USD Magazine, Fall 2004

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squinting through its murky glass. "There was chis gopher, see, and he digs and digs, bur he just can't see down underground - and then he realizes he needs to see the world through his heart, not his eyes. " Regardless of whether Vu is able to coherently impart the mysterious story of the gopher's eye - and its cousin, a neck– lace called the monkey's fist - he's a fer– vent believer in Can1p Ronald McDonald. His camp-bestowed nickname is "Coach," a moniker chat suits him perfectly, since he recently quit a lucrative job selling mutual funds to work as a physical educa– rion coach at a private school in Chula Vista. He spends his summers coaching sport camp and after-school camp, along with volunteering at least one session at cancer camp. ''I'd never go back to (sales)," he laughs. "I've found my calling. I used to hate get– ting up in the morning, bur now every day is the best day ever. " Unlike Vu, Praba doesn't gee the whole summer off; just me requisite annual few weeks. Nonemeless, he volunteers for a session every year. "When we come back from camp, it's with a whole different attitude," Praba says. "Ir puts your life into perspective. " Near the mess hall, kids have congregated, a few lining up, ochers shooting some hoops, passing rhe time until the whistle is blown char means it's rime to chow down. Today being T-shirt day, a lot of kids are milling about, signing one anomer's shirrs and generally horsing around. Vu circu– lates, handing our necklaces, bestowing chem for reasons ranging from courage to bravery to having cure braids. The chil– dren Aock to him, and he responds to each one with hugs, encouragement, gentle teasing and sincere interest. When a solemn 9- or 10-year old boy walks by, Vu calls him over. "In me spirit of courage, Justin, I want to give you chis. Right there, buddy." He slips the necklace around Juscin's neck, and me boy's eyes light up. He runs off, grinning from ear to ear, to show his friends. By me rime we're called to go inside me mess hall, Vu has given away all of his gopher's eyes, has signed at lease a half dozen T-shirts, has kept his hat from being knocked off by one very persistent child, and has managed a quiet moment with Billy, a blind teen who runs his hands over Vu's face before giving him a back-cracking hug.

How you doing!" He gives him a guy-hug, the kind with chree sharp pars on the back. The kid sore of hugs back, sore of keeps fishing. "He doesn't remember me," Praba says with a shrug. "Happens. " While many of the kids look totally fine, appearances can be deceiving. Some have brain rumors, some have had sUigery to remove porcions of the brain, some have leukemia, some have had brucal rounds of chemotherapy and ocher invasive drugs char can leave the mind impaired. You can't know just by looking ac chem. And if somecimes they don't remember cheir counselors, chose are the breaks. Of course, char doesn'c mean char the coun– selors don't remember che kids. They do. Praba grins. "Ir's so awesome to see how tall he's goccen!" The teen smiles, a bit ren– rarive, and goes back to the more impor– tant business of his fishing pole. Seeing With Your Heart The camaraderie among the volunteers is palpable. Listening co Praba talk about his friendship with Vu, it's clear char the pair care deeply for one another. Now friends for over a decade, the pair first mer when they were in the same fra– ternity at USD. One day they were raking a walk through campus and came across a table in front of the University Center soliciting volunteers to work with sick kids during the summer. "Phong was shore on philanthropy hours," laughs Praba. "So we both signed up." They haven't missed a summer since. Even chough Vu is gercing married in 11 days and Praba has a 9 month old at home, the thought of skipping a scint at camp is unthinkable. "Sure, there's a cost to being away," says Praba. "But ir's totally worth it. " Ir's nearly lunch rime now, and Vu joins us, having finished "fun and games rime" with the girls of Cabin 6. He proudly shows off the "gopher's eyes" necklaces he's been teaching the girls to make, and launches into a long, involved story when asked for an explanacion of the name: "Ir's all about looking at the world through chis eye," he says, holding up the necklace - a marble incricarely wrapped in hemp - and

A high ratio of volunteers to campers makes for close relationships.

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