Maddie greets two children at Camp Whole Kids during the 2026 Summer Service Week.
Summer camp is synonymous with sunscreen and snacks, singing and swimming. But service?
Cue the SSND Summer Service Week. It is not uncommon to find high school students spending a part of their summer doing volunteer work. It builds character and looks good on college applications. Add in the opportunity to play with cute kids, and all of a sudden there is a waitlist for volunteers.
So it was no surprise that after the inaugural 2025 Summer Service Week (SSW) at Camp Whole Kids, the interest in another was off the charts.
I wanted to participate because one of my really good friends came last year, and she had such amazing stories about how it was just such a great experience, and it really just changed her life,” said Maddie, a ’26 SSW participant from St. Louis.
For the second year, the Summer Service Week took place at Whole Kids Outreach (WKO), an affiliated ministry of the SSND Central Pacific Province located in Ellington, Missouri. Sister Anne Francioni, SSND, is the Executive Director of WKO which offers a summer day camp, in one-week sessions from mid-June through mid-July for children ages 4-12.
Extending an invitation through campus ministers at SSND connected secondary schools, the SSND North American Vocation Team (NAVT) once again offered a service immersion “trip” for female high school students to experience SSND ministry, community and prayer.
We were all in the auditorium for an assembly. I remember our teachers had a whole slide show, proposing this idea of going to Missouri for a week. The way that they made it sound, it was just really intriguing. Like, we would be around kids and a whole different lifestyle, something so different from where we’re from,” said Elena, a ’26 SSW participant from Brooklyn.
Elena assists a camper in the craft room.
The original impetus for suggesting this joint service week to our campus ministers came from the desire to keep building the broader community and spirit of SSND among the students at our schools, that they see themselves as part of a bigger family than only their school, and experience the unity among us. “Unity is at the heart of SSND, and this value is clearly identified when we witnessed the interactions and relationship building exhibited by the SSW community, breaking down barriers, crossing boundaries, and seeing themselves as one,” said Sister Carol Jean Dust of the NAVT.
Three schools committed to participating: Notre Dame High School – St. Louis, Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep and St. Saviour High School in Brooklyn, NY. This involved assuring appropriate adult chaperones could accompany any student volunteers. It also involved travel arrangements: flights out of NYC, renting a 10-passenger van in Dallas (thanks for a grant from the First Things First Foundation), carpools from St Louis.
“We had never met (Sister Carol Jean Dust). When we arrived, she greeted us with open arms. She invited us out to lunch. She drove us all the way from Saint Louis to the camp, which was almost a three-hour drive, and she didn’t even know us, and she was so kind to us,” Elena said.
On Sunday, July 12, the volunteers, chaperones and three SSND made their way to Ellington, Missouri, for the fourth and final week of Camp Whole Kids 2026. First thing on the agenda was to quickly form community among the group. Introductions and icebreakers, a shared meal, a brief orientation to the camp mission, logistics and dormitory-style accommodations followed by evening prayer all set the stage for the week.
Following a daily schedule that began with morning prayer, the volunteers set out to welcome the campers each day. Their spirit of hospitality was an extension of what was shown to them when they arrived.
And we took that into interacting with the kids. We don’t know these kids, but we’re going to show them as much kindness as we can during our week, show them as much love as we can possibly give,” added Elena.
Amy and Charli accompany two campers in the horse barn at Camp Whole Kids during the 2026 Summer Service Week.
The young women embraced their responsibilities with grace and joy, connecting with the children and guiding them through each activity, including crafts, swimming, horseback riding and music with Sister Gail Buckman, a retired music teacher from St. Louis. Lunch was provided and the littlest campers even had some nap time.
I like being around the SSND because they just create such a welcoming environment. Each one of them has welcomed me in, to the house for example, gave us food, and introduced us to all these kids,” said Amy from Dallas.
At the end of each day after the campers went home, the SSW community took time to rest and refresh before dinner. Then each school group took turns preparing the meal. Upon cleanup, there was time to reflect on the day’s activities, facilitating an awareness of God’s presence and what each individual learned from the experience. This led into evening prayer together before having some social time before lights out.
Sisters Carol Jean Dust and Bridget Waldorf prepared the evening activities. In addition to being another member of the NAVT, Sister Bridget serves in campus ministry at Cristo Rey Dallas and accompanied their volunteers to SSW.
On the final evening together, Sister Anne spent time with the community to express her gratitude and share more about what volunteers mean to Camp Whole Kids. It was apparent that the week meant just as much to the volunteers.
My favorite part has been seeing the kids and helping them out. They sometimes just bring a smile to my face every day, and I’m very happy to experience that. I thought I was coming to help the kids, but it turns out, they’ve helped me,” reflected Charli from Brooklyn.
The experience of helping where there is a need, and empowering others to reach their full potential, brought the SSND mission to life for all.
The week passed quickly, as good things often do. Saying goodbye to the campers on Friday was bittersweet, and bidding farewell to new friends from companion SSND schools held promises of keeping in touch. It was a powerful reminder of how relationships are at the center of all we are and do.
“We’ll never truly know all the blessings an experience like this offers – for the children who participate in Camp Whole Kids, the young adult staff that guides them, our SSND school participants and for us as adults….God is so generous; every time any of us offers something in the way of service, God blesses it,” said Sister Bridget.
Service – check. Community – check. Prayer – check. Is it really summer camp without them?
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>> Click on the images below to watch videos from SSW ’26. You can find additional posts from SSW ’26 on Instagram.
by Laurie Lindauer, NAVT Communications Manager