Week 4- Project success

     Week fours blog post is supposed to be about project success, however I've only just begun my new CLA so I haven't had much time to work on my projects. My new CLA is at the Department of Children and Families Substance Abuse and Mental Health division. Ive been working with my supervisor on planning "Recovery Month." Recovery month is in Spetember and is a nation wide effort to promote prevention, treatment, and recovery for substance abuse. This month is also meant to highlight those who have successfully recovered from substance abuse such as young adults and veterans. For Recovery month we are hoping to implement drug and alcohol prevention training programs within elementary and middle schools through the use of local coalitions. My role currently has been putting together information on the program (Lifeskills Training) for a proposal the local coalitions.  Lifeskills is a evidence based program for drug and alcohol prevention. It's similar to DARE except lifeskills has shown MUCH better results and has a really good cost benefit. Hopefully this program can be implemented in Leon county schools with the assistance of local coalitions and the financial backing of DCF.

Here is a little Excerpt on what life skills is about: "LifeSkills Training (LST) is a school-based program that aims to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use and violence by targeting the major social and psychological factors that promote the initiation of substance use and other risky behaviors. LST is based on both the social influence and competence enhancement models of prevention. Consistent with this theoretical framework, LST addresses multiple risk and protective factors and teaches personal and social skills that build resilience and help youth navigate developmental tasks, including the skills necessary to understand and resist prodrug influences. LST is designed to provide information relevant to the important life transitions that adolescents and young teens face, using culturally sensitive and developmentally and age-appropriate language and content." -http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov/ViewIntervention.aspx?id=109

     It would be really cool to try and propose that to a Volusia county coalition too right?

    The department of Substance Abuse and Mental Health is going through a lot of reorganization which has given me an inside view of it's restructure and regrowth. My supervisor is having me help her and her unit with their strategic planning for this coming fiscal year. Which means working on their priorities and creating goals & tasks. Apparently, everything has to be written at an 8th grade level which can be checked on Word! I also went to a retirement get together and networked with a lot of the regional directors the other night which was awesome. I met the women who runs DCF Substance Abuse and Mental Health division in Broward (where I'm from) and talked a lot about the interconnection between sub/ment and homelessness. Homelessness especially in Broward is a huge problem, so she invited me to come down to Broward and not only take a tour but to also meet a whole bunch of Nonprofits who work with the homeless in our county.
     I've also been given some responsibility on a grant for coalitions to assist in substance abuse prevention marketing which is really exciting as a marketing minor. I'm working towards putting more time and effort into assisting that project as well to get as much experience as I can. Anyways, over all there is an abundance of projects that I have my hand in. All of them are more long term minus the Recovery Month project, so I hope to make great strides in helping them solidify it before I depart.

Week 7: Project Reflection and Closure

“Don’t run, stop holding your tongue
Maybe there’s a way out of the cage where you live
Maybe one of these days you can let the light in
Show me how big your brave is

Say what you wanna say
And let the words fall out
Honestly I wanna see you be brave”

How can it possibly be week 7 already. I feel like just yesterday I was packing my stuff into the car, with butterflies all over in my stomach, and beginning the drive to this incredible place. I had wondered if this was where I belonged, but goodness did it truly affect my life.

This week we had some really cool things happen. In addition to our normal camp magic, we had two special organizations come in. Flashes of Hope, an organization “dedicated to creating powerful, uplifting portraits of children fighting cancer and other life-threatening illnesses,” came to camp this week and pulled each and every camper out to take individual photos. It was an awesome thing for them to donate to some incredible campers who truly deserve to be reminded how beautiful they are. Then, Headbands of Hope provided headbands and buff bands for every single child at camp. This is an organization that provides bands to children who are fighting cancer and have lost their hair, to remind them that they are still beautiful and to keep up their confidence level and self-esteem. Richard and Kyle Petty also were both on camp this week, and for the first time since 2005, both drove the 45 racecar around Victory Circle. It was incredible moment for everyone there to see these incredible people remind us why camp exists.

The title of this blog prompt is “project reflection and closure,” but you know what, I don’t want closure. I know this chapter of my life is ending, but there are so many aspects that I want to remain a part of me for the rest of my life. I hope I never forget the many life lessons I learned this summer, the beautiful smiling faces or the giggles of the campers, or the many ways I learned to be silly and to be me. I also know that even as I leave this place, I will be working or volunteering to help these special kids feel normal for the rest of my life. As I said in blog 1, from the outside you can’t understand it, and from the inside you can’t explain.

“We are, we are not your ordinary family
But we can all agree that
We are, we are close as close can be

So it don’t matter what it looks like we look perfect to me
We got every kind of lover; we’re so lucky indeed
They can keep on talking it don’t matter to me cause
We are, we are family

So what?
We don’t look, we don’t act
We don’t walk, we don’t talk like you do
So what?
If we hang just a hang and no shame
We both do what we want to

Cause we come from everywhere
Searching for ones to care
Somehow we found it here
We found us a home”

Week 6: Project evaluation

“It’s not enough for you to do well, you want to do good. You want your life to matter. You want to live in such a way that the world will be glad that you did.” –Max Lucado

This has been a summer that has constantly been changing me and changing my campers. One week I wrote in my journal “8 beautiful little girls with a LOT of sass, keeping us on our toes! Didn’t realize how nice it was to be overstaffed until now with three more of them than us! I have some cute little babies holding my hand all of the time!”

At the end of cancer week I wrote, “What an absolutely beautiful week; so incredibly life changing. I had girls bonding over the location of their port, how many surgeries they had, the smell of the gas used to put them to sleep before surgery. One little girl at the age of 8 has had 36 surgeries already. Two became best friends. All are braver than anyone I know and have seen way too much for 7 and 8 years old.” One of the little girls was diagnosed with leukemia about a year ago and I had the opportunity to see the pictures of her sick. I burst into tears immediately. However, as sad as it was to see that, it was even more incredible to see how far she is come and to know all of the incredible things she has ahead of her. I cried so many tears over her and the beautiful little girls in my cabin. It was an awesome week.

So. What have I learned? Diseases know no boundaries. Even though a 15 year old boy was born with no arms and dealt with more teasing and bullying than any child could, he can still get leukemia. Even though it took him most of those 15 years for him to accept his body the way it is and to come to love himself, he can still get a disease that will begin to attack him in a different way. However, I also have learned that those labels don’t make a child. The child takes the labels and accepts them, but then pushes past boundaries and limits that society places on them. Just because one girl was told she would never be able to control her own wheel chair didn’t mean it would be true. She got a controller put in the head rest, and now wherever she leans her head directs where she goes. Just because a child will never be able to walk on their own, doesn’t mean that when you put him into the water he won’t hold up his own weight and walk across the pool. This summer I have learned to raise your expectations for these children, because they will do things that are more incredible than you could possibly imagine.

Week 5: Personal Reflections

“When you’re living in a way that displays your uniqueness and uses your talents in that purpose, you’re living in your sweet spot.” –Max Lucado

Every person at camp has a different set of skills and talents that are not perfect alone, but when you combine all of us together to make one unit, we end up with a group that can take on anything! This summer has truly allowed me to see more and more where my talents lie. I think that I have realized this summer just how much we take for granted simply because we can. Not everyone has the same opportunities that we do, but they all deserve as much of a chance to do things and be their own person. Things as simple as leaving camp to go to the grocery store or dinner at a restaurant now involve so much more thought than before. I am constantly wondering what a family would do if a child had a certain disability in a situation. It is crazy to think about having to change the diaper of a 14 year old, but it happens, and restaurant bathrooms do not make it easy. I think I am realizing more and more how important those adaptations are to me and how much I want to improve the quality of life for all of these people.

Another thing I have learned that sometimes it is really hard for me to do what is best for the kids, because sometimes it is the opposite of what my supervisors tell me. During neurology week we had a little girl who required a great deal of care because she had multiple diagnoses including autism and fetal alcohol syndrome. It was a really challenging case, that even though she was a truly beautiful child both inside and out, required a lot of supervision. When it was our cabins turn to go to the barn, she was not responding to any of the other 6 counselors, the 4 barn supervisors, or either of the 2 nurses. She had no interest in getting on that horse. I am allergic to horses and so generally as a rule I avoid the barn and wait outside so that I do not have a reaction. However, that day I happened to walk in to bring another camper their water bottle. When the little girl saw me, she began to call out for me and ask me to come where she was. My supervisor told me not to do so because I could have a reaction, but seeing her and knowing I might be able to get her on the horse became more important to me. I knew I might have to take my inhaler later, but it would be worth it to see her riding the horse and happy. There were a couple of other instances that week when people encouraged me to take a break or walk away from her when she needed me and I completely ignored it. Looking back, I probably should have taken their advice, and I admit that for some of the situations I was probably wrong. However, at the same time, I can honestly look back at the summer and say that I put the campers first in every single situation.

Just a few more weeks left, but plenty of time to rock! “Yeah team!”J

Week 4: Project Reflection

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.” –Steve Jobs

This summer I have certainly found something I love to do. It isn’t easy; it takes more emotional, physical, and mental energy than I ever thought I had. It isn’t for everyone; you learn things about kids on a daily basis that break your heart into a million pieces. No week is the same; even if the activities are similar week to week they never play out the same because the kids change so drastically. What may work one week would be a failure to try the next because of the campers you have. Quick thinking is necessary to make adaptations that allow the kids to have a blast and not know what they missed. During immunology week there was a little boy who could only come in contact with water that had been filtered completely. We played water games outside one morning, and realized too late that he would be unable to participate. A couple of staff and counselors quickly created his own slip-n-slide and water game stations by dumping out water bottles. It was an extreme solution, but he talked about it for the rest of the week and listed it as his number one moment.

With all of the constant change, it feels like I am doing a completely different project every week. However, when the parents come to camp to pick up their child on Thursday, it is incredibly evident that we are making a difference. Parents know that kids learn how to be themselves at camp, it is a totally judgment free zone for everyone and it truly gives them a week to be them and to be free of the labels that hold them back in the real world. Not only do parents know that they will be getting happy and more mature kids back, they also have had the opportunity to have a week to themselves. For some families, it isn’t as big of a deal because the camper’s disease does not affect them on a daily basis. However, for some it is a welcome relief that gives the parents a chance to have a short recharge. I am constantly in awe of all that these parents deal with, whether it is the emotional challenges of campers from neuro week, the physical challenges of spina bifida, or the physical challenges of diabetes, these parents lovingly deal with more than they should have to. I have so many stories told by and about campers that show just how life changing their camp experience is. Staff that has been around for multiple years tells me about the changes that have occurred and how cool it is to see campers who are 16 now and started coming to camp when they were 6 years old. I have loved every moment of this summer so far and am excited to see what is to come!

Week 3: Relationships in Communities

“Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish them.”

When I first pulled up to the gates of Victory Junction, everyone told me that it was a place more magical than Disney World. As a child that grew up loving all things Disney and counting down days until we returned to my favorite place on earth, that was a high standard for them to live up to. After 8 weeks at camp, I now understand that Victory Junction has way more magic in its own special way.
I am one of 85 counselors that are working camp for the summer, along with 4 unit nurses, 5 full time staff, and between 40 and 60 volunteers that switch each week. However, more than any other team I have worked with, these people have come to feel like a family. It has been awesome to see the way that relationships have formed, both during camp sessions and on our breaks in between.

We have moved cabins three times this summer. Two weeks together during orientation, four weeks for the first half, and then five weeks for the second. It has given each counselor the opportunity to work with three completely different groups of people. It has been both challenging and rewarding to get to see how successfully different groups of people work together and adapt to make it work. I, however, am one of four staff who moved out of our original cabin into a different one for a week. Week three, sickle cell week, there were significantly more girl campers who signed up to attend than boy campers. Enough that camp was going to have to close down an entire boys cabin because there were not enough of them to fill it. The full time staff made the decision that for that one week, the boy’s cabin would become a girl’s cabin so that more campers would come and the cabin would still be used. Four of us were selected because of our leadership and flexibility to leave our cabins and move in together to give these girls the camp experience. It was a really big challenge for me, to leave the group of staff I loved and worked with like a well-oiled machine, to join a group of almost strangers. However, we were able to pull together like a team and rock it! The girls had an incredible week and really felt the love VJ has to offer.
I
 have made friends in these few weeks that mean more to me than I could ever imagine. As the summer begins to draw to a close, it is crazy to look back at where I came from and see how much has changed. I have had deep and meaningful conversations, light and silly conversations, and conversations that fall somewhere in between, but all have made me think and challenge myself. These are relationships that I know will stay with me.

Week 2: Service Challenges

“One of the most important keys to success is having the discipline to do what you know you should do, even when you don’t feel like doing it.”

FTK, an acronym that means “for the kids” is an idea that is taken very, very seriously at Victory Junction. Everything we do is for the kids. Anything else is secondary and comes after the kids have been taken care of. Of course, this is much easier said than done. With camper care occurring 24/7, it definitely gets exhausting to constantly be on duty, but it is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. When I worked at a camp last summer, I definitely was tired at the end of the day. However, this summer has forced me to extend myself to such a higher level of mental and physical commitment, and it is stretching me in a whole new way.

A major challenge that goes with the quote above occurs in the middle of the night when a camper comes knocking on the counselor side of the cabin. Even if it is 2 am, it is our job to get up and check and make sure that the camper is okay. In the middle of the day, this would not be a big deal at all and any of us would be excited to get up and check on them. However, in the middle of the night when our brains are asleep and we aren’t thinking normally, it certainly is a challenge. I can think of one night in particular where a camper woke me up at 2:30, 3, 3:30, 5, and 6 am. I certainly did not feel like getting out of bed, and even less once I knew the work involved in getting the child back in bed, but I also knew that I was there to show her love and to give her what she needed. So, I put on the best smile and used the best attitude I could, and showed her how important she is to me.

Another challenge that comes with this opportunity is to ignore the labels that each child is given. With a camp for children with chronic and terminal illnesses, you already have assigned titles that are unfair and make it seem difficult from the get go. You understand that there will be more rewards than you could imagine, but you are afraid of the challenges and feel like you might not be able to handle the emotional connections that occur. However, while those are true feelings, it is not fair to the kids. These are normal children who want to be treated just like everyone else; they just have extra medical precautions that keep them from regular camps. When we receive their hot sheets at the beginning of the week, outlining their medical conditions and any notes the parent or child wants us to know, we make judgments and classifications about what the child will be like. Those papers do not give us a complete picture of the beautiful child that will show up at the gates ready to have the time of their lives. I think it is incredibly challenging to remember that just because two kids have the same label doesn’t mean they have anything else in common, and it is our job to figure out how each one works and how to best relate to them to give them the best week they could imagine.