As morning dawns, CC Nixon prepares for another day of what she refers to as “good chaos.” Excited chatter and laughter will soon drown out the upbeat music filling the room. Brushes will be dunked in paint, beads scattered around and tie-dyed shirts hung up to dry. The possibilities are limitless here in the arts and crafts room of Camp Rapahope, where CC has been a steward of joy for the last three decades. This is more than a typical summer camp. Camp Rapahope presents a journey of self-discovery for kids afflicted by childhood cancer — a journey that CC once embarked on herself.
When she was diagnosed with leukemia at just 10 years old, CC’s world turned on its head. The carefree days of her youth had seemingly vanished overnight. “When you have cancer — and I know this from when I was a kid — a lot of things are ‘you have to do this.’ You don’t get any choice.” This marked the start of three years’ worth of treatment, during which she was first introduced to the idea of Camp Rapahope. It wasn’t until high school that CC decided she felt ready to give it a chance.
“By the time I went to camp, I had finished treatment. It showed me that the world of cancer is not just the hospital. It’s not just being sick. It’s not just chemo and IVs and treatments and tests and doctors poking at you,” she recalls. “It was a community, and camp gave me the opportunity to see that.”
CC would go on to attend camp two more times after this and enjoy a sense of independence previously unknown to her. After her final year as a camper, CC made a decision that would continue to shape her life for years to come. The community she had cultivated at Rapahope had become a vital part of her life, expanding and shaping her world in unexpected ways. It was these relationships that inspired her to return as a counselor in the summer of 1993.
Deeper still than her commitment to her network at Camp Rapahope is her devotion to creating positive experiences for new generations of campers. “If you can take just one kid who’s having it rough at home and make their life a bit better, a bit brighter, and give them solace or support in the storm, it makes it worth it.”
This sentiment motivates her to go above and beyond, like when she helped fulfill a camper’s dream of “sneaking out,” a group tradition amongst the older kids. From helping the campers in her cabin group sneak out through the window to indulging in Oreos in the kitchen, CC quietly partnered with camp leadership to restore a bit of the magic of adolescence.
“The guy who did security knew we were out there, so he came by with a flashlight while we were all hiding behind a tree and giggling,” she laughs. “It was a lot of fun, and they really enjoyed it.”
Now, CC’s role in Arts and Crafts involves fewer cabins and more colors. Her passion for art shaped some of her own experiences as a camper and inspires her to advocate for art’s capacity for healing. “There is a great value to expression. You can use art as an escape. You can use it to voice your feelings without having to actually say it.”
She approaches the arts and crafts room as a community hub — some campers work on a craft, some play games and others enjoy a moment of rest. “It gives them that kind of freedom that they are lacking a lot due to treatment.” This space allows her to connect with more campers than ever before, something she says creates a sense of comfort in new kids and a feeling of home in those returning.
CC’s years of service at Camp Rapahope are doing more than bringing campers back — some, like Hannah, are following in her footsteps. Recruited to Rapahope by CC, Hannah attended for several years before it came time for her to make a decision — the same one CC once had to make for herself.
“She didn’t know if she could do the counselor thing because it was so different from being a camper,” she explains. CC assured her that as Camp Rapahope continues to evolve, so will its leaders. After 40 years of Camp Rapahope, the future is bright as movers and shakers like CC continue to invest in its mission.
Camp Rapahope • rapahope.org
