Camp Casey is Helping Kids
Most kids in college think about parties, exams and making it to class in time.
They're not usually creating a non-profit organization for children with cancer, but that's just what Molly Melamed did in 2004 during her sophomore year at Michigan State.
It began with a young girl named Casey who was suffering from brain cancer. Molly was teaching horseback riding and saw the transformation in Casey from "a kid with cancer" to just plain "a kid" when she would ride the horses, even after all of her heavy cancer treatments.
After Casey lost her battle in 2003, Molly wanted to do something in her memory so she organized what she thought would be a one-time deal. She held a horse retreat for children with cancer and their families so that for one day they could forget about the disease. It was the beginning of what would become Camp Casey.
She knew she had something special on her hands when she got a thank you note from a little boy saying "Thank you for the best day of my life!" and so she had to continue.
Camp Casey holds several one day retreats and outings for about 20 "Camp Casey Families" where kids learn about horses, do arts & crafts, take nature hikes and hayrides, and even go on treasure hunts. Children who can't make it out to these retreats may even get a special home visit. It's like having "Camp Casey in the Backyard."
They are still a fairly new organization, though, and rely solely on donations. "It's really not that difficult to give back to the community," says Molly. In addition to accepting donations on their website, they have donation drives at large events. For example, they had a booth at the Dream Cruise where they sold popcorn and offered pictures with Pumpkin the Dog for $1.
If you're looking for a way to build up that good karma then this is one of the best ways to do it. Donate a few dollars, your time, or a few items for care packages for kids too ill to participate in the retreats.
Own a horse or know someone who does? You can even donate your horse's time to help bring a smile to a child's face. And that's what really matters.
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