Back in our hometown working and looking to bring better and different things to our community, came the time and opportunity to be part of NACCHO 2019. The experience would benefit our plans for this year to work for a Family Camp. When we meet with the NACCHO team and attendants we were so impressed. All the people on the same page, working together to share their knowledge and experience, learning from each other to make a difference. We learned skills and tools that you can not only use in a camp, but in any scenario throughout our lives. Remind yourself, that even though we have routines of life we can never lose sight that we should never stop being children. That when the time for camp comes, we should be those same children we want to please. We should work hard to have a positive impact on their lives. Learn to take the time to remember to be genuine, responsive, to be willing to learn, to marvel at the new things and focus on small details.

We felt and admire the commitment and the desire of the NACCHO team and attendees to give our community enduring memories and quality of life that claimed our goal of providing the best of us to our chapter members. That sense of support, determination and courage in every person no matter the age, gave us the affirmation of our journey. The opportunity to share and learn from our fellow community members with so much experience and acquiring from them all the necessary knowledge to carry out a camp of quality and excellence was enriching. We returned to Puerto Rico recharged with so much energy and desire to keep on working hard in favor of our community. We felt so blessed and so proud to belong to this awesome family which gives everything to its members and works hard to see them happy.



THANK YOU, NACCHO!

This year, I was invited to attend NACCHO. To be selected to attend was such an honor and I felt so privileged to have been given the opportunity to not only represent Purple Soup, but Australia. I soon found myself surrounded by like-minded individuals, all there for the right reasons, ready to absorb every new piece of information thrown our way and share our knowledge with everyone. We went about our morning, introducing ourselves to each other, and planning our World at Camp, the International Camp Presentation session – Walk in Our World. This session was all about bringing the haemophilia community together on a world level – sharing knowledge, stories, games, medical advancements, ideas, videos, and themes. We brainstormed and identified the benefits that both camps would receive if we could create a partnership and foster collaboration. Pairing an international camp with an American camp and having haemophilia families from across the world share their haemophilia journeys with new friendly faces would help them to know that they are all a part of a wonderful community together. With the conference theme this year being Rise Up, I found so many of the topics relevant and applicable.

The only downfall I found was the breakout sessions, so many good sessions available, and not enough hours in a day to attend them all! The quality/caliber of presenters was outstanding. Having the opportunity to ask presenters questions about their work and the philosophy of why they do what they do, really helps solidify new skills learned. I loved that we were able to share and expand our knowledge and find solutions to actual challenges faced by camps. Having the opportunity to get feedback on our camps and the new ideas was so valuable. It gave me a new perspective and validated known knowledge, as well as providing the opportunity to build a professional network that I feel I can rely on. I was able to make professional connections and new friends that I am grateful for. NACCHO enhances both professional and personal development, as well as providing me with tools and skills to last a lifetime. I have personally found camp skills blend into my everyday work and family life and I would be lost without them. I am so grateful to be able to have attended this year I found it to be such a rewarding experience, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

If you get the chance to go, Rise up and do it, you won’t regret it!

I am a volunteer for the Romanian Hemophilia Association for more than 15 years. I have to admit that in my early years, NACCHO was not between my priorities. I thought of it as an item in my bucket list, an item that was there but I would never really be able to tick it. Then, in recent years, I have slowly and slowly become involved in the life of the Romanian hemophilia camps. At the beginning, as an outsider, then the time brought me to become, volunteer, then counselor. After the counseling period, it was time for me to have a deeper knowledge. And from where could I get this knowledge? Nowhere else than from NACCHO, which is the only event of this kind on Earth! Needless to say, I was delighted to attend the event. I was preparing feverishly, I knew I would learn a lot of interesting things. What was in 2017 that caught my first trip? How big the treasure of knowledge is the North American Camping Conference of Hemophilia Organizations! I was shocked. Before, I solved many of my problems completely instinctively. If I already knew the answer, my job would be much easier. At the same time, I also realized why we follow the American model in our Ray of Hope Camp, Romania. Coming home from America, I was so

full of enthusiasm that I decided to organize the

HeRO Young Leadership Camp based on what I learned in NACCHO. Fortunately, the Romanian Hemophilia Association, S.T.A.R. Children Relief and the European Hemophilia Consortium have effectively helped me to realize my dream. I realized how little I know and how much I need more knowledge. I came more prepared for this year's NACCHO. Dorcas Tomasek helped us to better understand the nature of bullying. Very often, this is hard to observe, but we should intervene immediately. And with Jim Cain's advice, and the help of his team-building tools, he managed to "squeeze the lemon" with us. Jim's sessions helped us understand how important the role camp games play to be better facilitators. NACCHO had organized, of course, a session with the invited foreigners too. The American campers “Walked in Our World” together with their friends from Australia, Turkey, the Netherlands, Egypt, Nigeria, Nicaragua and Romania. The purpose of the organizers was to help build a relationship between the American and international camps for future projects. What I like the most in NACCHO? That there is a real "camp" atmosphere. I have to admit that I was a bit stiff and shy before, but not now anymore. I found my voice!

NACCHO is made possible through a grant from Pfizer and Sanofi Genzyme. Both Sanofi Genzyme and Pfizer continue to be a dedicated partner in building and improving our camping community to better serve our children and families. Thank you Pfizer and Sanofi Genzyme!

We would also like to thank our planning committee and staff whose dedication comes

straight from the heart, because they care about our cause, our community, and our kids. Most importantly, they are focused and determined to make a difference for the future of our camps.

Thanks to all of the NACCHO speakers. We appreciate your time and commitment, and contributions toward making NACCHO a success!