Meet Volunteer Jenna
In the past year, Jenna Evans has experienced Roundup River Ranch as a mom, camper, and medical volunteer. And while each opportunity was unique, she was touched by some of the key qualities they shared.
“It’s the same understanding and shared kindness, no matter where you are or what your role is here at Roundup River Ranch,” Jenna said. “I truly am going to take every moment… and keep it in my pocket for the days that I need to remember the truly good people.”
Jenna works in the outpatient clinic for the Colorado Community Health Network, spending most of her time with the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless. She first discovered Roundup River Ranch when her daughter noticed a camp flyer at a doctor’s visit.
After dropping off two of her kids at Summer Camp, the feeling she had while driving away inspired her to get involved.
“I had a pretty lengthy drive home where I couldn’t identify what I was feeling,” Jenna recalled. “I quickly became overwhelmed with this sense of relief and gratitude that someone… saw my child as a child and not just a list of diagnoses, and was able to keep her safe and loved for the week. I wanted to make other parents feel that bit of relief and gratitude.”
A few months later, Jenna and her family attended a fall Family Camp Session together, where she experienced a small slice of her daughters’ experiences that summer. The following weekend, she got to relive it as a volunteer Camp Nurse.
According to her, the whole weekend was full of wins.
“As a volunteer, I never felt insecure about what my role was here,” Jenna said. “I never felt like I was inadequately prepared or supported. I felt like I could look around and know exactly what to do, or who to be with, or how to make that moment meaningful for either myself or someone around me.”
Jenna especially loved the Challenge Course, where she watched families overcome emotions that she felt, in a lot of ways, reflected their own medical journeys. As a Camp Nurse, she got to float to different activities and help families embrace the camp experience. Her favorite memories came from meals, where she sat around the table with camper families and shared meaningful conversations.
By the end of the weekend, Jenna was moved by what Roundup River Ranch not only offered to her family, but to so many others. She had an intense feeling of belonging in every way she experienced camp.
“There are just so many beautiful ways to identify children at camp that have nothing to do with their doctor’s appointments or the condition with which they were born or the medications they take at bedtime,” Jenna said. “They truly get to be somebody’s new best friend, or the kid who tried ziplining for the first time, or a leader in a group setting singing a song that they just learned.”
Jenna spent the past year getting to know Roundup River Ranch through a few different perspectives, but in each one, she found a place to belong. She encourages everyone to volunteer and embrace all the emotion that comes with it.
“Lean into the opportunity to feel… and then lean into the supports around you,” Jenna said. “Connect with yourself, connect with your campers, and connect with the other volunteers to get you through, and it will change your life.”
