Camp

For the past five years, I have had the privilege of serving as a counselor at the camp on which this movie is based. It is the most emotionally exhausting, physically draining, spiritually challenging week a person could experience in their lives. It is an awesome blessing to work at Royal Family Kids Camp and have kids change your life. The movie takes a couple of artistic liberties with Royal Family Kids Camp rules (The most important rule at camp is that a child is never alone with an adult. There are always two adults within sight of each other), but that's understandable from a cinematic point of view. The real point is that you see how a foster kid can impact you in the five days you think you are impacting them. This movie shows that in a great way. The main character finds his life changed and finds that those who are most difficult to love are often those who need love the most. This is a great lesson for life and how we interact with other people.

Recently I was given the opportunity to preview the upcoming movie CAMP. I remembered seeing the clips for it a few months back. Little did I know this movie would hit so close to home in 2013 as we are thick in the middle of foster care training.

If I had to sum up this movie in one sentence it would be this:

REAL HEARTS having experienced REAL PAIN needing REAL HOPE.

CAMP is an one week outreach to children living in the foster care system. The goal is to just embrace these kids and help them to have a good week - experience a small reprieve and normalcy. Each camper is paired with a camp counselor. None of the matches are by mistake.

In the first moments of the movie you realize this is no feel-good movie. The writers have given voice to some amazing kids wading through unimaginable realities. They come from a broad range of homes where parents were imprisoned, enslaved to addictions, and children neglected. But they're REAL KIDS. They are in need of someone to CARE.

You will be exposed to tiny glimpses into the hard realities that many kids in foster care face. You NEED to see. This is REALITY for thousands of kids growing up in our communities. I was reminded that these kids are worth all the obstacles it takes to care for them. It made me feel even stronger in our conviction to SAY YES and step up to foster.

By about half way through the movie I wanted to give Ken, one of the counselors, a good 'ole shake up. He comes across as an absolute jerk. About the time I could hardly take any more of his cellphone obsession and lack of compassion for his camper, Eli .... I realized that in reality my heart was being just as hard. There were reasons he responded the way he did. His demeanor was just a thick callous attempting to cover his own deep pain. Eventually this special duo learned more about each others lives and both were forever changed. Ken truly learned what it meant to CARE. Eli got to experience what it's like to be cared for.

One of my favorite parts of the movie was hearing testimonies of two of the counselors and why they were there ... because a long time ago someone stepped up to CARE for them.

Find out where CAMP is coming! If it's in your area - GO SEE IT. You'll be changed for the good and inspired to step out of your comfort zone and CARE.

Remember - this isn't just a movie. The stories represented are REAL.

It's about REAL HEARTS having experienced REAL PAIN needing REAL HOPE.

We can be part of sharing that REAL HOPE. It's just a question if we'll CARE enough to do so.

I will admit that my first fear with some of these smaller inspirational films is the quality of the acting. Let's face it. I pretty much hid my face in embarrassment during the first 20 minutes of Facing the Giants because the acting was so bad. (Though the movie redeemed itself in the end.) So I was relieved when I realized the acting was good, great in some cases. Miles Elliot shines as Eli and lets you peek into his vulnerability in between moments of spitting and running. Asante Jones kills it as veteran camp counselor Sam. And Matthew Jacob Wayne as the alien-obsessed Redford…well he's adorable.

I found myself smiling through the first 1:30 minutes of the film, not because the film is always happy, but because it's REAL. Through my own experience with adopted kids and my conversations with other mom's, every bit of this film is honest, yet filled with hope. Though the first 5 minutes of the film deal with Eli's dark family situation, the rest of the film layers on the joy and hope that the camp counselors are determined to pour into the kids during the short week at camp.

Hollywood loves to entertain us. But Camp does more than entertain – it inspires. It beautifully illustrates the huge impact the small sacrifice of a weeks time can make in the life of a child in foster care.

I hope this movie inspires thousands of adults to realize what a big difference they can make by just giving up one week of their summer to spend at CAMP.

I have had the privilege of being involved in the camp for foster children of which this film was inspired. Although there are three cleverly intertwining plot lines in the film, many true and typical events are in the characters' stories. It is definitely inspired by real life. I felt that it was a good depiction of what happens at this unique summer camp - the growing awareness we as volunteers have of the disadvantages and trauma this population of children experiences and the incredible hope that is brought to these children through a week at camp. This film may not be what you expect, but I feel it is real life. Although there is pain (and pride) in the characters' stories, there is also redemption and hope. There are actually only a couple violent scenes in the film which give it its rating, if that is a viewer's concern, but they are necessary to tell the story and depict the reality of what these children in our own communities experience, the environments that are "normal" for them, and how they react as they try to cope in this world, which can sometimes be shocking to us. Although the film and its themes may cause tears, the film also brings laughter and most importantly, thought. It may even motivate you to get involved and make a difference in the world yourself.

If you think you may want to volunteer at a camp like this search online for one in your area, but don't worry, they will train you so you can be a better counselor than Ken was.

The acting is over the top by the two main male actors or non-existent in the rest of the cast, mostly because this genre of film always use people from their church. They also ask their people and relatives to give a positive review of the title as well so you get a lot of 9 or10s when it clearly does not warrant it. Very old plot (Mighty Ducks) dorky guy hates kids and then learns with very bad acting, a lack of continuity between scenes, horrible sound work and of course the Christian beliefs rammed down your throat. No camp could afford to operate with this staff to camper ratio, so it is not believable. With better writing and leaving out most of the Christian parts it could have been worth more.