Impacting Lives

Written by Faith Winters

I have worked with Camp Dakota for three summers and each year has been an amazing experience and an ongoing learning opportunity for me. Working here has allowed me to build relationships with children and staff, and has created an opportunity for lifelong friendships. The biggest impact Camp has had on my life has definitely been the relationships with the children over the summer. The chance to be able to be a role model and a mentor for a child is a privilege beyond comparison to any other opportunity. The noticeable positive impact on children’s lives is an experience that I wouldn’t trade for anything; it is the best way to spend a summer.  

Personally, camp has made me a more compassionate person; being surrounded by so much positivity and love everyday really gave me a sense of joy. Working with these children made me realize the need everyone has for affection and companionship. Coming to camp every morning and seeing the children run in to greet you was my favorite part of the day. They didn’t care what was planned for the day, they were just excited to spend the rest of the day with you. This is what made me realize the impact we had on their lives and how much we all valued each other’s time. Campers and staff all came together every day to play games, do crafts and to just be in a place where every person is respected and valued. Companionship and friendship are what I believe to be the most important thing to these children and we, as a camp, are able to provide that to them. 

Every summer there is usually those one or two campers that you really get along with and that love spending time with you. For me last summer these campers were two girls named Aisha and Sophia. Both of these girls and I got along really well right from the first day of camp and we continued to be friends throughout the summer. Sophia approached me first and seemed to be more outgoing, eventually she brought along Aisha who was more shy and timid. Over the course of the summer I made sure to include Aisha and stayed with her when she was alone, and eventually she became more and more comfortable with being at camp.

At the beginning Aisha was quiet and nervous, so none of us would have expected her transformation. By the end of the summer she was just as excitable and outgoing as all the other campers and she seemed like she really appreciated her time at camp. When the last day finally came Aisha ran to me and gave me a big hug and said how much she was going to miss me, the moment it was overwhelming and we both teared up a little bit. That experience is the best memory I have of camp and has impacted me greatly.