“This is the best thing Sargood has ever done, not only for the kids, but for us as parents. This week has been lifechanging for our family!”

Thanks to the wonderful support from our community of donors, the Sargood Foundation was able to host our first kids camp in early July at Sargood on Collaroy.

This life changing week was a fantastic success and gave children who live with their own Spinal Cord Injury increased confidence and importantly built vital family connections.

“I can’t thank you enough. The impact was huge. Rocco cried a lot tonight because he just wanted to be back where he felt noticed and important. He told me that he just felt soo loved and really wants to be back there. I do too. We felt heard, we felt noticed.”

The camp was designed to provide activities that families could participate in together – brothers, sisters, mums and dads. While the focus was on kids with SCI, by creating activities the whole family could participate in, we created memories families could share together while also introducing new skills and challenging fears and uncertainty in a warm and supportive environment. These activities included 10-pin bowling, beach walks using our off-road beach chairs, kayaking, cycling, plus group meals, movie nights and game nights.

“I was blown away by the kindness and empathy shown to Ava and our family by staff. We booked Sargood predominantly for Ava but in the end it was an amazing experience for the entire family.”

This camp was also as much about the parents and it was about the kids with SCI. Parents created meaningful relationships with other parents throughout the week, culminating in a parents only dinner on the last night. This gave an opportunity for parents to connect with each other, share stories, provide support and ideas.

“The parent’s dinner was such an uplifting experience. Talking to other parents really made us all feel understood and we had a common ground which was refreshing. It was a very positive experience for us and we felt we also helped other parents that weren’t so positive at the start of the camp.”

If you would like to know more about Sargood’s kids camp program, please contact Susan Johnston at susan@sargood.org.au