GMRS Walkie Talkies Help Power Connection at Experience Camps

At Experience Camps, grief meets resilience.

Each summer, hundreds of kids come together for a life changing, weeklong camp designed to help children navigate the loss of a parent, primary caregiver, or sibling. The impact is emotional and transformative. 

Midland is proud to sponsor Experience Camps by donating our durable GXT1000 GMRS Walkie Talkie 2 Pack, which help keep the behind-the-scene-operations running as smoothly as the memories are made. 

About Experience Camps

Experience Camps is a nonprofit organization offering free, weeklong camps to kids who have lost a loved one. These camps are held across the country and create an environment where children can safely process their emotions, connect with others having experienced similar loss, and have fun.

"It's important to envision a place where you feel comfortable enough to shed whatever skin you're wearing on the outside, said Jonny Zackman, Program Director for the Connecticut Experience Camp, "as well as be able to cope with a lot of deep feelings on the inside in a way that's really fun and engaging."

For Jonny, who's been involved with the organization for nearly a decade, both as a camper and volunteer, the camp is more than a job- it's personal.

"When my dad died in 2017, I got a text 2 weeks later from a number I didn't have," he shared. "Hey, Jonny, I heard you dad died. That sucks. You need to come to this camp.' That cut through the noise for me because every other message I received said something like, "Hey, I'm so sorry.' Or 'I'm sure your dad is in a better place.' The tone in which that text came through really sparked something in me." 

That moment shaped Jonny's journey as both a camper and a leader. It's the type of bold honesty and emotional connection that defines Experience Camps.

Creating a Safe Space for Grieving Kids

For kids coping with grief, the emotional toll can be isolating. School, sports, and family life can make it hard to fully express the complicated feelings that come with loss. At camp, those feelings are not only allowed, they're encouraged.

"When thinking about that feeling and how it might be applicable to a person whether it's grief related or not, the way that I typically describe that is that if you were to find that environment where you can shed your skin and open yourself up in a way that you can't in any other place, that feels like a world away from what a lot of peoples' day-to-day life is," Jonny said.

He described it as an "explosion of feeling, emotion, and connectivity" that gives kids a release from the emotional cap they often carry throughout the year.

"A lot of our campers tend to share that they feel like nobody understands and they're not approachable," Jonny added. "Even if they do have a couple people at home that do get it, it's really just a few folks. It's very different when you come into a community and you know that everyone gets it." 

Connection, Expression, and Resilience 

From memory-sharing art projects to chaotic slime day adventures, Experience Camps creates moments where grief and joy coexist.

"It's this amazing balance between being able to flush out all of the feelings behind the grief experience while also understanding that life continues," Jonny said. "Fun can still be had. You can still smile while having been dealt the cards that we have been dealt that tend to be really emotional, sad, and frustrating. We still persevere." 

Campers are invited to express themselves in ways that feel natural to them- whether through poetry, conversation, music, or silence. 

"It gives you a platform to express your grief in a way that meets you where you're at," said Jonny. "We're not trying to force you to talk in a circle with people who have also lost a dad. We're not asking you to express grief in one way." 

For many, just witnessing the vulnerability of others opens the door for healing.

"We have a ton of campers who don't really share that much and we don't push them to share," explained. "They might come back the next year or in 3 years after seeing others share and they feel like they can get to a point where they can share."

The Power of Long-Term Community 

Experience Camps is not a one-and-done experience. Campers return year after year, often with the same bunkmates and staff, building deep, meaningful relationships. 

Jonny's own group of campers has been with him for 8 years. 

"Some of them have shared sentiments about how they never thought they'd have another father-like role model until coming to camp," he said. "Just hearing them share about the impact you've had on their life. I'd be remiss if anyone couldn't come back after that."

For Jonny, it's also where he feels closest to his dad. 

"It's supporting the campers, but it's also where I feel most connected to my dad," he said. "Being able to have the experience for myself and also supporting others just makes me feel close to the values and person my dad was."

Midland Donates GMRS Walkie Talkies

Camp may be full of fun and meaningful activities, but behind the scenes, it requires complex coordination, safety protocols, and quick communication. That's why Midland donated GXT1000 GMRS walkie talkies to Experience Camps to help ensure the programming runs seamlessly.

"To have impactful programming you have to be really tightened up on your operations," Jonny explained. "The way we do that is with the way we communicate."

"Camp always throws different curveballs at you- you have to figure out a rainy day activity, there's a camper who needs some additional support, or somebody forgot to bring the cones and the dodgeballs up to the fields up top. That is all facilitated through walkie talkies."

Midland's tough GXT1000 radios are built for unpredictable environments like campgrounds, where dropping devices or losing cell signal is common.

"We're in a camp environment so candidly, we drop our phones, we drop our walkie talkies," said Jonny. "We need equipment that's robust and can stand up to that environment."

With the hep of GMRS walkie talkies, staff and volunteers can stay in constant, reliable communication across the large camp footprint. 

"Our experience so far is that we have reliable communication to ensure that the programming we're running is up to 100%," Jonny said.

The Role of Communication in Grief Support

Whether it's facilitating a fun activity or campers during a rainstorm, real-time communication is critical. The GXT1000 radios don't just support logistics- they support the mission. 

"We wouldn't be able to run the camps we do without solid operations and we need real-time communication about what is going on," Jonny emphasized.

Reliable tools behind the scenes make the emotional magic up front possible. Because when staff aren't worried about who has the dodgeballs or what the weather radar says, they can focus on what matters most- the kids. 

Growing the Mission

Experience Camps has expanded from grassroots beginnings into a wide-reaching nonprofit with over 14 camp programs, new offerings for adults and families, and a growing presence online. 

"We've also recently expanded into not only doing programming for kids, but also adult programming," Jonny said. "That is bring a family together and giving them an experience where they can bond, share in their grief, and share in their story."

Social media has played a large role in outreach, with families and volunteers finding the camp through TikTok, Instagram, and a teen-led platform called Grief Sucks. 

"With TikTok for example, we kind of stick with the trends and I think people really resonate with the fact that it doesn't have to be all somber and sad," Jonny said. "We can have fun with it and even make fun of ourselves a little bit. We can get dark and humorous."

How to Support Experience Camps

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Experience Camps relies heavily on volunteers, donations, and corporate partnerships like Midland's. 

"Year over year, we've started to make a fundraising model that better supports our goal of trying to bring camp to everyone," Jonny said. "What that's looked like is more corporate sponsorships and partnerships, ways to connect with foundations or other organizations that support the work that we do."

Donations can be made directly on the Experience Camps website. Even a small gift can make a massive difference.

"There's a lot of impact you can have with just a little bit of funding," said Jonny.

A Shared Mission of Resilience

At Midland, we believe in the power of communication to build connection, support safety, and fuel adventure. Donating GMRS walkie talkies to Experience Camps is more than a logistical no brainer- it's a way to help grieving children feel seen, supported, and safe. 

As Jonny pt it, "It also gave me hope and gives our campers hope that even though you experience such a loss, there's still a life to be had... Camp facilitates that by showing there's still fun to be had."