Being Honored

Being in the spotlight is incredibly uncomfortable for me. I am a behind the scenes kinda girl. I think I have always been a bit uneasy being in front of people, but now, I am quite uneasy.  Even though I have made giant leaps in my overall recovery, I get stuck seeing that girl that is in the hospital bed that can't walk very well and cannot communicate.  I get nervous when I have to call someone or speak in public. I am scared to walk by myself because I am worried people will notice that it isn't in a straight line but more of a stagger.  I get flustered easily now and either cannot find the right word in a conversation or I try and speed through the conversation, which I am sure makes it more of a challenge to understand me.  I have some fears about how I will be perceived too. I don't want to be looked at with pity, but with friendliness. It is tough.  I was asked a few weeks ago by a  friend of mine if at the annual Royal Family Kids Camp (RFKC) Night to Remember if she could mention that I was the one who dreamt it.  This year would be the 10th year and she wanted to acknowledge my assistance in getting it off the ground.  I reluctantly agreed and assumed I could just sit in the back of the auditorium and be a silent witness to an amazing fundraiser for an INCREDIBLE camp.

Let's take a step back...10 years ago the first Royal Family Kids Camp was getting set to hold its first week of camp in Alaska. My sister Jaime was on staff as the Dean of Women, a volunteer counselor position who accompanies all the kids and staff (called cousins, uncle/aunt, grandma/grandpa).  I was a prayer warrior as I have been each year of the camp's existence.  Following camp there is a Welcome Home dinner for the staff & prayer warriors to share how camp went.  It was during this Welcome Home dinner that I felt a familiar tug at my heart (Holy Spirit).  I listened intently to the stories that were shared and rejoiced for the successful memories & moments these precious children got to take home. I was moved.  I remember hearing that it cost $500 per child to attend camp for a week. I knew that this amount of money had to come from somewhere to ensure that many many other children could attend camp the following year. I approached Chris Scott who was and is still the Amazing Director of the camp and suggested the idea of a fundraiser event or a 'Night to Remember' where we could successfully obtain finances for the camp via donation from those in the community.  I knew that if people heard about the camp and its mission, they would lend their support.  Thankfully, she was just as excited about it as I was.  I got hard to work writing letters & contacting restaurants in town seeking dessert donations for a coffee/dessert evening in which we would share the mission of the camp and the success of the previous year.  The first year was a tad hairy as most first events are... I remember hand making starfish favors for each person in attendance.  I remember email's back and forth to generous businesses in town regarding coffee & desserts they would willingly give us. I remember the Pastry Chef from Orso/Glacier Brewhouse making a dessert special for us and even giving me his baking pans on loan until I could return them the next day.  I remember running around town with my sister Jaime collecting desserts the hours before the first Night to Remember was set to debut. I continued on helping with the Night to Remember for the next few years, mostly just providing desserts as others came up with ideas for making it bigger and better.  In 2010, I was unable to be a part of the Night to Remember in any way as I had just been released from the hospital after a six week stay following brain surgery to remove a Hemangioblastoma from my brain stem.  My recovery was just beginning as I was learning to walk, talk and swallow all over.

Last night, Chris, paid tribute to me for my vision of Night to Remember.  I am humbled that she did this, but I am truly in awe of how this event has morphed into an incredible evening where people can gather together and commit to an exciting and rewarding organization that is radically changing the lives of those it comes in contact with.

Royal Family Kids Camp is all over the United States.  I borrowed this from their website (www.royalfamilykids.org) so that you could see what they are about. PS They are incredible!

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

VISION

Every foster child, ages 6-12, experiences a life-changing camp, club and mentor.

MISSION

Create life-changing moments for children of abuse.

PURPOSE

Mobilize the faith community to confront child abuse.

STRATEGY

Launch and sustain camps, clubs and mentors.

VALUES

• Treat People Royally
• Keep Moving Forward
• Make Moments Matter

The beautiful blown glass starfish that Royal Family gave to me. Amazing!!!! It is beautiful and I love that it will remind me of the Starfish story.

Invitation & Schedule of Events for the Night to Remember

RFKC Director Chris Scott, sharing about camp

I mentioned the starfish earlier and this story is one that Chris shared with me many years ago when sharing about Royal Family Kids Camp. I hope it blesses you and it helps you to see the parallel between God rescuing us and us rescuing these precious kids.

Blessings.

Starfish Story

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl seemed crushed, suddenly deflated. But after a few moments, she bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference to that one!”

The old man looked at the girl inquisitively and thought about what she had done and said. Inspired, he joined the little girl in throwing starfish back into the sea. Soon others joined, and all the starfish were saved.

— Adapted from The Star Thrower
by Loren C. Eiseley