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These families face unique circumstances because of a parent's dedication to serve our country. Here's one mother, Dawn, sharing the impact of camp in both her daughter's life and the life of their whole family.
"Having departed from Camp Pendleton Military Base for camp, Natalie knew she would be saying goodbye to her dad not just for two weeks, but for nine months. Her father would be sent on his sixth deployment while she was at camp. Virtually all of her close friends would be moving due to reassignments while she was gone, and Natalie's mom would continue to recover from a two-year long battle with cancer. In her mom's words: "We were a family whose resources were spread thin. Seemingly caught in a proverbial endless storm of change, it was as though our drenched tent was starting to leak and collapse despite our efforts to withstand the storms of life. And in came the gift of camp, offering both a figurative and a literal cabin for Natalie, a safe haven for our daughter to escape the storm for a while. Natalie felt the warmth of her counselor's presence, the refreshment of crisp lake water, the camaraderie of cabin mates and the stability of the bunk bed beneath her. It was truly a heaven-sent break in the cloud for all of us."
Dawn, SRM Camper Parent
