Every summer, Royal Family Kids Camp gives foster kids a vacation away from what they have to face everyday. "It's one week that they can go up there and just be a kid. Forget about their past and about all the stuff that's happened in their life; to go up there and just have fun," explains Ron Oehlerking.

"We have like six rules at camp," he continued. "The last one in big bold print is "Have Fun."

And that's especially important at this camp. When the 75 or so foster kids arrive at camp it's easy often easy to see the baggage they bring with them. "They check in with all their belongings in a black plastic bag. That's how they travel from one foster home to another."

Many of the kids at the camp are healing from abuse and neglect, often by family members or people they trusted. So throughout the week volunteers have to build trust with the kids.

In fact even the title given to the camp's volunteers keeps that in mind. They are called "guides" because several years ago, Ron and the other organizers realized that the term had negative connotations for the foster kids. "One of the kids asked one time how much you were getting paid to come up here. We said, 'we're not getting paid anything. In fact, people take vacation to spend this week with you.' And the kid responded, 'Naw, anybody that ever talks with me gets paid something."

Each kid is paired up with a guide, who works on breaking through the kids fears and it all starts the first day. "The first meal at camp is really strange. You'll have kids… some of whom don't know when their next meal is coming. They'll just pile food on their plate like you can't believe. And you say, wait, we're going to have dinner tonight. In less than four hours we're going to eat again."

A big part of the camp is building positive memories, so in addition to all the normal fun camp activities like horseback riding, fishing, and crafts–all of the campers get to celebrate their birthdays. "That's what we take away from the camp is just joy and happiness and something that they can remember positively, because they've had to remember too many negative things."

And at the end of the week everyone gets a memory book–to remember all the fun activities they got to do. "These kids have no baby books or anything, so they get these and they hang on to them. We've run into kids and they've had them for, gee whiz, 3 years, stuffed in a backpack that they carry with them. It's too cool," Ron said.

During the week at camp, Ron and his wife Pauleta have the chance to care for all of the campers. "They serve as the grandparents to all these kids," explained volunteer Stan Rudeen. "At the end of the week all the kids love them… like they're their own grandparents… that perhaps they never had."

Since many of the kids from non-traditional family–bonding with "Grandma" and "Grandpa," is something special. "Kids are always saying, 'are you two really married. Are you really married to Grandma?" Ron continued, "That is so cool to be able to say, 'yeah… we've been married 40, almost 44 years."

It's a bond that lasts long after camp ends. "Our own grandkids call us Papa and Hammy… so we will be out at a shopping center or a grocery store somewhere and we'll hear someone holler Grandma, Grandpa. Immediately we know they're from Royal Family Kids Camp."

While Ron and Pauleta only get to spend a week with the kids, they know they've impacted their lives. "That's one of our mottos; if we had a motto… would be that one week can make a difference in a child's life. And it does," Ron said.

For more information about Royal Family Kids Camp, CLICK HERE.

Please join 9NEWS and Regis University in congratulating Ron Oehlerking, the February 2008 9Who Care Award winner.