The path to purposeful care: How Pine Tree Camp shapes the next generation of healthcare providers
When Maria Winters first began her undergraduate degree in nutrition at Acadia University, her career path seemed clearly mapped out. However, a shift on that path began when she joined the university’s Sensory Motor Instructional Leadership Experience (S.M.I.L.E) program, which pairs students one-on-one with children and adults with physical and developmental disabilities. Through this network, Maria discovered Pine Tree Camp. She credits her two seasons working at camp with completely reshaping her professional trajectory by solidifying her decision to enter a two-year nursing program this fall with the ultimate goal of working in an Emergency Room.
“Watching my coworkers at Pine Tree Camp go the extra mile to provide the best care for our campers and seeing firsthand how impactful that is for our campers and their families is what inspired me to become a nurse,” she said.
Maria’s shift from nutrition to medicine was also sparked by her experience as a Program Supervisor managing adaptive camp activities. From modifying bikes and kayaks to adjusting drawing and coloring tools, Maria experienced how a fully accessible, barrier-free environment changes lives.
“Because Pine Tree Camp features a completely accessible infrastructure, campers are immediately empowered to do things for themselves,” she continued. “The adaptions are already in place and it doesn’t take long for campers to discover they can do anything they want. Helping them find the way to make whatever it is they’d like to try happen is a pretty magic feeling, You just don’t find that anywhere else.”
Maria’s transformative journey illustrates how Pine Tree Camp is much more than a recreational summer camp; it is a premier training ground for young adults entering the medical and healthcare fields. Counselors and supervisors arrive at camp and are immediately immersed in an environment where they see seasoned professionals delivering complex care. It provides a rare space where foundational clinical skills are inextricably linked to deep human connection and mutual trust. By investing in the staff who bring this environment to life, philanthropic partners do not merely fund a summer program, they directly cultivate a pipeline of empathetic, highly skilled and disability-competent medical professionals who will change the face of healthcare for decades to come.
Maria’s time at camp taught her that true care requires active listening, patience and deliberate adaptation to ensure every individual discovers – and retains – their agency. She hopes to return to camp next summer to complete a supervised nursing practicum.
“When you think of working at Pine Tree Camp, you don’t always think of it as a medical experience,” she concluded. “In fact, it’s a really great introduction for people to learn about healthcare and it’s the perfect environment to discover if you want to be in the medical field.”
