NACCHO Grande
By: Robert H. Gillespie, LMSW, Camp Wannaklot Lead Social Worker
Anyone who has attended camp, family camp or teen retreat with Camp Wannaklot knows what an awesome experience it is. While fun-filled, Camp Wannaklot also strives to be purposeful by increasing education and independence for individuals with bleeding disorders. How, you may ask, does Camp Wannaklot staff combine fun and education? Well, it takes a lot of hard work and training.
Each year the camp director, as well as other staff, attend camp-specific meetings and workshops geared to keeping Wannaklot fun, fresh, safe, and educational. One such conference, called the North American Camping Conference of Hemophilia Organizations (or NACCHO for short), was held this past January in Tempe, Arizona. Yes I know, the name NACCHO evokes images of perfectly fried corn chips layered with delicious cheese, beans, and other delectables, but this conference is not for dips.
At NACCHO, Camp Wannaklot staff mix and mingle with other hemophilia camp staff from not just the United States, but camps from throughout this beautiful North American continent, including Canada and Mexico. There were also guest hemophilia camp staff from other continents such as Australia and Africa.
While meeting AMAZING people from this hemisphere and beyond, attendees glean fresh ideas on how other hemophilia camps keep their attendees engaged with fantastic experiences. We are also able to attend workshops on topics such as bullying, home-sickness management, and managing difficult behavior, as well as medical/nursing specific topics.
By networking with other hemophilia camps and learning new ideas on ways to deal with routine camp issues, we at Camp Wannaklot are able to provide campers with a fantastic experience. And that, to answer the original question asked, is one way we at Camp Wannaklot keep it educational and fun.
