During Athletic Club Boise’s home match on August 1, the organization recognized Dr. Nathan Meeker, board member and volunteer at Camp Rainbow Gold, as their latest Community Impact STAR honoree.

As a pediatric oncologist, Dr. Nathan Meeker has spent his career caring for children facing cancer.

And, for more than 16 years, he’s volunteered as a physician at Camp Rainbow Gold, where many of the same patients he treats in the hospital are given something medicine alone cannot provide: the chance to simply be kids.

On his very first day at camp, Meeker watched a young camper in a wheelchair look at a ten-foot climbing wall and declare, “I want to go over that wall.” While Meeker quietly wondered if it was even possible, the rest of camp rallied behind him.

“Sure enough, ten minutes later that young man went over the wall,” Meeker says. “Ever since then, I’ve been watching these campers go over both literal and figurative walls.”

This is one of the most remarkable parts of camp is seeing children in a completely different light than he does in the hospital. 

“They’re a whole different person,” he says. “They’re lit up. They’re active. They’re doing things that I frankly didn’t think they could do.”

Read more about Dr. Meeker’s experience as a volunteer on AC Boise’s site.