summer vacation. They would be able to swim without

summer vacation. They would be able to swim without worrying that others would find a bald head funny looking; they would be able to ride without worrying that the instructor would see a prosthesis and say, “You can’t stay on a horse." For a week, they would set the standard for what’s normal and what’s not, and they wouldn’t be different because their differences would be sharedCamp

Fantastic has been all of that, and more.

The first year of the camp brought 40 kids to Harmony Hollow to forget about cancer for a week. This year, the roster numbered 83. They ride hay wagons and hot air balloons, dance to rock ‘n’ roll bands, weave baskets and friendship bracelets, fall in love in a summer romance, cry at the final campfire, and form the bonds for Family Fantastic.

And Special Love has grown beyond the week-long camping session in August. The non-profit organization, which with the 4-H Education Center and the National Institute of Health, sponsors Camp Fantastic, also has Family Fantastic weekends at the center, outings to ball games and amusement parks, ski trips, YAC weekends for young adults with cancer, a Christmas party, and Top Brass weekends for the bothers and sisters of children with cancer.

From the beginning, John Dooley tapped 4-H’ers to help. “We’re changing kids’ lives,” he said. “Fantastic is a life-changing experience for 4-H kids. There are not a whole lot of experiences around in this world that are as positive.”

Ten 4-H’ers are selected to be junior counselors for each camp session. Mr. Dooley encourages the extension agents in the 17 counties that comprise the Northern District to have their teen leaders apply, and then he picks the best of the best. “I’ve watched many of these kids grow up. I’ve seen them as campers at 4-H camps and as leaders.” But still, he admits, the choices are hard. “It’s just unfortunate that we don’t