age from 3 to 20 — attended the camp, which offered four all-day sessions.
Attendees get the typical day-camp experience while also incorporating life skills such as cooking, said Savannah Bowling, volunteer coordinator at MMI.
Other activities include arts and crafts, music, swimming and sports.
Seth Reisdorff, 19, considers himself a camp expert.
He’s been coming to MMI’s rec therapy camps in summer and winter for more than a decade now. Some of his favorite camp activities are swimming, sports and art. But the real joy is meeting staff, volunteers and fellow campers.
“I like hanging out with people and being here,” Reisdorff said. “I’ve made some great friends and am super close with them.”
GeeGee Quinn was back at camp for a second year as a volunteer.
Quinn, an eighth grader, has been volunteering with rec therapy camps for about two years. She heard about it through a family friend and thought it sounded fun.
Assisting a new camper each day is a highlight, she said.
“You learn to help different people,” Quinn said. “It’s really cool to get to do that.”
MMI’s Occupational Therapy Department hosted camps over the school break, too. Those camps, open to children in kindergarten through sixth grades, offered sessions on art, social skills and using LEGO blocks.
“Our winter camp program is special because it keeps campers connected to friends and supportive staff while giving families valuable respite over the holiday break,” said Carly De Bruin, assistant director of recreational therapy. “It’s a fun, high-energy program that helps set campers up for a great start to the new school semester. We had an amazing year of Camp Munroe fun.”