Written by our newest Board Member, John VanLoon    

 

Season's Greetings.  In this season of giving, I wanted to share the gift that North Star Reach has given to our family; the catalyst to join a talented group of people who have set out upon the journey to make North Star Reach the destination for children in the Michigan region with serious health challenges. 

 

Our teenage daughter Jenna was a camper this past summer at Victory Junction in North Carolina.  Founded by the Petty family, well-known from the NASCAR racing world, Victory Junction is a member of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps which was also founded by a famous racer, actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman. 

  

Jenna, along with a group of kids with heart/lung conditions from our area were able to go to camp through a program called Camp on the Move.  This program was created by Hole in the Wall Camps, the world's largest family of camps for children with serious illness, to help camps in development, like North Star Reach, start to serve local children and build relationships with regional pediatric medical centers.  As an aspiring member of Hole in the Wall Camps, North Star Reach is able to take advantage of this program until our camp is operational.

 

Jenna was born with six heart defects and endured two heart surgeries at University of Michigan's C.S Mott Children's Hospital by the age of two.  We are pleased to report that Jenna is doing very well.  Though she does not live on the same heart as most of us, she thrives in life, largely functioning like any other teenager in school and even participates in dancing, skiing and volleyball. Though we are not sure what the future will bring, we feel very blessed for the life Jenna has been able to live.

 

At the same time, being a teen can be tough, especially when you are a little different from everyone else and have regular thoughts and prayers about your future health and well-being.  Spending time with a group of campers with similar challenges, along with skilled camp counselors proved to be a life-changing experience.  Whether it was talking about their abilities, seeing other kids in the pool with a scar down their chest or just the rite of passage being without parents for a week, the benefits were great.  Though it was difficult for my wife and me to send our daughter off without us, we felt she was in good hands and it was the right thing to do. 

  

Attending camp had a profound effect and allowed Jenna to mature and prosper.  In just a short time, we have really seen her confidence grow.  This has also been noticed by others as she was elected Co-President of the Student Council and Captain of her volleyball team.  In addition, she has taken her studies to the next level achieving high honor roll for the first time.   

 

Sometimes in life, opportunity knocks and the message is not always clear.  In this case, as receivers of the gift of camp, the opportunity to help grow North Star Reach blew the door off the hinges.  This unique camp will allow special kids to just be kids, regardless of the health challenges they may have, enabling each to exercise his/her unique abilities while building lasting relationships and providing support coping with their medical issues. 

 

As a resident of Southeastern Michigan and a Sales and Marketing Executive for EEI Global, Inc., a Rochester Hills based Experiential Marketing firm, I have recently joined the Board of Directors at North Star Reach and hope to use my professional skills to help drive our mission forward. 

 

 Please join us on this journey to give a truly awesome gift to a very special group of children.  North Star Reach needs your time, talents and resources to create this magical camp for young campers for years to come. 

 

If you would like to talk about how you can help, feel free to contact me at any time.  vanloonjvl@yahoo.com, 313-715-0128.   

 

 

Thank You and Happy Holidays.