On Belay

On Belay is an organization that helps kids dealing with a parent or loved one that is or has suffered from cancer or some other life changing illness. Every year they look for UNH volunteers to help at the one day program that is usually hosted at an indoor climbing facility or a camp. Its the job of the volunteers to be there for the kids while they're climbing and throughout the day supporting them and helping them have a fun day and forget the stress of dealing with cancer (even if indirectly). I volunteered at the program this past Sunday and it was an absolute blast despite the horrid weather! We were at Camp Lincoln in Kingston NH and it was a really pretty camp, and it had a great ropes course and lots of fun team building structure for us and the kids to learn and play on. All the kids were so amazing, they were all a bit shy at first, as many came alone for the first time, but immediately all the volunteers started laughing and joking with them and playing games to make them feel welcome. By the end of the day everyone had a huge smile on their face and we were all sad to say goodbye. I had an amazing day supporting the kids and i really think they all had a fun day! It is so worth giving up a Sunday to help these kids forget about the stress in their lives and let them know that there are other kids out there going through the same things and that there is always someone out there willing to help! If you want to learn more about the organization or how you can get involved you can visit the following website:

http://www.on-belay.org/