Losing a parent is incredibly difficult for anyone, but especially for young children. Wildflower is an organization based in Lexington that provides support for children and their families who have experienced this loss. This program has helped kids get back a part of their childhood. Wildflower pairs kids living in Massachusetts, ages 5-18, with summer camps throughout the U.S. The camp experience allows kids to heal in supportive environments surrounded by counselors, mentors, and opportunities to make friends and engage with new skills. In addition to matching kids with summer camps, Wildflower provides other emotional and logistical support until age 18, including help with SAT prep, college placement, financial aid, and more.
Allie Switalski, a Wildflower alum, shared her story of losing her father and how being a part of the Wildflower program for six years has helped her family not only cope with this devastating loss, but also thrive.
Allie and her older brother started Wildflower in 2004 after their father passed away from esophageal cancer. She was two years old, and her brother was four. They were one of the first families to be helped through the program. She was paired with a family liaison: a trained human services professional who got to know her and her family. They also met with the directors of camps to help find the best fit. At camp, she bonded with other kids while her mom was able to get time to herself and a break from taking care of two young children.
In high school, Allie got to go to Ecuador and the Galapagos as part of a summer trip, which Wildflower helped connect her to. The trip was funded with a combination of funds from Wildflower, the program, her parent, as well as outside organizations, which Wildflower helped coordinate. She later became a counselor, and now works as a preschool special education teacher. She mentioned that camp helped shape her as a teacher and even as a person.
“I did go into the field of education, as I mentioned, and I think that’s definitely directly correlated to my experience at camp and, I don’t know, seeing the fun side of childhood, getting to experience it, and then also getting to watch other kids experience it,” Allie said.
Allie’s mother is now a part of the board, which includes other parents as well as alumni, while Allie continues to attend fundraisers and other alumni events. “Now that I’m older and sort of getting to reflect on how important camp was, I really grew a lot of skills from being at camp, and I feel like maybe my family couldn’t have done that if it weren’t for Wildflower,” said Allie.
Wildflower relies heavily on donations, and there are many different ways to give, including the Sponsor-a-Camper program, which matches donors to Wildflower campers. Additionally, the Rodman Ride for Kids—the biggest fundraiser of the year for Wildflower—is happening on May 16, 2026, and they are already putting together a list of bikers for the event.
Erin Lynch, Wildflower’s Executive Director, said, “One of my favorite parts about being a part of this organization has been seeing the way a child’s face lights up when they talk about the experience they’ve had at camp, the friends they have made, and the time that they’ve had.” Both Allie and Erin have said that they would like to see the camp continue to remove barriers for children that have fewer resources to further deepen their impact.