Students, faculty help kids with cancer explore the Idaho outdoors

Sydney Oleson (right) connects with a camper at Camp Rainbow Gold.

For health science-focused students, a summer spent at camp may not be the first thing that comes to mind in preparing for future health careers. Camp Rainbow Gold is looking to change that.

Last year, School of Public and Population Health Associate Teaching Professor and Health Studies Program Director Travis Armstrong teamed up with the camp to connect more health-focused Broncos with its mission.

Camp Rainbow Gold gives children who have been diagnosed with cancer a chance to feel like a kid again in Idaho's great outdoors. Weeklong camps take place at Idaho's only medically designed, adaptive and accessible camp at Hidden Paradise in Fairfield, Idaho. No matter where a child is at in their cancer journey, the camp aims to provide unique experiences through youth oncology camps, teen oncology camps and family camps. Camp Rainbow Gold also offers sibling camps for brothers and sisters of children who have had a pediatric cancer diagnosis.

Camp Rainbow Gold Director of Operations Tracy Bryan

"Pediatric cancer can be very isolating for the entire family. At Camp Rainbow Gold, our families get to take a break from the challenges that come with cancer and focus on fun, while being with a group of people who have had similar experiences," said Camp Rainbow Gold Director of Operations Tracy Bryan.

College student volunteers, Bryan said, are key to bringing fresh energy and renewed perspective to each camp.

Students answer the call to volunteer

When Armstrong put out the call for future health professionals to take part in camps that provide fun experiences for children with cancer, several SPPH students joined in.

Andy Garofalo rollerblades with campers.

Andy Garofalo, a health studies senior, was inspired to volunteer after hearing about the experiences the camp provides for children and their families. Garofalo first served as a camp counselor during summer 2025 and immediately fell in love with the experience.

Although Garofalo led campers through a variety of activities and always played a game with campers each evening before dinner, Garofalo ultimately got the chance to connect with campers on a deeper level. Seeing their joy and energy, Garofalo said, was a reminder to never take health and carefree experiences for granted.

"Volunteering at this camp has given me a great perspective on life," Garafolo said. "It's also a great way to improve your leadership qualities and the best time I've ever had at a summer camp."

Sydney Oleson, a recent health studies graduate, joined as a volunteer for the camp because of her sister's past experience as a volunteer. Oleson volunteered at a teen oncology camp and had a "truly life changing" experience connecting with the campers.

Sydney Oleson with campers and volunteers.

"There are campers who are actively fighting cancer or recently in remission, and to see them use their newfound strength to let loose and be a kid makes the experience endlessly worth it," Oleson said.

Throughout her studies, Oleson worked in hospitals and emergency medicine settings. It's rare, she said, to see the outcomes of the patients she works with. Outside of providing an easygoing environment for those with cancer, the camp also provides a variety of new experiences for the volunteers themselves.

"Being in the health field can be hard and heavy sometimes, but this experience brings new life, perspective and motivation to be the best providers we can be," Oleson said. "It means the world to see the good that comes from the work we do."

Connecting outside the clinic and classroom

Last year, Armstrong realized he couldn't just recommend this volunteer experience to his students without diving in himself. He first trained on the camp's ropes course and spent time leading that activity at a spring family camp. Eventually, he served as a cabin counselor for the teen camp. This drive to spend his time volunteering, just as his students have been doing, is "one of the greatest decisions" he has ever made, Armstrong said.

Squirt gun fights, pranks, dance battles and lip-sync contests are just a few of the highlights Armstrong will always remember fondly. The greatest joy? Watching campers build courage and engage in activities as a team.

"Those moments of shared laughter and vulnerability are what camp is all about," Armstrong said.

Working outside the sterile walls of a hospital or clinic and alongside fellow volunteers, oncology nurses, pediatric oncologists and social workers provides student volunteers a rare, holistic perspective on pediatric care, Armstrong said.

Travis Armstrong leads campers through an obstacle course.

"For students in the health sciences, it's an opportunity to see the 'whole person' rather than just a diagnosis," Armstrong said. "It is more than a volunteer shift - it is a perspective-shifting week that will make you a better, more empathetic future professional."

Bryan said volunteering with Camp Rainbow Gold is a great opportunity to grow skills, learn new things and make a massive impact in the community.

"We are so thankful to have so many college students joining our camp community," Bryan said. "They have so much hustle and heart and our camps wouldn't be the same without them. Our campers love how the college student volunteers are so excited to join them in activities and try new things."

Armstrong plans to volunteer again this summer and can't wait to reconnect with past campers and families. He hopes to see even more Boise State students join this volunteer community. Garofalo, Oleson and Bryan are all putting out a similar call.

"Make the time, go be a kid and help these kids remember how to be a kid again," Oleson said.

Learn more about Camp Rainbow Gold and future volunteer opportunities.

Images courtesy of Camp Rainbow Gold.

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