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Setebaid Services
A counselor and a group of smiling boys sit around a table at camp.

Volunteer at camp

Spend a week of your summer with kids and teens with diabetes

Setebaid is a nonprofit camp for kids and teens with diabetes. If you have diabetes too, you are the person these kids look up to.

Send the interest formSee the roles
Camp week. Staff arrive a day early.
July 11–17, 2027
Camp Mount Luther, in central Pennsylvania
Mifflinburg, PA
Age for camp staff roles
18+

Give one week of your summer. Get much more back.

The week in plain facts

Dates, place and what it takes

Our two summer camps run the same week: Harrisburg Diabetic Youth Camp (HDYC) for ages 7–13, and Camp Setebaid for ages 13–17. You can work at either one.

  1. When

    Camp week is July 11–17, 2027. Staff arrive on July 10 for hands-on training. Online training comes before camp, and we send you the link in the spring.

  2. Where

    Camp Mount Luther in Mifflinburg, Pennsylvania. You live at camp for the whole week. See the camp location.

  3. Who can apply

    Adults who will be 18 or older at camp. Most roles need no camp experience, and many of our staff have diabetes themselves.

  4. What it costs you

    Camp staff are volunteers; a small office team works all year. Your meals and a bed in a cabin are covered during camp week.

  5. Time needed

    One week at camp, plus the training days before it. Director roles also plan camp during the year, a few hours each week.

  6. Letters and hours

    Need a letter for school, work or service hours? Ask us, and we will write one.

A male counselor in a green shirt and a camper in a baseball cap sit together at a table.

Staff who get it

Be the counselor you never had

Many of our staff have type 1 diabetes, and many were campers once. A camper who watches his counselor check his blood sugar and go straight back to the game learns something no lesson can teach.

We especially welcome male counselors. Boys at camp need men they can look up to. (Setebaid to confirm the wording)

“Some may learn to give a shot for the first time, or use a pump. I tear up seeing the support they give to each other.” — Beth S., parent and camp counselor

Former campers often come back as staff. If you were a camper, we would love to see you again.

On our staff

  • College and graduate students
  • Nurses and doctors
  • Dietitians
  • Teachers
  • Former campers
  • People with type 1 diabetes

A counselor's day

What you actually do all week

No two days are the same, but most follow this rhythm. The times are a guide. (Setebaid to confirm)

  1. 017:00 AM

    Wake-up and morning check

    You wake your cabin and walk your campers to their blood sugar check. Then breakfast, with the medical and dietary team close by.

  2. 02Morning

    Activities

    You lead or join the pool, archery, crafts and games, and you keep an eye on your campers the whole time.

  3. 03Noon

    Lunch with your cabin

    You eat with your cabin. Campers plan each dose with the medical and dietary team, and you learn how they do it.

  4. 04Afternoon

    Quiet time

    Campers rest, write letters home or change pump sites with the medical team. You get a short break too. (Setebaid to confirm)

  5. 05After dinner

    Evening program

    Campfires, theme nights and big games. Staff plan and lead many of them.

  6. 069:00 PM

    Bedtime

    A last check and a snack, then lights out. You sleep in the cabin and wake the medical team if a camper needs help in the night.

Teenagers and young adults in matching camp T-shirts pose in front of a red wooden cabin.
one team, one week

Find your place on the team

  • Counseling team

    Counselors live with a cabin of campers and lead their days. Senior and Head Counselors guide the cabins, and Program Educators teach the activities.

  • Health care team

    Doctors, residents, nurses, physician assistant students and dietitians care for campers and help them learn to manage diabetes.

  • Administration team

    Directors plan camp during the year and lead it during the week, together with the medical, program and dietary leads.

See all the roles →

Training and support

Ready on day one, part of the team

Every staff member trains with the team for several days before campers arrive. New staff learn next to people who have done this for years, so you know what to do and who to ask.

  • Training before camp.You learn how children grow, how to teach each age group, the diabetes care we use at camp, and how to spot and treat a low.

  • Never on your own.Each cabin has a Senior Counselor who has worked at camp before. Medical staff are on site day and night.

See how we train staff
A staff member kneels on the grass and shows others how to use a splint from a red medical bag.
Hands practice with a bag-valve-mask resuscitator during a training session.

How to join

From form to first day

Returning staff have priority until 1 February. We reach you by email, so check your inbox and your spam folder.

Send the interest form

  1. 01

    Send the interest form

    Tell us about you and the roles that interest you. The form is short and works on a phone.

  2. 02

    We review it

    Camp leaders read every form. Then we email you a registration link.

  3. 03

    Register and get cleared

    Create your staff account, then get three clearances, including an FBI fingerprint check. We email you how.

  4. 04

    Train with the team

    Join the staff training days before campers arrive. Then it is camp week.

Other ways to help

More ways to help

  1. Teens with diabetes

    Too young to be staff? Teens can grow into counselors through our Counselor-in-Training program.

  2. Talk about camp

    Many of our staff tell families about camp at diabetes events during the year. Ask us how to join them.

  3. Help outside camp

    Our office and board committees need help all year. See how the board works.

Ready to join the camp team?

Questions first? Email volunteer@setebaidservices.org or call the office at (570) 524-9090.

Send the interest formCall the office