{"id":128903,"date":"2026-01-14T13:39:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=128903"},"modified":"2026-01-14T13:39:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:39:34","slug":"winter-camp-mixes-life-skills-with-traditional-day-camp-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/01\/14\/winter-camp-mixes-life-skills-with-traditional-day-camp-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter camp mixes life skills with traditional day-camp experience"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The main lobby of the Munroe-Meyer Institute was quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But weave your way through a few hallways and the space was bustling with pajama-clad campers, as MMI\u2019s Recreational Therapy Department hosted its annual winter camp in December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 200 campers \u2014 ranging in age from 3 to 20 \u2014 attended the camp, which offered four all-day sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendees get the typical day-camp experience while also incorporating life skills such as cooking, said Savannah Bowling, volunteer coordinator at MMI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other activities include arts and crafts, music, swimming and sports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Campers swim during MMI’s annual Winter Camp. During the day-long sessions, campers also took part in cooking, music, and arts and crafts. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seth Reisdorff, 19, considers himself a camp expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s been coming to MMI\u2019s 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.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like hanging out with people and being here,\u201d Reisdorff said. \u201cI\u2019ve made some great friends and am super close with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GeeGee Quinn was back at camp for a second year as a volunteer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assisting a new camper each day is a highlight, she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou learn to help different people,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool to get to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MMI\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur winter camp program is special because it keeps campers connected to friends and supportive staff while giving families valuable respite over the holiday break,\u201d said Carly De Bruin, assistant director of recreational therapy. \u201cIt\u2019s 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.\u201d  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MMI\u2019s Recreational Therapy Department hosted its annual winter camp in December. 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