'Truly magical': UNC Kesem chapter provides summer camp for children impacted by parent's cancer

UNC senior Braeden Harper said his first experience at Camp Kesem felt like magic.

Camp Kesem is a free five-day summer camp run by college students for children ages six to 18 impacted by a parent’s cancer. Harper, the co-director of the UNC chapter of Kesem, first got involved as a counselor for the camp his first year at UNC.

Kesem is a national nonprofit organization that has chapters at various college campuses. Each college’s chapter fundraises and runs their own camp. UNC Kesem Co-director Sophia Jurs said she joined UNC's chapter after her sister expressed regret over not joining during her college experience. After attending an in-person camp for the first time, Jurs said she fell in love with the experience.

“I realized the emotional capacity and strength of the kids that we are working with, and just how it's so important for them to have those shared experiences without making them feel like they're singled out, that they're the ones with parents who have cancer,” she said.

At camp, attendees can talk about their experiences with cancer if they wish, but they are not forced to speak about it. Jurs said because of the campers’ shared experience, there is a strong sense of community. 

Current UNC Kesem members Maria McAdam and Ella Sullivan attended the camp when they were younger. Once they went to college, they both said they wanted to become counselors and continue being a part of the Kesem community.

“It's been so cool to be able to see from the other side because my counselors when I was a camper had such a big impact on my life,” McAdam said. “And so it's been awesome being able to give that back to campers.”

There are about 100 members in UNC’s Kesem chapter and 20 of those members hold executive board positions. About 50 members serve as counselors during the five-day camp, which attracts an average of 125 attendees. In order to protect both the counselors' and the kids' identities, Jurs saideach member is assigned a codename.

At Kesem, she goes by the name "Bulb."

Throughout the year, UNC Kesem hosts general body meetings every other week and executive board meetings every week to talk about fundraising and plan for the camp. Last year, UNC Kesem raised $95,000 through individual fundraising, benefit nights, blood drives and large-scale fundraising events like Giving Tuesday and Make the Magic. 

Jurs said the fundraising covers individual camper costs, counselor costs, renting out the camp itself and UNC Kesem’s semesterly Friends and Family Day. Friends and Family Day gives the campers an opportunity to engage with Kesem outside of camp, she said.

Harper described the Friends and Family Days as a reunion.

“We invite the families to come for one day in each of those semesters, to come hang out and reconnect with their counselors, reconnect with their friends,” Jurs said.

UNC Kesem rents out Blue Star Camps in Hendersonville for their camp session, usually in the beginning of August. Campers participate in traditional camp activities like swimming, archery and ropes courses, but Kesem also offers more unique experiences. 

One camp tradition, called “rainbow rumble,” divides the campers into colors of the rainbow to participate in a field day event. At the end of the day, campers cover themselves and each other in paint and shaving cream, Jurs said.

Counselors also lead an empowerment event where campers can openly talk about their experience having a sick parent.

Kesem finds their campers through referral programs, pop-up booths and word of mouth, Jurs said. However, during the pandemic, member numbers fell, and Kesem hosted their camp virtually.

Despite this, Harper said the sense of community remained strong among members. When Kesem resumed in-person camp in 2022, he said he felt re-energized.

“Kesem is not just for the kids too — it's also great for the community,” he said. “It will affect you in such a positive way with the way that you can see the impact that you've had on these kids. And just by putting these kids first always, you'll see that you're making a difference.”

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