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Summer Camp of a Lifetime

Brothers and sisters separated in foster care create memories and a sibling bond

Article by Cristine Lindholm

Photography by Courtesy of Camp To Belong, Cowabunga Bay

Originally published in Red Rock City Lifestyle

Our publisher, Cristine Lindholm is not only the founder of Red Rock Lifestyle Magazine, but she also founded the Nevada Chapter of Camp To Belong.

As normalcy returns and children all over the country can enjoy the tradition of overnight summer camp again this year, there are some young brothers and sisters that are seeing each other for the first time in a very long time, at summer camp.

Sadly, siblings separated in the foster care system don’t always get the chance to see each other after they’ve been placed in different foster homes in the community. And they especially don’t get extended periods of time together. But Camp To Belong (CTB) gives them that opportunity.

CTB was my first camp experience in 2004. I attended the camp in Colorado, not as a child but as an adult and camp counselor. I was compelled to volunteer after hearing the founder’s personal story. Lynn Price was just 8 years old when she learned she had a biological mother who requested to see her daughters. At the time, Lynn believed her adoptive parents were her only parents and that she was an only child. The same day she met her mother for the first time, Lynn also met her older sister, Andi. Andi had known she had a younger sister on the other side of town and that she might someday see her mother. Her foster parents had been very transparent. Over time, Lynn and Andi had periodic visits and by the time they were adults they formed a strong sibling bond. They invested monumental efforts making Lynn’s vision for a summer camp to “Give Siblings Their Right to Reunite” a reality.

The campers at CTB are youth between the ages of 8 and 18 who are experiencing sibling separation while one, or all, of the brothers and sisters are placed in the foster care system. 

My day-to-day experience at my very first CTB included being a cabin supervisor for several girls including two sisters, Stephany, age 8 and Tiffiny, age 12. During the day we met up with our assigned group, including the sisters’ brother James, age 13. I witnessed the campers create lifelong memories around horseback riding, river rafting, a ropes course, swimming, and other typical camp activities. Even the simple act of breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the same day was meaningful because these siblings don’t live together.

All volunteers receive limited information about the circumstances that led these sibling groups into the foster care system. Although, I was aware that James had a different father but that he and his sisters shared the same mother. One night, in the cabin, Stephany told me that I reminded them of their mother and Tiffany said she could see some resemblance. This was certainly a bonding moment. After our closing campfire, I remember Stephany was too tired to walk so I carried her back to the cabin. I was overcome with emotion trying to understand how this beautiful child ended up in foster care and whether there was a way that I could help.

Once we were back in Las Vegas I inquired with their social worker about maintaining a connection. She told me that the Department of Family Services (DFS) had found a foster family for both sisters but that the family was only willing to foster female children. James needed a new placement. While becoming a foster parent was not an option, I signed up to be a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA). The siblings’ social worker told me I would be able to advocate on James’ behalf about his wellbeing in a new placement and I would be able to facilitate sibling visitations. The timing was perfect. Over time, I also formed a relationship with their mother and advocated for reunification.

I offered to lead efforts to bring Camp To Belong to Nevada. This entailed forming a committee to recruit volunteers, fundraise, and work with the DFS to identify children that needed time with their siblings. A Nevada chapter of CTB formed and two years after my first camp, we were no longer referring 15 to 20 youth each summer to Colorado, but we were hosting CTB for as many as 80 local youth annually. 

It has been 17 years since my first volunteer experience at CTB in Colorado. Today, I’m very proud that CTB Nevada still operates. The summer camp reunion is part of the Sibling Preservation Program at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children. It has grown substantially, and Program Manager Kevin Nelson now ensures that siblings separated in foster care have multiple opportunities to see each other year-round to help preserve the critical sibling bond, spend time together and build on their relationship, and create positive memories.

One of the youth’s favorite activities is in partnership with Cowabunga Bay Water Park and its Cowabunga Bay Cares Program. Each year, the water park hosts 50 to 100 youth and volunteers to enjoy the attractions and have fun in the sun. This event is particularly meaningful because the kids used to be so sad when it was the last day of camp, and now they have another summer activity to look forward to together. I love seeing how much the program has grown and how many siblings feel cared for by their community. 

Prior to participating in CTB, I was very naive about the foster care system and challenges that youth face when their families are broken by no fault of their own. Camp To Belong opened my eyes and my heart in a way that is simply indescribable. I met amazing kids that I fondly consider lifelong friends. I believe it changed the course of my life and I know it has changed the lives of many siblings. Youth create lifelong positive memories with their siblings, some children find forever families through adoption, and many pay-it-forward when they become adults by volunteering at camp. This is what Lynn Price refers to as the Camp To Belong ripple. You never know how far and wide the ripple will be when a stone hits the water.  

If you’d like to be a part of the ripple and support Camp To Belong and the St. Jude’s Ranch for Children Sibling Preservation Program, visit stjudesranch.org. You can volunteer, donate goods or services, or even sponsor a child to go to camp for $500.

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