Pardner Profile: Peg Carlson

In 1998 Peg Carlson dropped her daughter Emily off at Camp for her very first session as a camper. She came back changed – happier, more positive and able to take on whatever came her way. Inspired by her daughter’s transformation, Peg, along with her husband Pete, began volunteering for Hole in the Wall that very year, with Em soon to follow. 

The family continued to volunteer together until November 2009, when Em passed away. Surrounded by Camp love and support, Peg and Pete have continued to volunteer in a variety of ways – at the Gala, Beantown Bash, Camp Challenge, Bandit Roundup and more. And Peg soon found herself volunteering in the Camp store with more and more frequency. In fact, she was instrumental in the opening of the new Camp Store in the recently built Creative Complex. 

“I love it,” Peg said of volunteering in the Camp store. “I am a very organized person, and one of my tasks in getting the new store up and running was setting up the stock rooms. I know what we have and where it is. If you need a color or size, I’m your girl! Oh, I’ve gotten quite good at folding, too. I love being in the store. I get to see everybody, and people are happy and smiling.” 

Peg and her husband also recently began volunteering at Camp’s new Bereavement Program. She participated as a Family Pal for the first time, where she was paired with the same family over the three weekends of the program, building their relationship and bond over the weeks. 

“It’s hard to describe what a wonderful community it is,” Peg shared. “A lot of healing goes on – at least the beginning of healing. There is something special about being in a room with people who have gone through what you have. There are no words to describe what it does for us, even as a volunteer. You don’t ever want to go home.” 

And just a few weeks ago, Peg took on yet another volunteering adventure, traveling down to the new location in Maryland for a volunteer workday. She was joined by a friend, who took the eight-hour drive with her, along with a cousin who lives in Virginia. 

“I thought I could help in Maryland, so I went down, and it was awesome,” Peg said. “I was so impressed; it’s going to be something special. The location is phenomenal, and the history is fascinating. I definitely will be going down to help out again.” 

We are so grateful to Peg, Pete and all of our incredible volunteers who make Camp magic possible. Learn how you can get involved as a volunteer here.