Despite a few piles of frozen snow lingering on the ground, dozens of campers were ready to hit the beach during MMI’s annual winter camp, during a Thursday session that featured a beach theme.
The camp, which runs five days a week for two weeks, serves more than 140 families, said Nicole Giron, director of the MMI Recreational Therapy Department.
Winter camp is like a “snack” version of the larger Camp Munroe held during the summer months, Giron said. Camp Munroe, which runs for seven weeks, sees campers attending week-long sessions.
For many campers and staffers, the winter camp is a chance to reconnect during the year. Naomi Samuel has been volunteering at camp for more than a decade. She came back this year while home for the holidays.
“It’s a little taste of summer camp,” Samuel said. “It’s so fun and it’s a good refresher during the year.”
Rebecca Collins works as the camp nurse. She shuffles the schedule of her full-time job to be around for camp.
“I love it,” Collins said. “It feels like a family here. It makes me happy to see the kids happy. MMI is one of few places where they are just the same as everyone else.”
Campers, who range in age from 3 to 21, are split into small groups. They rotate between different activities, like swimming, playing games and making crafts.
To fit the beach theme, campers crafted jellyfish out of paper bowls, shiny ribbon and paint.
In the kitchen, they whipped up “sand cup” treats for a snack. Other themes during the week included pajama day, monochromatic day and out of this world day.
Camp gives families a chance to rest, clean up or run errands during a busy holiday break, said Carly De Bruin, assistant director of MMI’s Recreational Therapy Department. And, she said, it gives campers a little bit of structure while they’re out of school and away from their regular schedules.
“Holiday break can be long,” De Bruin said. “But this is fun and it’s one of the only places where they can connect with peers. It gets them — and us — excited for summer.”