By Steven Hoffman
Staff Writer

There were superheroes everywhere at Camp Dreamcatcher this year.

When the 134 children and young adults arrived at the camp on August 18, they were greeted by a group called the Philadelphia Avengers, and these costumed heroes like Captain America, Deadpool, Elsa and Uma took pictures with the kids, played games, and joined in for some playground adventures. This fun set the stage for a week filled with therapeutic and educational programs as the real superheroes of Camp Dreamcatcher—the camp counselors, the volunteers, and the kids themselves—joined together to explore new horizons, grow, and thrive in the physically and emotionally safe space that is Camp Dreamcatcher.

Campers like Crystal look forward to the week-long camp session all year long.

“Camp is just a beautiful place,” she said. “It’s a time when I can actually be myself.”

When executive director Patty Hillkirk founded what would become Camp Dreamcatcher 28 years ago, she was hoping that it would serve as a positive force in the lives of youngsters who have been impacted by HIV or AIDS. Today, it is the only free therapeutic program for children who are coping with the impact of HIV and AIDS on the East Coast.

During the first camp week in 1996, there were 53 children who took part in the programs. That was also the year that Hillkirk started building a team of volunteers who would provide so many therapeutic and educational programs—and so much love and support—to the children, year after year. Some of the volunteers from the early years, and even some of the campers, are still involved with Camp Dreamcatcher 28 years later. Not all superheroes wear capes. The longtime volunteers and the children who have now grown up to become counselors for a new generation of youngsters are worthy of the label, too.

Tyson started coming to camp when he was 7. He is now employed as a teacher for pre-K students and is an assistant director at Head Start. He still comes back to camp every year to help others.

“It’s important to give back,” he said. “I really appreciate all the relationships here, and I’m trying to make the world a better place.”

This year, Hillkirk said, there were 110 children between the ages of 5 and 17, and another 24 campers who are older and take part in the campers-to-counselors program. There is as much of a need for this kind of camp as there has ever been.

“There are 20 kids who have never been to camp before,” Hillkirk explained. “We’re definitely seeing an increase.”

Camp week

Hillkirk and the team of dedicated volunteers have developed an ever-changing lineup of programs and activities for camp week. There are therapeutic programs that are aimed at providing the children and young adults with new ways to understand and address the challenges that they are facing. These therapeutic programs include everything from strength-based therapy and yoga to massages and mindfulness activities to wilderness-based therapy and restorative practices.

Then there are the educational programs on serious topics that the youngsters might be dealing with like HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, or bullying. Other educational programs can provide information about preparing for college or a career or learning about team-building and leadership. There were also programs on robotics, woodworking, and sessions with Barbara “Bluejay” Michalski, a storyteller and Chief of Culture of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania.

Michalski volunteered at the camp for the last two years.

“We love partnering with Bluejay and she facilitates indigenous arts and crafts, storytelling, and dance with the campers throughout the week,” Hillkirk said.

In addition to the educational or therapeutic programs, there are also the activities of a typical summer camp—fishing, canoeing, arts and crafts, swimming and more.

‘It would make him happy’

Camp Dreamcatcher’s work with youngsters has drawn a lot of partners and support through the years. When people find out all the good work Camp Dreamcatcher is doing, they want to help, too.

One example is Max’s Kicks for Kids, a West Grove-based non-profit that provides new back-to-school shoes for children in need in Southeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas.  Max’s Kicks for Kids was founded to honor the memory of Max Engle, who worked as a probation officer in Chester County until his death in September of 2018. 

Max’s parents, Tom and Lynn Engle, were at Camp Dreamcatcher this year to once again provide new sneakers to all the children at camp.

Tom and Lynn Engle explained that Max was dedicated to helping others through his work, and he was also passionate about sneakers. Max had a collection of dozens of pairs of sneakers, some that he never even wore. He purchased them “as investments,” his parents said.

They said that whenever they drop sneakers off for a group of children, they like to focus on what Max would think about what they are doing—using the gift of sneakers to honor his memory and to help children.

“He’d love it,” Tom Engle said. “He’d loved to see the kids’ faces light up. It would make him happy.”

Hillkirk said that the sneakers mean a lot to kids at camp. Each year, she said, some of the kids will show up for camp week with footwear that isn’t suitable for the sprawling Camp Saginaw campus. The contribution from Max’s Kicks for Kids also comes right before the start of a new school year.

“It helps with their self-esteem and it really sets them up for a successful school year,” Hillkirk said.  “What I love about Max’s Kicks for Kids is that they see a need and they do something about it.”

Writers of our own stories

Hillkirk is always trying to find new programs that will be informative and helpful for the youngsters. She noted that some of the kids will either experience substance use issues themselves, or may have family members who will. This year, Cierra Walker, a substance use disorder and recovery coach, was at Camp Dreamcatcher for the first time. She shared a powerful message for the youngsters—we are all writers of our own stories. She also talked to the campers about what it means for someone to recover.

Walker said that she was impressed by the love and sense of community that she saw at Camp Dreamcatcher. She said that the kids and the counselors really showed up for each other and helped support each other. She understood immediately how important the camp is to its participants.

“I fell in love with the mission of Camp Dreamcatcher right away,” she said.

A new mentoring program

Aubrey Arteaga, who now holds a degree in public health and is a senior project coordinator, was working on an internship with Johns Hopkins University five years ago when he visited Camp Dreamcatcher for the first time. That year, he was serving as a chaperone on a bus that transported a small group of Baltimore-area children to camp. 

One of the kids that Arteaga helped that first year was Miles. Miles is now 18, and he said that Arteaga offers him advice on how to prepare a résumé and how to apply to schools. Miles wants to be a master mechanic.

Arteaga said that the camp has become an important part of his life in the five years since he first visited, and he returns to help out each year. As part of his advanced work and research at Johns Hopkins, he helped Camp Dreamcatcher develop a new mentorship program that started in April.

Camp Dreamcatcher matched up 20 of the campers with 20 different mentors who will help them work on specific goals. The mentor and mentee stay in contact with each other regularly.

“Our goal is to provide year-round support, especially to this age group,” Hillkirk said, explaining that a teen who is interested in a career in health care might be paired up with a mentor who works as a nurse. 

Crystal said that she received some helpful tips on how to apply for a job and how to prepare a résumé from her mentor. This month, she is starting a new job at Rising Youth Cafe at the University of Maryland, where she will work as a server and help clean up. She also set up a bank account with direct deposit.

To the rescue

When you get more than 125 children and young adults in the same place at the same time, something unexpected is bound to happen—most likely a few unexpected things will happen. During the camp week this year, the weather was unusually cool for late August. During many of these camps over the last 28 years, the participants have endured days of sweltering heat and humidity. But this year, for a few nights, it was unexpectedly cool at the wooded campsite outside of Oxford.

Hillkirk and her team of volunteers have grown adept at responding to an unexpected need when one arises. They needed to find a way to keep the kids warm.

Hillkirk explained that when she saw that the kids were cold, she reached out to Kennett Square Mayor Matt Fetick. 

The reason she did this was simple: “I know he is the person who gets things done!”

Fetick started a blanket drive and the Kennett Square community came to the rescue right away—soon several dozen sleeping bags were being dropped off for the kids.

Hillkirk expressed her gratitude to the Kennett Square community for helping out with the blanket drive, and to all the supporters and volunteers who helped make the 2024 camp a successful one.

Hillkirk said, “I find it difficult to find the words to capture my deep gratitude for our staff and volunteers. I am honored to work with them and to witness the life-changing difference they made through every act of kindness at camp.”  

Taj Brown is a former camper and a longtime volunteer at the camp. Reflecting on the nearly three decades of acts of kindness, he said that Camp Dreamcatcher is a “generational blessing.”

Over the Edge

Camp Dreamcatcher’s Catching Dreams over the Edge fundraising. event returns to Kennett Square on September 28. The fundraiser finds volunteers who are willing to “go over the edge” of Kennett Square’s tallest building—rappelling down the Franklin Center Building all through the day. Camp Dreamcatcher is partnering with Over the Edge, a special events company that provides signature events for non-profit organizations across Canada and the United States, for this fundraiser.  

Hillkirk herself is  the Over the Edge this year. She is doing it in memory of Ginny Fineberg, one of the organization’s earliest and most dedicated supporters. Fineberg passed away in the fall of 2022, and she is missed greatly by the Camp Dreamcatcher family.

“She used to call me fearless leader. I’m terrified to do Over the Edge, and I’m going to do it anyway,” Hillkirk said.

At 2 p.m., Kennett Square’s Police Chief William Holdsworth and Mayor Matt Fetick will both be going over the edge.

“As the Chief of Police for Kennett Square Borough, I am happy to participate in the Catching Dreams over the Edge Event supporting Camp Dreamcatcher,” Holdsworth said. “I look forward to participating as a rappeller in hopes of raising money for such a wonderful organization and cause.”

The superheroes from the Philadelphia Avengers are also making another appearance on behalf of the camp. They will be rappelling and they will also be available on the ground for photos with the kids. A Superhero Challenge is taking place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There’s still time to join the league of Camp Dreamcatcher Superheroes by registering to rappel on September 28, by bidding on the online auction, or making a donation to the Catching Dreams Over The Edge event. For full details about Camp Dreamcatcher and the upcoming Catching Dreams Over the Edge event, visit the organization’s website at www.campdreamcatcher.org.

To contact Staff Writer Steven Hoffman, email [email protected].