Home at Rainbow Lake

Brooke’s connection to Campfire Circle Rainbow Lake began long before her daughter, Makinley, was diagnosed with cancer. Years earlier, she worked at the site (then Camp Trillium) as kitchen staff, never imagining that one day she would return as a parent in need of the same support she once helped provide.

In 2018, Makinley was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma when she was eight months gestation. Barely a year old, Makinley came to family camp for the first time. In those early years, when life revolved around hospital visits and strict routines, family camp gave Brooke’s older children something they had been missing: the chance to simply be kids again. Away from the pressures of illness, they could play, laugh, and experience joy, something that had become rare at home.

“Campfire Circle is our safe space. It became the place we turn to when we needed it most,” says Brooke. “My kids got to be kids again – that’s what camp gave them.”

Now seven years old, camp became equally meaningful for Makinley, and deeply transformative for Brooke and her partner. Through shared experiences, they found a special community of families.

“It’s very isolating when you go through what we went through,” says Brooke. “At camp, I found people who understood. I finally had people I could talk to who got it.”

Beyond its impact on individual families, Rainbow Lake holds a special place within the Waterford community. As a longtime resident, Brooke has witnessed firsthand how the camp has shaped the town’s identity and spirit.

“This community rallies around the camp. It’s never just been a camp. It’s about the smiles, the laughter, and kids getting to be kids,” she says.

She adds that Rainbow Lake has brought a sense of shared purpose to the region, uniting local service groups, volunteers, and residents in support of families facing childhood illness.

“Our little town is on the map because of it,” Brooke says. “Everyone has contributed in some way.”

As Campfire Circle invests in future renovations at Rainbow Lake to improve accessibility and expand its reach, Brooke sees it as a meaningful step forward, not only for families like hers, but for the entire community that stands behind them.