The summer after my freshman year at Illinois State, I signed up to work at a summer camp for people with disabilities — not knowing it would completely change my life. I thought I was just taking a summer job, but what I found was so much more: a place where everyone was celebrated, where differences didn’t divide us, and where I felt more joy and purpose than I ever had. I came back from that summer and changed my major from Finance to Special Education before classes even started. Camp opened my eyes and my heart, and it’s the reason I started Blue Oasis. I donate so more kids can experience that kind of magic — the kind that stays with you forever. (That’s my friend Ainslee with me in the picture — one of the many people who have made summer camp so special!)

-Nick, Founder of Blue Oasis