{"id":118692,"date":"2025-01-14T12:11:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T18:11:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=118692"},"modified":"2025-01-14T12:11:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T18:11:33","slug":"winter-camp-is-happy-place-for-campers-staff","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/01\/14\/winter-camp-is-happy-place-for-campers-staff\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Camp is happy place for campers, staff"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Maggie Hickman stopped to wave and greet her fellow campers as she wound through the halls of the Munroe-Meyer Institute\u2019s Recreational Therapy Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hickman, 19, was there for a session of the department\u2019s annual winter camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter camp runs for one session a day for five days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year\u2019s camp drew more than 130 campers across all sessions. Each camper is accompanied by a staff member or volunteer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each day, the camper-volunteer duos rotate through activities, including art, cooking, sports and swimming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Holiday breaks from school and other programming can be long for some families, said Carly De Bruin, assistant director of the MMI Recreational Therapy Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCamp is great at maintaining structure for kids, and it gives parents a little break,\u201d De Bruin said.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
A camper participates in a craft during Winter Camp hosted by the MMI Recreational Therapy Department.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Staff members have watched campers and volunteers grow up at camp sessions held over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some volunteers even had their career paths shift after working at camp, said Savannah Bowling, volunteer coordinator with the MMI Recreational Therapy Department. And, she said, they gain valuable life skills working not only with campers but also parents and guardians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just the campers\u2019 happy place. It\u2019s the staff\u2019s happy place, too,\u201d De Bruin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hickman comes to two or three winter camp sessions every year. She\u2019s also a regular at Camp Munroe, which operates under a similar format each summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I love most about winter camp is doing a lot of holiday activities,\u201d Hickman said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A particular highlight this session was crafting a sensory bottle. She likened hers \u2014 full of glitter \u2014 to a snowstorm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Befriending other campers, as well as staff and volunteers, is another perk, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the best camp ever,\u201d Hickman said. \u201cI love being here with everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
A camper interacts with a staff member at Winter Camp hosted by the MMI Recreational Therapy Department.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Her buddy for the day, Kayley Anderson, has been volunteering at camp for nearly 10 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Anderson, who is in medical school, camp is a \u201cgreat way to recharge and reconnect,\u201d she said. \u201cThis keeps me grounded and reminds me why I want to go into medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s Winter Camp drew more than 130 campers across all sessions. 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