Walk Season

Carefree staff 2006

Gales Creek Camp counselor Broccoli

It seems like September & October could accurately be named Walk Season rather than Autumn or Fall.  On TV & radio there are commercials everywhere, and all my friends seem to be doing either a JDRF Walk or the ADA Step Out walk (which I have participated in in the past). And I don't just mean for diabetes related fundraising! This year though, I haven't donated to any of these causes.  It is not for economical reasons, although I do feel happy to be asked to donate my "first year" as an adult.  Instead, I just got an envelope in the mail from The Barton Center thanking me for my donation to them.  On the surface, it may seem a little odd that I'm donating to The Barton Center.  After all, I spent ten years at Camp Carefree and two summers in Oregon at Gales Creek Camp working as a counselor.  My experience at Camp Carefree was so positive, that I wanted it the entire summer, hence the Oregon trips in 2008 & 2009.  When I got my full time job as a nanny (which I love), it also means that my camp days are over.  For someone who never thought she'd allow that day to arrive, it was a pretty big deal.  I was on the phone with my friend in Oregon, trying to convince her that she should be in Massachusetts for the summer, so I sent her the link to the Clara Barton camp.  She ends up getting hired to work there for the summer, and all of a sudden my best friend will be here! With me!  So when she decided to run the ING NYC Marathon to raise money for The Barton Center, of course I said I would support her.  So here I am donating to this place, that I've only briefly seen, but it's for my best friend, so it's absolutely worth it.  And I know that kids feel just as good about The Barton Center as I did about Camp Carefree, so I know that my money is going to a good place.

If you're still looking for someone/something to donate to (and you love diabetes!), please go HERE.