Download - CK Legacy Newsletter
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7/31/2019 CK Legacy Newsletter
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Upcoming)Events)
Edition II May 2012
Legacy NewsletterCamp%Kesem%Alumni%Newsletter%
Kesem%(n.):%magic:%
The%ability%to%change%a%life;%an%agent%of%growth;%the%
unique%power%that%transforms%kids%into%Camp%Kesem%
Campers.%%
June)18324)) Camp)Kesem)2012)
Loma%Mar)
June)2) Visitors)Day)
Camp%Loma%Mar%)
Join%us%for%our%annual%
Carnival%to%celebrate%the%
final%day%of%Camp!%%%
It%makes%me%feel%like%a%warrior%to%hang%out%with%other%kids%who%
know%what%its%like%to%have%a%parent%who%has/had%cancer%or%has%
died%from%cancer,%and%they%give%me%the%strength%to%fight%the%
hardships%in%life.%Plus,%I%know%they%are%fighting%with%me.%
%
9th%Grade%Camper%
Brian)CK)Magic)Elliot))A%Brief%Interview%with%one%of%the%Founders%In%a%recent%interview,%Brian%Elliott,%one%of%the%original%student%founders%of%Camp%
Kesem,%shares%two%of%his%favorite%memories%from%Camp%Kesem:%%
I%will%never%forget%coming%back%on%the%bus,%after%the%first%carnival,%and%just%being%so%
OVERJOYED%that%it%had%worked!%Before%this%first%week%of%Kesem,%the%whole%thing%
was%really%a%big%experiment.%%We%didnt%have%a%proven%modelwe%had%no%idea%if%
Camp%would%be%successful%or%a%big%flop.%%But%Ill%always%remember%some%of%the%
things%parents%said%to%us%that%first%day,%which%went%along%the%lines%of:%I%dont%know%
how%much%longer%I%have%to%live,%but%I%havent%seen%my%son%or%daughter%this%happy%in%
months.%For%the%first%time%we%were%discovering%the%true%impact%of%Camp%Keseman%impact%which%is%now%very%well%known%and%described.%Hearing%those%first%
reactions%from%campers%parents%was%incredible.%%
Also,%I%distinctly%remember%during%my%years%there%was%one%family%coming%down%
from%Alaska%for%the%week%of%camp.%%I%never%forgot%those%two%campers.%Then,%ten%
years%later,%I%got%reconnected%with%Emily,%one%of%the%campers,%and%found%out%that%
she%was%a%senior%at%Stanford,%and%the%
leader%of%Rainbow.%%It%was%one%of%the%most%
beautiful%full%circles%I%had%every%seena%
camper%becoming%a%leader.%
Brian&is&now&the&Founder&and&CEO&of&
Friendfactor,&a&gay&rights&organization&for&
everyone&with&close&friends&and&family&
members&who&are&gay.&&
In)this)Issue)Brian%CK%Magic%Elliot...1%
Turning%Chemo%Caps%into%Flowers2%
Financial%Report2%
From%a%Local%Summer%Camp%to%a%
National%Organization..3%
Rainbows%Trek%to%Indiana.4%
Join%the%Counselor%Alumni%Fundraising%
Team.4%
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2
Edition II Spring 2012
Turning)Chemo)Caps)into)Flowers:%%A%Partnership%with%the%Stanford%Cancer%Center%
For%the%past%two%years,%the%Stanford%Hospital%has%supported%Camp%Kesem%Stanford%
with%a%$5,000%grant.%This%year,%in%addition%to%Stanford%Hospital's%generous%financial%
support,%the%Stanford%Cancer%Center%invited%members%of%the%Kesem%community%to%visit%
the%Stanford%Cancer%Center.%On%February%1st,%a%group%of%counselors%met%with%Sridhar%
Seshadri,%Vice%President%of%the%Stanford%Clinical%Cancer%Center,%and%Beverly%Mitchell,%MD,%
Director%of%the%Cancer%Institute,%for%dinner%in%the%Bing%Dining%Room%at%Stanford%Hospital.%
Seshadri%and%Mitchell%gave%a%presentation%providing%background%information%on%cancer,%
the%role%of%the%Cancer%Center,%and%some%current%advances%in%cancer%research.%After%
dinner,%Seshadri%led%a%tour%of%the%Cancer%Center.%The%Stanford%Cancer%Center%has%also%
gave%the%Kesem%counselors%12%copies%of% The&Emperor&of&All&Maladies:&A&Biography&of&
Cancer.%%%
A%month%later,%Kesem%counselors%paid%another%visit%to%the%Cancer%Center,%this%time%to%
meet%with%RNs%Esther%Yu%and%Chris%Tucker%who%work%at%the%Infusion%Center.%After%seeing%some%fliers%for%Camp%Kesem,%Yu%took%it%upon%herself%to%start%a%fundraiser%for%Camp%Kesem%
Stanford.%Together,%Yu%and%Tucker%turned%the%plastic%flipoff%caps%on%chemotherapy%
containers%into%flowershaped%badge%holders%and%fridge%magnets.%In%the%first%week,%they%
sold%75%of%their%flip%off%
flower%badge%holders%and%
magnets,%and%have%given%
all%of%the%proceeds%to%
Camp%Kesem%
Stanford.%%Camp%Kesem%
counselors%Camp%Director%
Heather%Paul%met%with%
both%RNs%at%the%Infusion%
Center%for%a%photo%op%
A Fundraiser by Stanford
Hospital Resident Nurses
Financial%Report%Update%As%you%may%or%may%not%remember,%Camp%Kesem%is%provided%free%of%
charge%to%all%of%our%campers%to%avoid%placing%financial%hardship%on%
families%already%struggling%with%the%burden%of%cancer.%%Each%year%we%
fundrasie%through%grant%writing,%reaching%out%to%family%and%friends,%
and%doing%other%small%fundraisers.%%%
This%year%we%are%trying%to%improve%our%fundraising%by%pursuing%new%fundraising%ideas%such%as%looking%for%corporate%sponsorships,%
creating%a%new%webpage%giving%site,%and%reaching%out%to%our%
counselor%alumni.%%
We%hope%that%you%often%look%back%on%your%Kesem%experience%and%
remember%both%the%way%it%influenced%your%personal%growth%as%well%
as%the%impact%camp%had%on%the%kids%you%worked%with.%%Wherever%you%
might%be%in%your%life,%we%hope%that%you%will%consider%supporting%this%
life%changing%organization,%and%give%future%counselors%the%same%
opportunity.%%
Private%%Donaons%
45%
Grants%
27%
Reserves%
21%
Other%7%
Total)Budget))$18,112)
Chemo)Bottle)Caps)
into)Flowers))
followed%by%a%tour%of%the%infusion%
center,%led%by%Yu%and%Tucker.%
Camp%Kesem%looks%forward%to%
building%on%our%relationship%with%the%
Cancer%Center%in%the%future%by%providing%
both%opportunities%for%Kesem%students%
to%learn%from%medical%professionals%
associated%with%the%Cancer%Center%and%
opportunities%to%connect%in%different%
ways%with%those%affected%by%cancer.%
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3
Edition II Spring 2012
From)a)Local)Summer)Camp)to)a)
National)Or anization)
Rainbow 2012
Heather)Autumn)Paul %
Camp%Director%
Emily)Jingle)Kizzia)
CoChair%
Lucyann)Rizzo)Murray %
CoChair%
Eric)Axolotl)Miller %
Programming%Coordinator%
Julie)Squish)Koenig %
Family%Relations%
Lane)Sunfish)Hartman %OLP%+%Counselor%Coordinator%
Lauren)Zumba)Platt %
Private%Donor%Coordinator%
Michael)Panda)Kim %
Counselor%Coordinator%
Sara)Sarge)Grossman %
Foundations%Fundraising%
Sara)Buffalo)Silberstein)
Community%Relations%&%Marketing
As%many%in%the%alumni%counselor%community%know,%the%first%Camp%
Kesem%was%held%by%Stanford%in%2001%and%hosted%35%campers.%It%didnt%take%
long%for%the%founders%to%realize%they%had%a%good%thing%going,%and%Camp%Kesem%
National%(CKN)%was%founded%in%2002.%By%2010%there%were%24%campuses%hosting%
Camp%Kesems%around%the%country,%and%this%summer,%with%the%help%of%the%
LiveSTRONG%Foundations%Community%Impact%Project,%14%new%camps%will%host%
their%first%ever%weeks%of%Kesem!%This%brings%the%grand%total%to%37%CKs,%and%
marks%the%largest%singleyear%growth%for%CKN%so%far.%
CKN%provides%support%to%individual%campuses%primarily%through%four%
Program%Directors,%each%of%whom%stay%in%touch%with%specific%campuses%and%
fulfill%a%role%similar%to%the%Stanford%Camp%Director%(previously%Houdini,%and%
now%Autumn).%At%Stanford,%we%have%been%working%with%Liz%Gray,%or%Phishy,%
our%Program%Director,%to%stay%connected%with%the%CKN%goingson,%but%our%
primary%support%still%comes%from%our%longtime%partnership%with%Hillel%at%
Stanford.%We%are%also%lucky%to%have%the%CKN%Director%Scott%Arizala%(Funsize)%
now%living%close%by%in%Menlo%Park%%his%wealth%of%child%behavior,%team
building,%and%general%camp%knowledge%has%been%invaluable%to%us.%
The%CKN%staff%also%works%hard%to%promote%the%Camp%Kesem%name%
nationwide.%In%recent%years,%CKN%has%been%recognized%by%Chase%Community%
Giving%($125,000%award%in%2010),%was%involved%with%the%Pepsi%Refresh%Project%in%2010,%and%was%most%recently%a%close%runner%up%in%the%2011%Chase%American%
Giving%Awards%campaign%through%Facebook,%narrowly%missing%the%chance%to%
compete%for%$1%million!%Camp%Kesem%currently%serves%only%1%of%the%potential%
demographic%%with%bigger%national%fundraising%campaigns,%CKN%hopes%to%
fulfill%their%goal%of%15%camps%in%the%next%5%years%in%order%to%reach%the%
thousands%of%kids%who%can%benefit%from%the%magic%of%Kesem.%
Memories)from)Camp)Kesem)2011)
How%Camp%Kesem%Spread%Across%the%Country%
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4
Edition II Spring 2012
In%October,%Rainbow%Unit%traveled%to%Indiana%for%the%5th%annual%
Camp%Kesem%National%Conference.%Hosted%every%year%somewhere%in%
the%middle%of%the%country%(much%to%the%chagrin%of%all%west%coast%
campuses%but%theoretically%done%to%minimize%overall%travel%time),%the%
conference%is%an%opportunity%for%new%and%seasoned%camps%to%network,%
share%best%practices,%and%prove%unequivocally%which%campus%can%truly%
outsing%all%the%others%(hint:%its%not%Stanford).%This%years%highlights%
included%teaming%up%with%UCLA%to%perform%a%thoroughly%misunderstood
iteration%of%an%old%Fleet%Street%skit%for%the%conferencewide%talent%show,
and%sleeping%overnight%on%the%linoleum%outside%LAX%baggage%claim.%
As%the%original%Camp%Kesem%and%the%largest%camp%so%far,%
Stanford%struggles%somewhat%to%find%our%place%at%a%National%Conference
geared%toward%newer%programs.%However,%connections%with%Phishy%and%
Funsize%have%provided%us%some%great%support%following%the%conference,%
and%we%came%away%with%some%big%new%programming%ideas%for%this%
years%camp.%Ultimately,%the%best%part%of%the%conference%is%meeting%
students%from%around%the%country%who%are%as%passionate%about%CK%as%
we%are,%and%feeling%pride%in%being%from%the%legendary%campus%that%
started%it%all!%
Rainbows)Trek)to)Indiana:Camp%Kesem%National%Conference
New Camp Kesem
Chapters in 2012
John%Hopkins%University%
University%of%Oregon%
Southern%Utah%University%
University%of%TexasAustin%
Augustana%College%
Florida%State%University%
University%of%Georgia%
University%of%WashingtonSeattle%
University%of%MinnesotaTwin%Cities%
Columbia%University%
University%of%Missouri%
University%of%Pennsylvania%
Vanderbilt%University%%
%
Giving)Back:)How)to)Join)the))
Counselor)Alumni)Fundraising)Team!)
We%are%incredibly%excited%to%announce%the%launching%of%our%brand%new%website%for%online%giving!%Now,%
using%this%website,%the%Counselor%Alumni%can%come%
together%and%donate%in%one%unified%group.%%Our%hope%
is%that%the%counselor%alumni%will%come%together%and%
inspire%each%other%to%support%camp%by%contributing%
as%much%as%they%are%able.%%
Visit%our%website%today%to%contribute%to%Camp%
Kesem%Stanford!%
Red%team%preparing%their%cheer%
for%the%Olympics.%%