When Leah Banko was 11, her father was diagnosed with double-hit lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She recalls not understanding how severely cancer could impact someone until she knew someone directly affected by it.
“You’re watching your biggest hero ... not able to promise their life to you,” Banko said.
Her father’s diagnosis was “a really big growing-up moment.” With both parents frequently at the hospital, Banko said she was left to care for her younger brother, an experience common among children whose parents have cancer.
In 2015, about a year after her father’s diagnosis, Banko and her family discovered Camp Kesem. Banko admits that she was hesitant at first, not wanting to attend a “cancer camp.” After her first week, she felt as if she found her home.
“(Kesem) is home. It was absolutely life-changing for me,” Banko said.
Credit: Leah Banko
Credit: Leah Banko
Kesem, a national organization with 120 chapters run out of colleges and universities nationwide, offers support throughout the year, but its main focus is Camp Kesem. Kesem provides a week of free, overnight summer camp designed to empower campers who have been impacted by a parent’s cancer and create a fun and supportive community.
Camp Kesem at the University of Georgia sent 225 children to summer camp in 2024 and aims to grow that number in 2025.
Banko, now a fourth-year entertainment and media studies student at UGA, attended Camp Kesem for seven years. Her counselors were her heroes, giving her the kind of support she needed during her father’s illness. She continues to return annually because of an “intrinsic desire to help Kesem” after it helped her.
She volunteered as a counselor and served on the executive board for two years. As a counselor, she said, she saw children in the same position she once was in who blossomed during their time at camp. She now oversees a team of 24 coordinators on the executive board who are in charge of communications, planning and fundraising related to Kesem. She works closely on counselor recruitment efforts that rely on the students at UGA. The recruitment and training process is rigorous, with over 16 hours of in-person and online lessons.
“It makes me emotional and blows me away every single year, just how dedicated our volunteers are,” Banko said.
UGA’s chapter has a fundraising goal of $190,000, which is how Kesem ensures its services are free for campers. Banko and the other directors work with retailers in Athens to collect supplies and reach out to donors.
Credit: Sydney Shankman
Credit: Sydney Shankman
Through and beyond the camp, Kesem continues its support during the year. They hold monthly camper reunions and family events. Kesem sends care packages and birthday cards to all of its campers as a reminder that they are not alone.
“Our tagline is ‘supporting children through and beyond a parent’s cancer,’” Banko said. “We want to make sure that support doesn’t just stick with them over the summer, but really throughout the entire year.”
The most crucial role for Banko is making sure her campers feel supported. She says Kesem is not about grief; it is meant to uplift and heal the children who attend it, just as it did for her.
“Everybody there is just so connected, and they share their stories, and you just see some of the strongest, bravest little 6-year-olds you’ve ever met,” she said.
HOW TO HELP
For more information on Camp Kesem, go to kesem.org/chapters/georgia.
To provide supplies or donate, reach out to uga@kesem.org or donate.kesem.org/team/608287.
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