The successful Minnesota camp for kids with HIV/AIDS takes its innovative approach around the country and abroad
What’s in a name? For the nationally recognized Minneapolis-based Camp Heartland, a lot: the camp, which caters to children infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS, has been so successfully branded that it counts celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and actress Mandy Moore among its supporters, and founder Neil Willenson was just named one of GQ’s men of the year.
Yet last year the well-known program changed its name to One Heartland in an effort to make the public more aware of all it has to offer. "Camp Heartland has huge name recognition, but I don’t think people realize we are an international organization, so to be called Camp Heartland didn’t explain all that we’re offering," says Patrick Kindler, director of program services. "Camp Heartland goes under the umbrella, but it’s not all we are."
From Willow River to South Africa
Camp Heartland was formed in 1993 thanks to the friendship between Willenson and 7-year-old Nile Sandeen, a boy from Willenson’s hometown of Mequon, Wis., who was facing others’ fear and discrimination because he had AIDS. Willenson wanted to fulfill Sandeen’s dream of attending summer camp with children who would accept instead of avoid him, so he created a camp that would address the needs of immuno-compromised campers as well as children whose families were affected by HIV/AIDS.
After renting camps throughout the Midwest for several years, the program purchased a permanent facility in Willow River, Minn., in 1997 and began regularly hosting three weeklong summer sessions (with 100 kids attending each session). As the program — and recognition — grew, Camp Heartland’s mission began to expand as well. Camp Pacific Heartland in Malibu, Calif., was created to serve the growing demand on the West Coast, and several years ago One Heartland took over the Birch Family Alliance in New York City, which offers a camping retreat and year-round services to families dealing with HIV/AIDS.
One Heartland has also created a Global Heartland initiative to serve the growing HIV/AIDS epidemic abroad. Last spring, Kindler and Dan Averitt, One Heartland’s director of administration, made the organization’s inaugural trip from Minneapolis to Africa in search of program concepts and partner organizations they could help fund. After visiting Uganda, Sudan, and South Africa, Kindler says One Heartland has a tough road ahead. "The main point of our trip was to see where we fit in and how our work will translate into other cultures," says Kindler. "In Africa it’s a lot different than it is here. It’s like it was in the U.S. 20 years ago because the families don’t have access to the meds we have and a lot of them are dying. It’s much more visible there. The kids in Africa are nowhere near as healthy as the kids here, so the program will be more like Make-a-Wish, which is what our program used to be like here in the beginning."
One Heartland is already partnered with organizations in India, Siberia, and Honduras, so taking on an additional continent isn’t new to Kindler and the One Heartland staff — the real challenge will be maintaining financing during the economic downturn. "With the way the economy is, we can only do programs that we get specific grants for right now."
Changing face of AIDS
While One Heartland continues to grow and change, the flagship program of Camp Heartland has also had to adapt to the changing face of HIV/AIDS within the United States. While traditional summer camps continuously run the same archery-and-color-wars menu, Camp Heartland’s programs have morphed along with the changes in infection rates and demographics. "Traditionally, when we started, kids were infected through blood transfusions, and you don’t see that anymore," says Kindler. "Things like the race
and socioeconomic status of our campers are all completely different than it was
20 years ago."
Adding to the shift is the impressive treatment available to those with HIV/AIDS. For example, in Minnesota in 2007, only one child was born with HIV, according to the state’s Department of Health. That means Kindler and his staff are seeing the younger part of the program shrinking while the demand for young-adult services is increasing. That includes life skills training, medication schedule adherence, and psychological and social counseling as well.
One Heartland is also using its older campers as a resource for educating their peers about HIV/AIDS through the Journey of Hope program, which sends camp attendees to schools, churches, and community groups around the country to speak about their experiences dealing with the disease. Each year, 40 children from the camp attend a special training session to prepare them to educate the public. "We train them on public speaking, but we don’t train them on what to say; they write their own life story down," explains Kindler. "There are certain points about transmission and HIV that we want to get across in every speech, but they usually touch on those topics themselves."
With all the changes taking place at One Heartland, Kindler says the main goal of the program is still the same, and it’s one he likes to come back to. "HIV and AIDS isn’t the only thing these kids are dealing with. They deal with a million other things, including poverty, so this is a place where they can get away," explains Kindler. "Just like everyone in Minnesota sends their kids to camp so they can have a good time — it’s the same for the kids at Camp Heartland."
Monica Wright is Minnesota Parent’s assistant editor.
For more information:
Camp Heartland
888-216-2028
