Tag Archive for: Labor Day weekend

“Allison’s” safest place is REACH

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As a teen with complex special needs, “Allison” (name changed for confidentiality) has not had an easy life. She and her HIV-positive mom, “Keira,” and her caregiver grandmother, “Dee,” connected with REACH immediately after moving here from another state in early 2024. They attended both Spring and Labor Day Getaways together. The grandmother exclaims about how valuable these experiences are for Allison and Keira.

For Allison, the activities get her outside in the fresh air, exercising her unstable legs, and surrounded by people who love to chat with her and enjoy her teasing sense of humor with no stigma or judgment about her disabilities.

When we first met Keira she told us “I need to make friends with HIV!” and in almost every support group (online or in person) she shares the story of the traumatic circumstances surrounding her HIV diagnosis years ago. She can be talkative, but the participants are gracious and kind. They know the value of listening to her experience and offering care. Keira comments often about how much people at REACH smile.

Dee delights in seeing her daughter and granddaughter engaged in such healthy and supportive activities and admits that she too gets a lot out of the themed breakout sessions, as fulltime caregiving is not easy.

At Labor Day Getaway Allison felt so safe and comfortable that she decided to perform a song, something she had never had the opportunity to do before. It was a spontaneous decision during the “talent” portion of campfire and her grandmother immediately grabbed her phone to record this novel event saying, “I can’t believe she’s doing this! I don’t know who she is. I’m so shocked at how outgoing she’s being. She comes to REACH and just comes alive.”

Many around the fire sang along to the classic love song, swaying and waving their phone flashlights back and forth like they were at a concert. While the performance would be unlikely to win an award… Allison felt like a superstar as she tiptoed back to her seat amid boisterous cheers and applause.

Labor Day Getaway Creates Family

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Despite being brand new to Labor Day Getaway, “Asha” had banked several experiences with REACH over the last year. She first met us at our Thanksgiving celebration in Tacoma, despite her drive being much longer than the event itself! Later that month she joined a wreath-making connection event that REACH hosted at her case management site. Three of the participants that day joined REACH staff for lunch afterwards and Asha was the life of that party, talking about all the foods she loves from her home country, cracking jokes, and playfully teasing her new friends. Throughout the following months she joined many ladies zoom chats and positive adults support groups. She naturally took the role of caregiver within each group, often starting comments to fellow participants with the phrase, “Josephine, my dear…” or “Martha, my dear…” offering encouragement and support.

This summer Asha made sure to request the necessary days off of work to attend Labor Day Getaway. She bonded immediately with another first-time participant, and they trekked to the pool every day for a refreshing swim and enjoyed attending the groups and breakouts together. She loved dancing at the “Boogie Woogie Round-up” Sunday evening, and learning the silly campfire songs. When she was called on to demonstrate a dance move at campfire, she laughed heartily while showing off her move. After all this joy and enthusiasm it caught us by surprise when she took the mic during the closing campfire on our final night and began to weep. She choked out her grief, saying, “I haven’t seen my babies in two years!” Then, “Because of REACH I now have family in America. I have never felt so loved by people I never met.”

For most of the year with us, Asha effectively hid the anguish of leaving her young adult children back home as she seeks asylum in the U.S… but in the safety of a REACH getaway, she let down her guard. No doubt she will continue to be the nurturer at group, but she also understands that she can safely be vulnerable and continue to be loved and accepted at REACH.

 

REACH Campers Speak Up About Camp

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Parents:

“REACH has been transformative and life-giving to each of my kids.”

New parent: “This is definitely a community. No wonder there are campers coming back every year.”

“REACH Camp is my sanctuary. As a single parent, it is hard to be able to put down responsibility and let my nervous system relax and recalibrate. When I’m at Camp, I feel my defenses come down and I can take a deep breath.”

“Next week I am having several conversations with the school and others to put together a wrap-around team for my daughter. I will be sure to keep ‘Works in Progress’ as a central guiding principle and remind myself she (and we) are doing the best we can.”

“[I had] deep one-on-ones with other parents going through the same stuff.”

“One of my favorite parts, and a time I feel I can share, is guy group. It’s a unique place with a group of guys with families and lives similar to mine. I look forward to these conversations.”

“During group I felt safe to show my emotions.”

“I felt support for my family … knowing that my kids are safe, and the worth my kids and I felt.”

“I received understanding and love.”

“People looked out for me – they encouraged me to rest, to keep holding boundaries, to keep hoping.”

“In the adult breakout groups, it felt good to share my truth and also hear the ideas of others, which can be quite different from mine.”

“In parent group several parents nodded in agreement when I described my struggle.”

“I love knowing it is only months away to face-to-face see each other. But we have Zooms to fill in the gap!”

Teens:

“I was accepted all weekend.”

“When I performed my act at the talent show, everybody clapped and celebrated me.”

“I saw many people be inclusive of the Spanish-speaking families by making an effort and offering their own skills for communicating.”

“At night when we discussed the theme, I felt safe from judgment when I offered my own thoughts in the conversation.”

“Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed by life’s expectations or unaccepted, I remember that I have a REACH family; someone who loves me and wants the best for me always.”

“If I am ever feeling frustrated or upset about all of life’s problems and expectations – and like I won’t ever be able to get myself together – I know now that there is nothing wrong with admitting that I am slowly coming together. What amazing grace is in the phrase ‘a work in progress.’”

“I felt like I could be myself and people would accept me.”

“In every group I hung out with, I could easily flow into their conversations.”

“Though I may not feel comfortable in my body and with how I look, I know that I am a work in progress. I’m not perfect, and I’ll never be, but Jesus is still making me.”

Single Adults:

“I don’t want to leave.”

“I really needed this weekend.”

“Everyone was very welcoming.”

“I was included into every group activity.”

REACH embraces new Labor Day campers

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Welcoming first-time participants into the REACH community is always a highlight. This year at camp we welcomed a Kenyan-American mother with her adult daughter, a local family of five reeling from a recent move, an Ethiopian-American college student, a young Latin American immigrant, and a young adult who brought her sister and family for support. These are incredible individuals filled with joy and hope and we had so much fun with them – playing games, laughing, singing, dancing, and having deep discussions.

Also, as trust was established, these new participants felt safe enough to voice their pain. Foster care, HIV stigma, finances, separation from family, mental health, and more. It is a profound privilege to welcome each one into a community that cares for them, shows genuine interest in them, and walks alongside them for the long haul. No matter what age or stage of life, Camp (yes, a simple summer camp!) is a powerful experience of unconditional acceptance, safe community, joy, and trust.