Tag: Camp

Hopefully, the weather keeps holding out for us, because it’s only gotten better over the week! Tuesday was our nicest day yet with sunny skies and perfect temperatures, a great day for more camp activities!Day 3 brought even more cohesion and camaraderie between the camper groups, it seemed. From swimming

The first full day of Camp Oz is in the books, and it was great! Cooler overcast weather with occasional peaks of sun gave us a nice breezy day for being outside. Campers had rotating cabin activities for the day – 2 blocks in the morning and 2 blocks in

A brand new year of camp is under way, and we’re off to a great start! With a nice cool day for us yesterday, check-in went smoothly and all 117 campers got settled into their cabins. The first item on their schedule was unit activities with their cabin mates and it

Mara LeRoy is always looking for her next activity. She recently learned about indoor skydiving, which naturally she had to try, and just finished up her eighth year of adapted downhill skiing. She’s eager now for the snow to back off and plans to attend the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota’s (EFMN) Family Camp for the third consecutive year this July. Mara has had epilepsy her whole life, but because she uses a wheelchair to get around she hasn’t been able to attend Camp OZ. She has found Family Camp to be a fun day camp that offers some great activities.

Jacob Milz experienced his first seizure at just 17 months old. Now seven, he has already grown into a powerful advocate for the epilepsy community. As an active member of the Shining Star program, Jacob has turned his elementary school into a Seizure Smart School, and with his service dog Bailey at his side he never hesitates to educate anyone and everyone about his seizures. Jacob has now been seizure free for three years and is looking forward to a successful year in the 1st grade and going back to Day Camp next summer.

Alas, this day finally brought some sunshine for the campers! Waffles were for breakfast today – always a hit with this group. We had a birthday in the house, so we all celebrated that as well.

Our first day at Camp Oz was hot, hot hot!  We welcomed 130 campers out to Camp St. Croix for the week in what felt like 120 degree weather.  But everyone sure was troopers!  The campers got settled into their cabins and headed to unit activities where they got to

Camp Oz is not just a place for kids to enjoy traditional camp activities; it allows youth with epilepsy to meet others like them and gain a sense of independence in a physically and emotionally safe environment.

Ben Stowell, a long-time camper, enjoyed these benefits and has carried both friendships and memories from camp into his adult life. It helped him become more comfortable with his epilepsy, and as he puts it, “Camp Oz taught me the only job I have is to be myself, and that’s the best thing there is.”

This month, we would like to introduce you to one of our families from North Dakota. Meet Griffin Walker, a 14-year-old teenager living with epilepsy. He is a two-year veteran of EFMN’s Camp Oz program, a Shining Star member and strives to be his best while rising above seizures every day. Hear from his mother, Roxann, as she shares her son’s journey and the positive impact EFMN has made on Griffin’s life.