Why I keep coming back to KODA Camp each year

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My name is Delaney Shaw and I just finished my 6th year at KODA Camp. I’m from Michigan and I come back to KODA Camp because I have found a place where I belong. If you’ve ever felt so welcome and so loved in a community then you know the way I feel about camp. As a camper, I returned every year because this is where I felt I could really be myself like I found my identity as soon as I walked in and found people like me. As a counselor, I continue to return because I want campers to feel the way I feel and I want them to know that if they ever feel lost in the world they will always have a place in the KODA community.

The rough definition of Utopia is “a place or state of things in which everything is perfect.” When we’re all here, we like to say we’re in a “utopia”, our own koda bubble. The KODA bubble surrounds the people here with connection, safety, and KODA love. Every year the bubble changes, maybe it grows, maybe it shrinks, maybe it's in a different place; but the essence of the bubble is always the same. The bubble pops eventually but we always find our way back to each other and the bubble grows again.

KODA camp isn’t perfect (no matter how hard staff tries) but that's what makes it so welcoming. I could go on and on about camp (and I usually do) so I’ll keep it short and sweet. I come back because I want to see the campers have amazing experiences and watch them grow into the KODA community. I also come back for myself, to see my friends become my family, to reconnect with my KODA identity, and to remind myself that I’m never alone.

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