Camp Cavett History

Camp Cavett started in 1997 with a generous gift and the help of Oklahoma City University Nursing School , Oklahoma City University, Methodist Camp Division, and Children's Hospital of Oklahoma. In 1997 one hundred children attended camp. Located at Camp Crosspoint on Lake Texoma , Camp Cavett now serves up to 150 children a year with volunteers and sponsors.

Camps for patients of Children's Hospital have been organized and supervised by personnel from the hospital for many years. The Oklahoma Children's Health Foundation is helping to secure our funding for these camps. The camps enable patients, ages 10 to 18, to experience the joy of childhood recreational activities available to other children. Camps and retreats are a fun-filled alternative to the isolation that often results from chronic illness, repeated hospitalizations, or long term medical treatments. By living and playing together, campers begin to realize and acknowledge that they are not alone in their difficulty. Many begin to share their feelings with their peers, discussing personal fears and victories and the constant worry of rejection due to being different.

Camp settings also provide an informal forum for dialogue among children and medical personnel. Children develop friendships and trust with physicians, nurses and hospital staff in fun, non-threatening settings. Children build understanding (about thier disease process), skills (interpersonal and self-care, such as diet), and identify actions steps (in anticipation of and resulting from their social needs). Increased self-esteem and self-confidence are the result of the education process that is interwoven through out camp activiites . When campers return to their homes, they are empowered to manage thier disease, and their lives, more completely.