‘Love grows here:’ Longtime Hull Resident Committed to Supporting Sunset Point Camp

While longtime Hull resident Kate Brigham always knew of Catholic Charities Boston’s Sunset Point Camp in town, it wasn’t until her teenage son started working as a Sunset Point Camp lifeguard that she experienced firsthand just how special of a place it is. 

There is one story her son shared at the dinner table one evening after work that Kate says she’ll remember forever.  

“My son told me there was a young camper who had suffered from some trauma earlier in her childhood, and that the first day of camp, she sat by the edge of the pool away from the other kids. Within just a couple days of being at camp, however, my son said she was laughing, playing, and surrounded by new friends. Her fear transformed into comfort and joy all because she felt safe and secure,” said Kate. 

This camper’s story is one of thousands that demonstrate Sunset Point Camp’s steadfast mission to offer children a safe, supportive environment where they can explore, forge new friendships, grow, and make memories that will last a lifetime.  

And so, when Sunset Point Camp was unable to open due to economic challenges caused by the Great Recession in 2009, Kate said she immediately knew she had to do something to help. 

“I thought to myself, ‘This camp is so much more than a place where kids do arts-and-crafts. It might be the only opportunity for a single parent to have time to get a job. It might be the only time a child gets to play outside and feel sand between their toes. This can’t just end after 90 years.”   

Teaming up with members of her parish and neighbors in the Hull community, Kate formed what today is known as the Friends of Sunset Point Camp, a committee dedicated to raising awareness and funding for the program. 

That first meeting, which took place in a local parish hall, over 75 people showed up. Kate said the more people that learned about the camp and its longstanding legacy, the more they wanted to help. 

Over the following year, they spread the word and raised funding through charitable events, lobster bakes, open houses, and word-of-mouth storytelling. Long after the camp reopened the following summer, the Friends stuck around, helping to recruit volunteers, organize donations, and facilitate longstanding camp traditions like Treasure Night. 

“People are truly so good and so often you just need to make them aware. That was our primary goal: raising awareness so that people could help.” 

Since that summer almost two decades ago, Sunset Point Camp has remained open and continues to grow and touch more children’s lives every year. While Kate’s son is now 35 years old with two children, she said he still talks about the impact the camp had on his life and the perspective it granted him.  

When Kate thinks about what is most meaningful for her personally, she said she thinks of the bench that now sits at Sunset Point Camp, inscribed with the words: ‘Love grows here.’ 

“I think that sums it up perfectly,” she said. “When you work together and plant the seeds, it just grows.” 

To learn more about how you can support Catholic Charities Boston’s vital programs, visit our Ways to Give page. To learn more about how you can volunteer, click here.