Volunteer
“We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future”.
FDR
Being a volunteer at Camp Colorado is one of the most gratifying experiences a person can have. Although volunteering is not easy, it is a guaranteed soul-pleasing-life-changing experience.
From sun up to well past sun down your main responsibility will be to ensure that the campers in your care have a maximum amount of fun with a minimum amount of complication. We want diabetes to take a back seat at camp and you’re there to make that happen. With the help of another Diabetes Counselor and a team of Senior Medical Volunteers, you’re sure to do great!
Your day begins much like any other with the rising of the sun over the mountains. Blood glucose testing ensues to ready the campers for their first (of many) dining experiences of the day. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day so fuel up to get started. Whether it’s pancakes or heart-healthy oatmeal and energy boosting bananas, first-meal will pack you full of energy. Next, try your hand at carb counting with the campers to ready them for their first insulin dosage of the day. Don’t worry, a team of Senior Medical Physicians are there to make all the tough decisions and pack your cabin full of insulin. Spend the next several hours gloriously full while minding the activity level and blood sugar of your cabin with your glucose meter and other diabetes counselors.
Sign-up to work one of the skills and you might be able to mountain boarding, the zip-line or the blob. Don’t let this fun fool you, you’re there to make sure the campers are well taken care of so your fun is goal number 2. Think daytime sounds interesting? Prepare yourself for evenings to envy. After dinner it’s time for the evening program to begin - and we do it all! Wanna hear a live band and party like it’s 1999? What about starring in our talent show? Make room for s’mores because no camp is complete without a camp fire and some melty, marshmallowy goodness. A camptime favorite!
But the fun doesn’t stop there. After lights out and the campers are all asleep the real fun begins! Every evening around midnight you get to become Tinkerbell and “juice fairy” all your campers! Blood sugars tend to fall at night after a day full of excitement and activity and to ensure that all our campers are well taken care of our diabetes counselors tiptoe up to the cabins and check glucose levels one last time before bed.
If you would like to join us and can commit to more than 2 days at camp download the three forms below (New volunteer Welcome Letter, Diabetes Counselor Application, and Background Check) and fax or send them to April Henderson at the American Diabetes Association (address and fax number are located on the application forms) ASAP! Once the forms have been received and your background check is processed you will be notified of your acceptance. You will then need to dowload the Volunteer Follow up Forms below and fax them to April before May 30, 2008. Need more information? Send an e-mail to April Henderson, Camp Director, at aphenderson@diabetes.org. Hope you can join us this summer!