JENNIE

The main clubhouse—a basic, one storey L-shaped building painted in rainbow colors—is surrounded by a nice big yard full of picnic tables. There's a fenced-off pool, a playground, a pond with stepping stones, koi carp and waterlilies, an outdoor gym, and the beach is only a short walk from here. As we follow the path from the parking lot, Nola and I are welcomed by an older black woman in a yellow Camp Rubin T-shirt.

"Nola!" she yells, throwing herself onto my housekeeper. There's hugging and kissing and comments about them looking great and about how long it's been.

"This is my friend Jennie," Nola says, and I feel a surge of warmth, not only at the 'friend' comment, but also because she's finally using my first name. "She's just here to see what we volunteers do."

"Yes, I have you on my list, thank you so much for coming along. I'm Dawn, and I'm the director of staff and volunteers."

"It's lovely to meet you. This is an amazing setup you've got here," I say, genuinely impressed.

"Yes, it's fabulous, isn't it? The Rubin family who live further down, own the charity, and they built the camp on their land. They have a daughter with Down syndrome, so they're personally invested."

"Bob and Marla Rubin?" I ask, only then making the connection to my acquaintances.

"Yes." Dawn looks surprised. "Do you know them?"

"As a matter of fact, I've been to a couple of their fundraising dinners." I'm ashamed to realize that I didn't know until now what exactly they were fundraising for, other than that it had something to do with disability. After paying a whopping two-thousand dollars for a table, I just showed up in my pretty dress and socialized, our conversations centered around anything but the actual cause. I suppose I felt like I'd done my bit and didn't have to worry about the details.

"Well in that case, thank you very much for your support," Dawn says with a beaming smile, then beckons us to follow her. "We have kids here with learning and emotional needs as well as physical and mental disabilities." She points to the three yellow buildings next to the clubhouse. "Our seven counsellors live on site with their assigned kids, and we have five students, an art therapist and three nurses who work here full-time over the summer. And our loyal volunteers of course, such as Nola, who has been helping out since we started Camp Rubin back in 2014." Dawn rubs Nola's shoulder, then pulls her in. "Our first group of the season—twenty-two mentally disabled kids aged between ten and sixteen—should be here in an hour, so we're just setting up coffee for the parents who are dropping them off, and there will be snacks and lemonade for the kids. I'll be doing a welcome speech and also an overview of the activity schedule. It might be nice for you to sit in, so you'll know what to expect."

"That sounds good." I smile, noting that I feel totally at ease with this warm-hearted woman, and that I'm actually looking forward to the day ahead.

Dawn glances at her clipboard. "Your CRB check hasn't come through yet I see, but you can help in the kitchen if you'd like to get stuck in today."

"Sure, I'd love to. What do you want me to do?" Dawn opens the door for us and we step into a big hall. Along the sidewall is a stage with rows of chairs placed in front. The walls are covered in pictures and artworks and there's a playpen and a corner filled with stuffed animals. There are long rows of dining tables and at the far end is the kitchen with a healthy snack display and big tea and coffee earns on the buffet counter. It looks cheerful, like a primary school, and the other volunteers and staff members all smile and greet us when they pass.

"If you don't mind, you could both help in the kitchen, refilling the coffee and tea urns when they run out." She turns to Nola. "Why don't you take Jennie there and show her where everything is? We have fifty minutes before this hall will be filled with people."

The welcome speech is chaotic but fun, with the kids unable to curb their enthusiasm and parents animatedly discussing how happy they are. The loudest are the ones who have been here before. They know what to expect and are reconnecting with old friends and hugging the volunteers and workers. Others are shy, standing in a corner or latching onto their parents who try their best to put them at ease.

For the parents, it's an opportunity to get a breather, I've been told. From the care and stress that having a disabled child can bring. For the kids, this is a place where they can have fun and feel as if they're a part of a community. Most parents here could not afford to take their kids on holiday as special care is expensive, and the Rubin charity makes it possible for the children to get away and enjoy swimming, sports and lots of fun activities.

Nola is sitting next to me with a girl on her lap. She's actually almost the same size as her, but Nola has her arms wrapped around her waist, gently swaying her from side to side while we listen to the speech. The girl ran up to her as soon as she arrived and hasn't left her side, and I love seeing this side to Nola.

The main message of the welcome talk is kindness, caring and sharing, and Dawn also talks about how powerful the impact of music is. Some kids never speak to people, but they will sing along to songs around the campfire all night long, or even get on stage during karaoke night, she says, then thanks everyone and gives the cue for one of the volunteers to put on a song which some recognize and start singing along to. I find myself getting sucked into the happy energy and when a boy to the other side of me takes my hand, I almost choke up and start singing along too.