By Sheila Kun, Salesian Cooperator
(Rosemead, California) – Going into May 2025, the idea of having a summer camp at our St. Joseph Youth Renewal Retreat Center seemed like a futile proposal; we had only 19 campers signed up. When we compared our camp site with say Camp Francis, we felt totally out of the league – we have no ocean breeze, no nature-walk like wilderness, and no sprawling pine trees welcoming the beautiful sunset. However, shortly within a month, we had angels and saints who came to our rescue!
Armed with 200 pounds of food, spices and nutritional necessities for the camp, the Parishioners from St. Anthony in Oakland flew in under the auspices of Linh, a high school teacher who planned and supervised all the kitchen crew. Her partner Yen, a dedicated parishioner who worked for the youth for over 30 years anchored the kitchen logistics. And the parishioners from Our Lady of Peace, North Hill, California partnered with them to provide the best camp food in town; five meals a day with no duplication of menu.
Over 20 young counselors and assisted counselors guided the campers through all the activities. It was amazing to witness how the seasoned St. Anthony and Our Lady of Peace youth shared their expertise with our local counselors. In spite of the occasional challenges imposed by kids, the counselors handled the situations with gentle kindness and loving care. In fact, many campers did not want to say goodbye to their counselors – their precious moments with the big brothers and sisters were fond memories that they would bring home from the camp.
One of the highlights of the camp was the beach day. Here is where Southern California excels in its beautiful pristine beach. The water was calm and the entire beach seemed to solely belonged to us for that day. There was even paddle boat ride for the adults. Thanks to the meticulous planning of prepping the camp site, the campers vowed that was their favorite activity of the week.
When the campers were asked what was their favorite part of the camping experience, a 12 years old girl Bluneir said: “People, everyone is so nice.” 10 years old Lucas claimed the activities were so fun: “especially the beach day!” But 8 years old David disagreed; “EVERYTHING!” he shouted!
We agreed with David that the children truly experienced the joy of summer camp and learned a lot about building friendship, working as a group and caring for each other while having a lot of fun. Their daily mass was one of the highlights of the day.
Our first Camp Don Bosco, Rosemead, provided a memorable experience to 57 campers. With the generous support of donors, we were able to provide 10 scholarships to the campers in Los Angeles. Other donations flowed in on a daily basis in terms of food, props, and volunteers to cook, to help out with all the logistics. Our talent show featured all the campers with the support of 2 sound and electric engineers! It was truly a Hollywood production. The mission was possible with all the Salesians and the Salesian families working together! Special thanks go to Fr. Vien and Bro. Khoa who administered efficiently all aspects of the program.
Will there be a sequel of the Mission Impossible for 2026? You bet!
