Camp of Champions: A Place for Family, Common Ground, and Grace
Renee Cartlidge has served as our Administrative Assistant in Dothan for nearly three years. She also fostered through DHR for two years, and just adopted two little boys, who are such sweet additions to complete her family of six!
In this interview, she shares about her experience at Camp of Champions as a former foster parent herself, as well as some of the testimonies she’s heard from other foster families throughout her time on staff.
TELL US ABOUT THIS YEAR’S CAMP WITH YOUR ABCH DOTHAN FAMILY! FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT IS IT LIKE FOR NEW FAMILIES TO COMMIT TO THE EXPERIENCE?
We were able to bring fourteen families to Camp this year! A lot of those were brand new families, since so many of our older families are so adamant about encouraging our new families to come to Camp. There’s a lot of anticipation when it comes to it—what the experience will be like and all of that. Our older families always say, “It’s chaotic, but great, and you’ll never feel as normal as you do at Camp.”
We also see it as team building, since we’re not all together very often. It’s one of the few opportunities we have throughout the year to be with each other, since we’re bigger than we’ve ever been!
One family in particular, who’s been fostering for three years, facilitated some time on Saturday of Camp for all the Dothan families to get together. They put on a movie for the kids and brought some toys to keep them entertained. They got to sit and just be together with people who understood them, with no time constraints.
HOW DO YOU SEE CAMP BEING HELPFUL FOR FOSTER FAMILIES?
Camp is a great time for our foster parents to see that they’re not alone. One of our foster parents, who has been fostering for about a year, shared very candidly with our other families recently, saying, “I’ve been dreading Camp. I have four children—two of which are from hard places—and sometimes I wonder if the travel is worth it. But you know what, we went last year and it was completely worth it. So, we’re going, and I encourage new families to do it as well!”
In my three years, I’ve not seen a family who has gone to Camp once and has not gone again! It’s usually the first day of Camp when volunteers offer to take your trays and we say, “No thank you, I’ve got it!,” but we soon realize that it’s better to let them help. It’s hard for us as foster parents to accept help because we’re in the helping field, but Camp reminds us that there are people who love to help—people who may not be called to foster, but want to help foster families.
HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN AT CAMP, AS A FOSTER/ADOPTIVE PARENT AND AS AN EMPLOYEE?
This year I was able to participate in training, which was awesome because you’re really with people who get it. It’s great being on both sides too—to see how big our ministry team is to pull together all the details to make Camp happen, but to also be on the other side, to see how we get to serve our foster parents. They get such quality training that they can go home and use.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER TESTIMONIES YOU’VE HEARD FROM DOTHAN FAMILIES ABOUT CAMP?
“I am most thankful for the fellowship of brothers and sisters at Camp. Many of these people have loved deeply and continue to love deeply, even when there is inevitable pain and sorrow. The countless volunteers and nursery/preschool workers are even another sign of the Lord’s people and His endless resources.” —April Kirkland, veteran foster mom
“My favorite part was being around so many like-minded people who are in similar situations as we are. I’m very grateful for all of the volunteers driving golf carts, helping us get to the dining tables, carrying bags when our hands were full, watching the children, etc. Every single person who volunteered their time, did so with a smile!” —Kristen Skinner, new foster mom
Camp of Champions is a blast for our families and kiddos. Read more about Camp here.