Thank you so much for contributing to Camp Blue Hawk! Our 2016 session took place July 20-24 in Guthrie, OK, at the Central Christian Camp and Conference Center. Thanks to our generous supporters like you, our Olympics-themed camp was able to expand and host 48 campers and over 30 volunteers! 

This year's camp introduced many new activities, from gaga (a game that combines dodgeball and kickball, which became a camper favorite) and canoeing to drumming and human hungry hippo. We even had American Idol finalist Crystal Bowersox stop by and volunteer her time to answer camper questions, share a little about her camp and type 1 diabetes experience, and perform a few songs. 

We received amazing feedback from the campers at the end of the week.  Among the things they said were:

• They made friends who understand what it means to have diabetes.  Some of these campers said they have never really had friends and most said that they have never been friends with or even known anyone their age who also has type 1 diabetes.

• They gained new diabetes skills such as changing pump site, being more independent with care post-camp, filling insulin reservoirs, or doing better at counting carbs.

• They look forward to camp all year, because it’s the one place they feel “normal” and where they can truly be themselves.

We are already planning an October camp reunion (because we want Camp Blue Hawk to be a year-round experience, continuing the friendships, education, and support that they developed throughout the week), as well as next summer’s Camp Blue Hawk, with hopes of reaching even more youth with type 1 diabetes!  Please stay in touch with us by following us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CampBlueHawk), joining our e-newsletter (http://eepurl.com/bpUBt9), or checking the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center website. We couldn't have done it without you. Thank you so much for your support!!  

Camp Blue Hawk has the best supporters ever - thank you for sharing our links, donating to our thousands strong campaign, recruiting your friends and family to become involved, liking our posts, and most of all, supporting our campers. YOU make such a difference. THANK YOU!!

Thank you all for helping us achieve our $5,000 goal! Now five campers are fully funded. Can we send a sixth camper to camp on our last day? Camp is so important for these youth - check out the video below!

Thanks to our amazing donors, we have been able fund two camping scholarships; and we are only $235 away from fully funding an additional camper! For our campers a donation of any amount means so much. Check out the video below from a Camp Blue Hawk Youth Advisory Board member, and hear what camp and the Thousands Strong campaign means for her!

Happy Spring Break!! We are celebrating reaching over 50% of our goal to send FIVE youth to Camp Blue Hawk this summer!! Woo hoo!!! 

You might be wondering why camp is important?

- 1 in 400 school-aged youth have type 1 diabetes. This means that in our smaller Oklahoma communities, a child might not know anyone close to their age who has diabetes. According to one of our campers, meeting other kids with type 1 diabetes at camp helps them forget about "the diabetes" for once. 

- Physical activity can reduce blood sugar levels hours after the activity has stopped, causing confusion, heart palpitations, shakiness, anxiety, blurred vision, slurred speech, seizure, and coma, among others. Expert medical care is required to help youth have a medically-safe, fun experience.

- Until there is a cure, type 1 diabetes is a lifelong illness. Camp helps provide youth with the skills, education, and confidence needed to effectively manage this disease.

- Caregivers are managing blood sugars 24/7. With blood sugar checks and treatment occurring 4-6 times per DAY, parental/caregiver oversight can be exhausting. At Camp Blue Hawk, youth are with the doctors that they see regularly, and whom they would see if they visited the hospital. So parents can breathe deeply and take a break, knowing that their child is safe at camp.

THANK YOU for making a difference in the life of a child with diabetes.We couldn't do it without you.

Thanks to YOU, our incredible ambassadors and donors, we are able to fund two campers' attendance at camp - all in the first week of our Thousands Strong campaign! We are on our way to funding a 3rd camper - please help us continue to work toward our goal of sending five children to camp by sharing our link on social media and sending personal emails to your friends and family.

As one 2015 camper said, camp is the first place - the only place - where you can forget you have diabetes, even as you are learning the skills to better manage it.

Thank you for helping us share this experience with two more children!