Help kids with facial differences become leaders

My name is Alexandra and I am 11 years old. Let me start by saying that I LOVE Camp Trailblazers. This will be my third year attending. It’s totally awesomely amazing because I make new friends, meet new people, and reconnect with old friends. In the past, I’ve been known to describe Camp Trailblazers as my favourite place on earth. This is true! In fact, I love Camp Trailblazers so much that I could live there all year. I actually don’t even mind not having wifi!

It all begins with the bus trip. It’s crazytown!! Wait, let me stop right there and leave it at that – some things are better left as a secret! One thing I can tell you is we’re all so excited that we can hardly contain ourselves on that bus. Once we are there, it gets even better because they feed us and there is so much to do. I can’t even begin to pick what my favourite activities are because I love them all. I do have a soft spot for art, swimming, and the discussion groups. We all get together in small groups and talk about our facial differences, about the surgeries we’ve been through, and other things. We talk about bullying and learning how to advocate for ourselves. It’s actually the best week of the year because we’re learning new ways to handle things that pop up in everyday life, and we learn we’re not the only ones with a facial difference.

The people at AboutFace have become like family. I love hanging out with my friends and it’s also so much fun hanging out with the counsellors like Amanda, Mel and Colleen. They’re funny, kind and treat us with a lot of respect. I can’t wait until I’m old enough to volunteer as a counselor at Camp Trailblazers.

Thank you to everyone that helps to make Camp Trailblazers happen every year from the bottom of my heart.