Celebrating our 39th summer, the Cheley/Children’s Hospital Colorado Summer Burn Camp hosted 51 pediatric burn survivors in the heart of the Rocky Mountains for an amazing week. Our theme this year was, “be. you.” and campers found a way to challenge themselves and committed to finding a path towards being their best selves both at camp and at home and in their communities.
From the moment they step off the bus to a parade of medical professionals, firefighters, referring hospital staff, and current and alumni Cheley counselors, to their final goodbye and appreciation circle, thrilling experiences are shared at camp that will be remembered for a lifetime. Given the opportunity to come together and share their stories with one another, campers reflect on their past and continue healing their physical and emotional scars. With their burn injury bringing them together, the safe, challenging, nurturing, and accepting environment at camp is what allows campers to thrive.
We sang, danced, hiked, fished, rode horses, swam, and adventured on outcamps. We challenged ourselves physically and emotionally, reconnected with our camp community, and made lifelong friends. Through all this, campers demonstrated why the camp experience is a necessary and fulfilling part of their story. We are grateful to our brave and courageous campers who showed up and shone bright! It was a wonderful week of laughter, tears, and bearing witness to the power of camp.
