[reason 120] striving to do and be better

Camp Calumet in Freedom, New Hampshire is one of my favorite places to be for so many reasons. The essence of the people and the space is love and kindness.

As I was walking toward the beach this overwhelming feeling swept over me - a mixture of calm and excitement and the right-ness of this place. I couldn't put my finger on just what the feeling was until I gave it more thought. 

Over the past couple years we've lost a couple of communities and spaces that had been an integral part of our lives for many years because they became spaces in which we no longer felt truly welcome. Camp Calumet has been welcoming us with open arms through it all. We're a (mostly) queer family and that's good here. There are single use bathrooms with showers so that we don't have to feel awkward not fitting into the male/female bathroom scenario. The camp staff is trained and educated about respecting and using the pronouns and names each individual is most comfortable with. They are striving to make camp more accessible to people with disabilities. And when you bring up an issue of language on their website or cost of an amenity that is medically necessary, they take time to review the issue and make necessary changes. They even ask if their change is a proper improvement or if the accommodation in price is realistic - and they're open to discussion if not. 

That feeling that overwhelmed me was a feeling of true welcome in a space that strives to get better and do better and be better when it comes to loving people. 

When you're transgender and you go to camp for years as a boy and then return as a young woman just a year later and your new name and pronouns are used as if you've always used them, it's life affirming and perhaps even life changing. When you're a teen who has gained several life-altering medical diagnoses since the previous Summer, Camp just rolls with it, accessible ramp at the ready if needed, staff respecting that you know your limitations as well as what you can do in your not always cooperative body. 

In a family where some of us are disabled , most are neurodivergent, one is immunocompromised, and the majority are some sort of queer, it's difficult to find a place that is accepting and supportive of all those things. 

So many places we've been involved with in the past preach welcome, but don't truly practice it. Camp Calumet does, and for that I'm forever thankful.