Tag Archive for: volunteer

Labor Day Getaway: Resilience shines despite HIV stigma

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At Labor Day Getaway, the warmth of REACH embraced eight new attendees and three new volunteers. As always, we could see our community in a fresh light through their eyes. Somehow, in a balance difficult to achieve, long-time friends excitedly caught up with each other and new participants were joyfully welcomed.

Here are a few snapshots:

  • A teen coming off a difficult year, found the strength to sing a solo in front of everyone. Her bravery came from the moral support of one friend and one volunteer doing “interpretive dance” on either side of the stage to take the spotlight off her. All three performers were wildly entertaining. Two in the silliest ways, and one in a sincere heartfelt way.
  • A mom still reeling from recent traumas plus the daily stresses of life gravitated toward a young adult she could encourage and befriend. They even shared the same heart language.
  • A tween arrived glowering and departed smiling and giving hugs.
  • Five young children became the best of friends. Staff and REACH parents giggled when the kids would say, That’s my brother.” “Hey, sister!” and “Those are my kids over there.” Yes, the 3-year-old dubbed the slightly older children her “kids.”
  • At her third consecutive REACH Getaway, a young mom felt safe enough to share a brief, timid glimpse into the dark times in her past and how she sees so much more life and hope now. She had told us previously that she wanted to share more but was not ready. What a privilege to earn her trust.

A first-time participant told us, “It is good to find a family.”
A single adult said, “Sharing our experience was a relief to me. I was so comfortable to say anything without being judged.”
A teen said, “I am new here. It was perfect. I’ve learned to be resilient.”

Calling All Volunteers: It’s Time to Get Wild at the Labor Day Getaway 2025!

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Volunteers Wanted!
Jungle games, glow paint, and unforgettable memories await.

If you’ve ever been to a REACH Labor Day Getaway, you know it’s not your average weekend. It’s laughter echoing through the trees, late-night campfire chats, spontaneous dance parties, and bonds that last way beyond the weekend.

Well… we’re doing it again. And this year, it’s going to be WILD.

Volunteer registration is officially OPEN, and we’re bringing the energy for this year’s Labor Day Getaway! Whether you’re a seasoned camp pro or thinking about joining us for the first time, we want you on our team.

💥 This Year’s Big Theme: Resilience
We’ve all been through a lot these past few years—and this Getaway is about celebrating how far we’ve come and the strength we carry forward. But don’t worry, we’re keeping it light, loud, and fun. Because at REACH, resilience doesn’t have to be serious all the time—it can glow in the dark.

🌿 Day 1 Theme: Jungle Resilience
We’re diving headfirst into the jungle—figuratively, of course (though rumor has it the Reptile Man might show up). This day is all about unleashing your wild side with team challenges and tribe spirit.

💡 Think:

  • Survivor-style challenges (minus the TV drama, plus more laughs)
  • Tribe games and chants
  • Creative chaos, and maybe even a few surprises

⛈ Day 2 Theme: Weather the Storm
Grab your rain boots and your grit— This day’s theme is all about tapping into the strength, silliness, and spirit that make our REACH community unstoppable.


💡 Think:

  • Mini Olympics
  • Glow-in-the-dark paint parties
  • Team relays and inflatable madness

 🎯 What’s in Store All Weekend Long:

This isn’t your average weekend away—it’s a full-on REACH-style adventure with all the good stuff included:

🍽 All meals & snacks provided – 3 delicious meals plus 2 snacks a day (no cooking, no clean-up, just enjoy!)
🛏 Hotel-style accommodations – Rooms with real beds, linens, and a bathroom—no tent camping!
🎨 Creative Expression sessions – Art-based outlets for all ages to create, unwind, and connect
🌳 Outdoor adventures – Pool time, archery, inflatables, and wide-open spaces to explore
🦸‍♂️ Counselor Crew – Each counselor is paired with 2–3 kids, building friendships and sharing the full camp experience together from breakfast through bedtime
🌈 Theme nights & social events – Jungle games, glow paint parties, and nighttime socials for kids, teens, and adults
🔥 Campfires & connection – Music, s’mores, and late-night laughs under the stars

Whether you’re cheering at the Mini Olympics, getting messy with paint, or just soaking in the joy around you—this is a weekend that fills hearts and builds lifelong bonds.

We may not have kayaks or zip lines this year, but we do have everything you need to make memories, build connections, and create a weekend full of laughter, movement, and meaning.

Whether you’ve been volunteering for years or this is your first time, you’ll be part of something that matters. You’ll help create joy, build connections, and give families a weekend they’ll never forget.

📝 Ready to jump in?
Volunteer registration is officially OPEN! Spots go fast, and we’d love to see some familiar faces (plus a few new ones).

👉 Sign up here

Let’s make this the wildest, most joy-filled Getaway yet. See you in the jungle! 🐒✨

New Labor Day Getaway Location

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Our REACH community is growing, as more and more people living with HIV join us. And we found a new Labor Day Getaway location that’s just the right size! It’s still in the “north of Seattle” region, but will be a brand new experience.

REACH staff visited the venue for an in-depth tour last week and got even more excited than we were before. The camp staff can’t wait to welcome REACH participants, and they share a similar heart for creating spaces for everyone to be accepted and flourish.

Whether you’re a potential volunteer or potential guest, we hope you’ll join us August 29-September 1! We will certainly be welcoming many first-timers and it will be a special year of Getaway.

“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 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.

Labor Day REACH Camp is coming! Calling volunteers!

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Q: What kind of Camp volunteers is REACH looking for?

A: Ones who…

  • make people feel safe
  • care about making a difference for people marginalized by stigma
  • do more listening than talking with their camper
  • enthusiastically participate in the next activity on the schedule
  • see the whole person in front of them – gifts, personality, strengths and quirks – not just the HIV
  • love campers wholeheartedly
  • are energized by providing 4 days of freedom for their camper in a judgment-free zone
Sign up to volunteer

Volunteers are the heart and soul of REACH

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Can you picture the spring retreat volunteers – leaving children and jobs, hobbies and housework behind in favor of investing their time, energy, and hearts into the REACH families? When there is down time, can you see them inventing games and activities to delight the kids? When joyful messes are piling up, notice them tidy up as they continue to visit and engage. Can you see their heads bowed over colorful award certificates, dreaming up the very best words of affirmation to speak over REACH kids as they receive their awards? As the volunteers leave, do you hear them thank us for the opportunity to participate?

Do they realize that their presence makes REACH the beautiful community that it is?