“My life was a mess
Before meeting you guys
Like the sun, you gave us the light
To accept our illness.
Like the clouds, you gave us a dream.
What we want to be when we grow up.
Like the sky, you taught us to choose peace than chaos
And like the wind, the strong wind –
You taught us that no matter how strong the words they say –
We are so much stronger.
So thank you so much, Suntown”
These were the words by Cheiza, a camper of Suntown Camp 17 which she shared in a spoken word performance during the camp’s gala night held at CICM Maryshore in Talisay City, Negros Occidental.
Suntown Camp Foundation welcomed 16 campers, who are children with cancer and other debilitating lifetime diseases, to their 17th Camp June 14-18.
The theme of the 17th camp was: Glowing Inside-Out.
This is the second face-to-face camp to come into fruition after the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a little less restrictions, this year’s camp was hopeful to return to its normalcy while still putting into action the minimum health protocols mandated by the health sector.
On Day 1, the campers were subjected to Rapid Antigen Testing and a thorough health screening conducted by the volunteer leaders and post-graduate interns from Riverside Medical Center.
“To glow means to a steady radiance of light or giving out a steady light. One should find their glow because as humans, we have the power to recreate a new version of ourselves, to rewrite our lives so we can find the true pursuit of happiness,” Ana Pison, Suntown Camp executive director, said.
“When we start to glow inside, we learn to be kind, compassionate, selfless for others, to have a feeling of purpose and accomplishment knowing that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves,” she said, in describing the essence of this year’s camp.
Volunteers came in during the third day of the camp to turn it into a fiesta-themed assembly where they served native kakanins, put up a sari-sari store, wore padayong and baro’t saya, sang and danced to Filipino folk music, and indulged the campers with Larong Pinoy games.
The bario fiesta was capped with a classic pabitin .
The Gala Night was the highlight of the 5-day camp.
This year, the Suntown Staff team – Dennyl Eve Ariola, Rienzi Encarnacion, Remus Abella, and Noemi Eraldo – came up with an Inside-Out-themed Gala Night.
Inside-Out was a production of Disney where five emotions: Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust were personified and made to show their role in the life of Riley, a growing girl. The Gala Night was set up with glow-in-the-dark paint, sequins, glow sticks, and black lights to create a glow-in-the-dark feel for the campers.
As a primer, booths embodying the different emotions portrayed in the movie were set up by the different volunteers each with their own tactic to display the emotion they were assigned. The booth tour was followed by a gala dinner where the volunteers mingled with the campers.
After dinner, everyone assembled into the Activity Hall where a production was presented. The program was capped off by DJ Justin who played music that brought the campers to their feet to dance, followed by a fireworks display.
The open day marked the end of another camp.
Co-Camp Directors Monrie John Javier and Sofia Carmen Ordoñez and Pison thanked all the volunteers and parents of the campers who made the camp possible.
Campers-turned-leaders were the highlight as they gave their testimonies.
The campers performed “A Million Dreams” from the movie The Greatest Showman and a rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” from the TV series Glee while handing out letters of gratitude to their leaders who served as their manongs and manangs during the camp.
The gesture of the campers brought tears to those in the hall.*