Pitt Education students and alumni volunteered at a camp for children affected by cancer

Pitt’s School of Education was represented by alumni and current students at this year’s Camp Clubhouse, a weeklong summer day camp for children impacted by cancer.

The camp, hosted by Cancer Bridges and open to campers ages 5-12, supports oncology patients and their siblings as well as children with family members or friends who have a cancer diagnosis. It has been offering therapeutic and expressive arts opportunities since 2007, excluding an interruption during 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abby Ziegler, family and youth program manager for Cancer Bridges and an alumna of Pitt’s applied developmental psychology (ADP) master’s program, developed programming for Camp Clubhouse this year. Fellow ADP alum Avery Hoover (EDUC ’23G) helped Ziegler (EDUC ’15G) create therapeutic activities for the campers and run the camp schedule.

Kaylyn Zola (EDUC ’22G) and current ADP student Lily Bossler also volunteered to facilitate. Denise Esposto (SOC WK ’77, SHRS ’81G, EDUC ’23G), a developmental health care consultant at Pitt, also volunteered during the camp, as she has each year since 2014.

— Photo courtesy Denise Esposto. Pictured, from left: Esposto, Ziegler, Hoover, Zola and Bossler.