By Nichole E. Dunn, President & CEO, Flying Horse Farms
At Flying Horse Farms, something remarkable happens. Kids with serious illnesses get to be something the rest of the world sometimes forgets – they are just kids.
They swim and sing and try things they never thought they could. They make friends who understand them in a way few people do. And somewhere in the middle of it all, joy shows up alongside the hard stuff, and camp starts to feel a little more like home.
Those moments are why we do this work. They are also why I keep coming back to something the facilitator Priya Parker writes in her book The Art of Gathering: “A category is not a purpose.” Her point is that most gatherings fail before they start, not because of bad food or a dull venue, but because no one got specific about the experience they were trying to create. Raising money is a category. It is not a purpose. And only a real purpose, held with intention, can turn an event into an experience that moves people. That is the difference between attending something and being changed by it.
That is the thinking behind Campfire, our annual fundraiser.
Each fall, we welcome hundreds of supporters to Flying Horse Farms for an evening built less around a program and more around a feeling. Every part of the night is intentional, designed to let guests engage in camp, experience it firsthand, and feel something real rather than simply hear about it. Guests explore the property, hear directly from families who have experienced camp, and take in the sights and sounds of a place built, in every way, for our campers and their families.
For many, it is their first time here. And that matters.
Not everyone who supports Flying Horse Farms has a personal connection to a kid with a serious illness. They simply believe every kid deserves the magic of camp: friendships, freedom, the feeling of belonging that changes everything. Campfire gives them a mission moment of their own, a chance to step inside that belief instead of just hearing about it.
When you walk through a cabin, hear laughter echo from the dining hall, stand around the same campfire where kids with serious illnesses have discovered they belong, and listen to a parent describe what that week meant for their child, the mission stops being something you read about. It becomes something you feel, and something you feel a part of.
That shift, from giving to belonging, does not happen by accident. It happens because someone decided, on purpose, what experience this room needed to create and who needed to be in it. Raising money was never the sole purpose. It is the byproduct of an evening built to engage people, let them experience the mission firsthand, and giving them something to feel. Our guiding principles begin with prioritizing safety and end with having fun. In between: nurturing community, welcoming people in, creating chances to connect and to experience something meaningful together. Campfire brings those principles into one evening.
It is a fundraiser, yes. But it is also a celebration of the people who make camp possible, and an open door for more people to become part of it. We hope every guest leaves knowing more about our work, but more importantly, feeling connected to the people and purpose behind it.
So, this year, I hope you will join us. Come visit camp on Friday, October 2nd. Walk the paths. Hear the stories. Gather around the fire. Discover for yourself what it means when a kid realizes they belong.
Tickets, sponsorship and more information at www.flyinghorsefarms.org/events/campfire
