Empowering children through the RSM US Foundation and Circle Camps

Hannah Simard, RSM US LLP consulting senior associate in New York, shares her story of losing a parent and how the RSM US Foundation’s Community Impact Fund amplified her efforts of supporting those who have experienced a similar loss. 

I was only 6 years old when my father passed away and my life was turned upside down.

As a newly single parent on a single income, my mom would not have had the opportunity to send me or my 9-year-old sister, Danielle, to summer camp had it not been for Circle Camps. Circle Camps is a summer camp that offers a full scholarship to children grades three through 12 who have lost a parent.

The camp offered my sister and me a place to be “normal” kids. It was a place where we could escape, make new friends, enjoy archery, swimming, crafts, sports and soak in the beauty of Maine’s great outdoors. Surrounded by supportive adults who were trained in how to help children address grief, I had the opportunity to connect with other kids who had also experienced loss and learn healthy, age-appropriate coping mechanisms.

I have continued to return to Circle Camps every summer since; as an adult I am now mentoring children who have experienced the same loss of a parent. The RSM US Foundation’s Community Impact Fund has amplified my efforts through a grant, which helped increase the number of children who are able to receive scholarships to attend camp and educate more parents on their offerings.

I am so grateful for RSM’s leadership in recognizing employees as whole people, not simply for their contribution within the workspace, and for the RSM US Foundation’s Community Impact Fund that provides grants to organizations that are meaningful to our people.