In this edition of the Chester County Press, you’ll find a Q & A with Patty Hillkirk, the founder and executive director of Kennett Square-based Camp Dreamcatcher—one of the great organizations in this area that works to make the world a better place.

Camp Dreamcatcher recently held its annual camp week for children throughout the Mid-Atlantic region who have been impacted by HIV/AIDS. It may be the only such therapeutic camp still offering services of this kind to this group in the U.S.

Camp Dreamcatcher has been providing educational and therapeutic programs to thousands of children since Hillkirk founded the organization in 1996.

In a few weeks, a fundraiser will take place in Kennett Square that will help Camp Dreamcatcher continue its mission to provide youngsters with therapeutic and educational programming—all of it free of charge.

Camp Dreamcatcher’s Over the Edge fundraising event returns to Kennett Square on Saturday, September 27. 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. The participants are considered superheroes and indeed they are. The people who “go over the edge” line up donations to Camp Dreamcatcher before the event. Many make donations of their own. Last year’s fundraiser helped Hillkirk and the dedicated team of volunteers to plan and stage this year’s camp.

At camp, children and young adults enjoy an ever-changing lineup of programs and activities. 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.

There are also 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’s still time to help out Camp Dreamcatcher on the major fundraising event of the year by registering to rappel on September 27 or by offering financial support. For full details about Camp Dreamcatcher and the upcoming Over the Edge event, visit the organization’s website at www.campdreamcatcher.org. The fundraiser is a worthy reason to “go over the edge.”