BRANDON, Fla. — There are countless summer camps taking place around Tampa Bay, but some kids are unable to attend any of them. That’s because they are living with cancer and their health is too compromised.
So, 1 Voice Academy decided to bring the camps to the kids, and their siblings are invited too.
WATCH full report by Robert Boyd
“There’s a lot more isolation to pediatric cancer than we realize because they can’t be around really their friends, their school, birthday parties,” said 1Voice founder Mary Ann Massolio.
Aubriana, 13, is one of 90 children attending the 1 Voice Academy Summer Camp. The goal is to make kids feel like kids while battling cancer.
“It was really exciting to be somewhere where you don’t have to worry, don’t have to be excluded from other things, there is always a place for you to go and there is always someone for you to hang out with and that’s really what’s special,” said Aubriana.
“We learn together, we bond together, and sometimes it’s the first time some of the patients have seen each other in a long time outside of the hospital,” said Massolio.
This week, they were visited by a team of volunteer seamstresses with sewing machines who comprise the non-profit organization Ryan’s Case for Smiles Tampa Bay.
“To be able to be here for their summer camp and to see these kids faces light up, they enjoy working with the sewing machines,” said Jamie Hendrickx with Ryan’s Case for Smiles. “If they are old enough and able to, they actually run the machines with our help, if they are not then we put the gas pedal on the table and say, ‘give me gas bud,’ and they’ll hit the gas and make the machine go and they have such a good time.”
Not only do the kids get to make their own personalized pillowcase, but they are also making cases for children undergoing treatment in 10 Tampa Bay hospitals.
“When you think about a hospital room it’s all the same color, walls are the same color, blankets are the same color, sheets are the same color, pillowcases are the same color, you put that little bit of splash of color in there, that little bit of bright smile to that kid, it means a lot,” said Hendrickx.
1 Voice Academy says it’s more than just a camp; it’s a family, and they are proud to be a voice of the pediatric cancer community.
“We’re all in this together, and we should all be working together to meet the needs of the family,” said Massolio.
Hillsborough County crews work six days a week to improve stormwater drainage
The ongoing restoration work is part of a larger effort by Hillsborough County Public Works aimed at mitigating flooding risks throughout the area. Officials are hopeful that these improvements will provide a sense of safety during this hurricane season.
