Flip through a Camp Sunshine yearbook or scroll our social media pages - you’ll see beaming smiles showcasing deep joy and friendships. The story - and the friendships - don’t end when each session of Camp Sunshine does!
Katie and Allie met at Camp Sunshine in 2019. It was Allie’s second time at Camp Sunshine, and she was nervous. Those feelings disappeared immediately - from her first introduction to her camper Katie, she knew there was a special connection! After their session of camp ended, their friendship remained. It blossomed through connection on social media and by frequent texting - even through the two years of canceled sessions due to the pandemic.
In 2024, Katie and Allie were once again paired as camper and counselor. “I was so happy and excited,” says Katie, remembering fun on horseback and on the Talent Show stage, where she sang Flowers by Miley Cyrus. It was a session exploding with the joy of their reunion. “I was so excited to reconnect,” said Allie, remembering their fun together in 2019 and again this year.
Sometimes these stories unfold over decades! Cara Montgomery is a longtime Camp Sunshine volunteer and a teacher at West Ottawa Public Schools. Cara, her husband Jason, and their three children have embraced the spirit of Camp Sunshine with a lifelong friendship with camper Randall Snow. Randall, who has been recognized as our unofficial “mayor” because of the many friendships he holds at camp.
Cara shares: Randall and I met in 1999 via Special Ed Ministries while I was at Hope, and then again via Camp Sunshine later that same year. My husband and I both went to Hope and have been friends with him since.
25 years later, Randall is still a huge part of our family. We see him about once a week, yet we talk or text daily. He loves going to watch my kids sporting events - baseball, football, and soccer and has quickly become known to all of their friends and West Ottawa friends.
Randall shares his love for Camp Sunshine and the Montgomery family too: “I love to meet new people! I knew Cara when she and Jason were dating and they were counselors! We hang out and we text each other. Their boys are on my good list- sometimes!”
There are countless friendships like Katie and Allie or Randall and the Montgomery family. The stories repeat in large and small ways - anyone who has experienced Camp Sunshine knows that it is transformative for every person who participates. It’s our goal to promote through words and actions a culture that honors each person with total acceptance, unconditional love, and lasting friendship.
Have you experienced an enduring Camp Sunshine friendship? We’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment or contact us with stories and photos!
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