Talia was cleaning her house one day and found a stack of letters from her childhood.
“Since the first year I was a camper, I had been writing notes to myself saying, I will become a volunteer when I’m older,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to come back and give back to this community that gave so much to me.”
Talia has had a deep-rooted connection to camp that’s carried her throughout her life. Her cardiologist introduced her to Roundup River Ranch back in 2017, and she rarerly missed a camp session. After aging out of our programs, she decided to use her experiences, both at Summer Camp and as an EMT instructor, to come back and make her childhood dream come true.
Talia volunteered as a Cabin Leader for this summer’s Heart & Metabolic Conditions session. She describes the bond she formed with the Eagle Cabin as a “heart-to-heart connection.”
“Being able to see a role model in someone older, who also has the same condition as you, can be a really unique experience,” Talia said. “I think it changed my life personally, and I’ve definitely seen it change a lot of campers’ lives… they realize they’re not alone anymore.”
Talia mentioned one memorable experience where she helped a camper face his fears on the Challenge Course. Through each hold and bout of dread, she encouraged him to do more than he thought he could. He went from completing half of the climbing wall to flying down the zipline for another round.
It’s moments like these that define camp for Talia – and the love she feels for her community is the reason she keeps coming back.
“Before I went to camp, I truly thought I was the only person in the world dealing with what I was dealing with,” Talia noted. “To be in such a welcoming and awesome community full of people who have gone through things just like you is so heartwarming.”
Shifting from camper to volunteer, Talia has experienced what “You Belong Here” and lived it by example. She found her place with Roundup River Ranch, and hopes to create that same experience for future campers.
“Whoever comes here instantly feels at home and that this is a place where they’re safe and they can have fun no matter what,” Talia said. “There is no better experience on earth that would make you feel more grateful and happy.”
