A Camp for Healing and Magic
by Rachel Bennek

When I was three years old my family moved from Port Ewen to a small, close knit community in Clermont. It was in this community that I found my first best-friend in Kristin Fenn, a girl who lived just two doors down from my new house. I vividly remember our mothers watching from the window as Kristin and I ran back and forth from house to house. We used to play school, and dress up, and we even had a restaurant called Rachtins (clearly a very clever combination of our two names). Our favorite activity, however, was subjecting our ever patient mothers to puppet shows and plays, swearing each time, "It's perfect this time, we promise."

As Kristin and I grew older we drifted apart as many first friends do, but my mother always kept me updated as to what was going on in the Fenn family. It was through her that I first heard that Kristin's mother, Gale Fenn, the woman who had watched me run from house to house, the woman who had watched me perform dance routine after dance routine, the woman who was my first best-friend's mother, was sick. In the beginning her diagnosis was unclear, but my mother soon called me to let me know they had figured out what was wrong. Gale Fenn had a form of brain cancer.

Kristin, who considered her mother one of her best friends, was devastated by the news. She wanted to reach out in some way to other people who were suffering through similar situations so she began looking for a youth support group with which she could volunteer. What she found was Camp Kesem National. This organization, founded in 2001, provides children who have or have had a parent with cancer with a fun and understanding environment. These children have had to deal with the tragedy of cancer in their family and live in a world enveloped in sadness and loss. Part of the mission of Camp Kesem is to let these children know that they are not alone and that there is support out there. It gives them an opportunity to remember that they are children and that, no matter how painful, they can survive and live on beyond the tragedy that they are experiencing. Although the camp is not intended to provide therapy for these children, the environment and the support system found there can be therapeutic.

After learning about Camp Kesem National, Kristin contacted the director of the national organization. Much to her surprise, he asked if she would be willing to establish the first chapter of Camp Kesem in the Northeast. Though she was uncertain at first about tackling such an enormous task, her mother found the idea of the camp inspiring. Gale felt that something good was supposed to come from her struggle with cancer. With her encouragement, Kristin began the daunting task of organizing the Saint Rose chapter of Camp Kesem.

Sadly, on May 25, 2006, while Kristin was in her third year of college at Saint Rose and in the process of founding the first Northeastern chapter of Camp Kesem, Gale lost her seven month long battle. Kristin's drive to found Camp Kesem Saint Rose did not wane with her mother's death. She was determined to open the camp, founded in honor of her mother, by the summer of 2007. It is fitting that Kesem is a Hebrew word meaning magic because it is magic that Kristin is making. She has put her heart and soul and all the love she has for her mother into this endeavor.

In a few short years Kristin has come a long way. She has organized multiple fund-raisers, including a holiday shopping party, a fashion show, a "Race for Magic," and various school events. She, along with 40 Saint Rose College volunteers, has raised 20,000 dollars and is continuing to collect in order to provide up to 30 campers, ages six to 13, with a fun and free camp experience. Their goal for this year is to raise 25,000 dollars. The Saint Rose chapter of Camp Kesem will be in session from August 19 through August 23 at Camp Eagle Hill in Elizaville, New York. While there, the campers will participate in various activities including sports, drama, arts and crafts, scavenger hunts, and talent shows. In addition, the campers will have a "Cabin Chat" before bed each night. This is a time for the children to talk with their fellow campers and their counselors about anything they want or need.

It is the sign of an extraordinary person when one can take their pain and turn it into something productive. The loss the Fenn family has experienced is unfathomable and, while their pain will diminish with time, their lives will never be the same. Yet, from this personal tragedy has come "kesem." It is hard to express the awe that I feel for Kristin's mission. She has become an inspiration for me. At the age of 22 Kristin has done more for this world than most people accomplish in a lifetime. Rather than letting her own loss drag her down she has chosen to take action. The relief and happiness the new Camp Kesem will provide for children who have struggled through cancer with a parent will always be a wonderful tribute to the memory of Gale Fenn.

To acquire a Camper Application and more information please go to www.campkesemsaintrose.org. You can contact Kristin Fenn at PO Box 66223, Albany, NY 12206 or call (845) 417-5364. To make a donation please go to www.campkesemnational.org.