All year long children look forward to their summer vacation. For many children, summertime means leaving for camp, playing outside, and having a carefree summer. However, this isn’t the case for all children. Many children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses have limited abilities or lack the confidence to go to camp, which can prevent them from experiencing summer camp like every other child.
To bridge this gap, The NASCAR Foundation is proud to partner with Victory Junction to allow children with serious illness to experience the bliss of childhood and temporarily forget about being sick. Campers can feel free of any boundaries and limitations they experience in everyday life while in a safe environment.
This summer, campers sponsored by The NASCAR Foundation had a blast participating in new activities while making memories and friends they will always remember. Learn more about camp experiences from two of the campers we sponsored:
Laila – Age 13 – Virginia – Laila arrived at Victory Junction nervous about her camp schedule and making new friends. Throughout her week at Victory Junction, Laila participated in games and activities that provided her the chance to connect with other campers who shared common interests. Although she was nervous about trying new activities, she had the support and cheers from her new camp friends to encourage her to step outside of her comfort zone. By the end of the week, Laila had made over 5 new friends, went down a zipline for the first time and rode in a hot air balloon. These are activities she never imagined being able to do, which gave Laila a newfound confidence that would last after camp ended.
Max – Age 7 – California – Max came to camp with one goal – to play a ukulele in front of his fellow campers on Stage Day. However, when Max arrived at camp, he chose to learn to play a small guitar instead. This challenged Max to learn a new instrument and song in time for Stage Day. Max tackled this challenge with a tremendous amount of determination. His drive to perform almost overshadowed how nervous he was about playing a new instrument on stage. Max practiced all week to get ready for Stage Night. When the curtains finally opened, Max struggled at first to put his fingers in the right place, but once his nerves died down, Max played perfectly. He looked like a natural guitarist on stage! Max’s smile from his performance never faded throughout the week.
Victory Junction provides campers like Laila and Max the opportunity to just be a kid and enjoy summer. We are proud to sponsor children to attend a camp that delivers a positive impact in the lives of the campers. Although our campers may be sad summer is over, they are looking forward to camp next year at Victory Junction!
Click here to help us fund more campers like Laila and Max.
