Former campers return as Assistant Camp Directors at Camp Delight, Whiteway, Newfoundland.
Ashley Barrett
I first heard about Camp Delight when I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at the age of 12. Unfortunately, I could not attend camp that first year due to treatments and being in hospital. The following year my two sisters and I headed off to camp very nervous, having no idea what to expect. We met amazing people and played fun activities like swimming, canoeing, crafts, campfires and sing alongs.
Camp Delight gave my sisters and I support and a place where we could talk to others going through the same things we were and not only for us as kids but our parents too. We made friendships and memories that will last a lifetime. It has been almost 20 years since my family started its journey with the Candlelighters NL and Camp Delight, and it remains very important to our family.
I look forward to Camp Delight every year. I know firsthand what these kids are going through. I can’t find the words to describe the feeling I get from being a Camp Delight volunteer, giving back to this amazing group that has helped my family and I through a very difficult time. I look forward to being part Camp Delight for another 20 years!
Jenny McDonald
When my brother was 9 years old, he was diagnosed with cancer, and although it was a hard time for us all, it brought Camp Delight to our family.
In 2002, I was old enough to attend Camp Delight as a sibling and I attended camp every summer after that until I turned 17. Camp Delight brought such joy to my childhood, and it helped to shape me into the person I am today. I knew after I graduated from Camp Delight that I could not stop there, I knew that there was more I had to do.
In 2014, I was old enough to go back to Camp Delight as a Camp Counsellor and I could not wait to help make an impact on all the children’s lives as it impacted mine. As Assistant Camp Director, and this marks my 21st year being involved with Camp Delight. Camp Delight has been one of the most important and most memorable part of my life. I will continue to volunteer with Camp Delight and try my hardest to have a positive impact on these children’s lives for as long as I can.
Samantha Bullen
When my younger brother John was diagnosed with childhood cancer, I began to hear about the Candlelighters Association of NL and stories of Camp Delight. One of John’s oncology nurses convinced me to attend Camp Delight to see what it was all about, and I am so glad that she did.
That week quickly became one of the best weeks I had experienced and that I most looked forward to. While we were all there because of childhood cancer, we could put that aside, have fun and feel like normal kids. At Camp Delight I wasn’t the girl with the sick brother. Although childhood cancer is not something I would have ever wanted to have in our lives, I am forever grateful to have attended Camp Delight with John and to have happy memories to look back on after his passing.
After graduating from Camp Delight, I knew that I wanted to return as a counselor to give back to a place that gave so much to me. After being a volunteer counselor for 6 years, I am now an Assistant Camp Director. I also sit on the Board of Directors of the Candlelighters Association of NL with a goal to continue helping provide support to families affected by childhood cancer.