In early August 60,000 Pathfinders, sponsors and support staff pitched their tents in Gillette, Wyoming, for the week-long 2024 Believe the Promise International Pathfinder Camporee, sponsored by AdventHealth. Pathfinders experienced a dramatic telling of the story of Moses on the main stage each evening and spent their days participating in offsite activities, service projects, honors and a variety of on-site activities.
AdventHealth’s decision to be this year’s camporee anchor sponsor stemmed from a desire to engage a new generation of mission-focused young people and to invite them into a life of promise serving in the health care field. In an interview during the official camporee livestream, Terry Shaw, president and CEO of AdventHealth, shared how the Pathfinder Pledge, being a servant to God and a friend to man, fits naturally with the mission of AdventHealth: Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ.
Through three activations, Pathfinders were invited to explore the variety of roles that exist within AdventHealth—from doctors and nurses to human resources professionals, accountants, carpenters, creatives and even pilots. No matter what the career path, Pathfinders were shown that they can pursue it at AdventHealth.”
Career Experience
The Career Experience was AdventHealth’s largest activation at camporee, an 11,000 square foot space with several hands-on activities using cutting edge technology. Following registration, attendees entered through a “promise portal” leading them into the experience that included a large Wholeness Sphere, an LED sphere, showcasing photos of Pathfinder clubs from around the world and short welcoming videos from AdventHealth team members.
Inside the experience, which was attended by approximately 24,000 individuals, Pathfinders played interactive tabletop electronic games that demonstrated how different roles at AdventHealth work together to help patients feel whole. They also learned about various health care careers and tried on different uniforms in the AI-powered virtual Career Mirror. In a separate area called the Sim Lab, participants learned CPR skills using augmented reality before moving to Music from the Heart, an activity that measured the heartbeats of participants and used the rhythm to create a unique symphony together.
Honors Classes
AdventHealth taught two honors at camporee: Legacy of Healing and Health and Healing, which are part of a suite of five new honors created by AdventHealth in 2024 to help young people live better and healthier lives, learn about health careers and better understand how they can be an extension of Christ’s healing ministry today.
In the Legacy of Healing honor Pathfinders learned about how Christians have been relieving suffering and providing healing to the world since the time of Jesus. This honor shows the direct links between Christ’s healing ministry, the early Christian church, the Adventist Church’s focus on health, and modern faith-based Adventist health care. In addition, it challenges Christians to share Christ’s healing ministry in the community and extend it into the future until His second coming.
The Health and Healing honor focuses on connecting Christ’s healing ministry, how He empowered others to extend healing, why Christ healed and how we can be part of this special ministry today. The honor also provides dozens of examples of health care careers that can serve as conduits for Pathfinders to serve others and extend healing through their work.
“The excitement of the Pathfinders was palpable from the moment they walked into the classroom,” shared Gianni Arroyo, communications specialist at AdventHealth who attended the camporee and co-taught the Health and Healing honor alongside Hearly Mayr, director of stakeholder communication at AdventHealth. “They wanted to learn but they also wanted to contribute to the conversations we were having. Earning the patch and receiving a pin was just an added bonus for them. I feel blessed to have been a part of this AdventHealth activation, sharing the importance of Christ’s healing ministry and how we all can be vessels of His ministry whether it’s in clinical or non-clinical roles.”
Almost 5,000 people earned honors from AdventHealth at the camporee.
Sports Experience
AdventHealth sponsors a variety of professionals sports organizations and one of those is NASCAR’s Legacy Motor Club and the Daytona International Speedway. To highlight this partnership and the impact it has in the community, AdventHealth brought Legacy Motor Club’s number 43, AdventHealth Toyota Camry XSE to the camporee for Pathfinders to see first-hand, sign their name and write messages of support on giant thank you cards to first responders and frontline health care workers. Attendees also had the opportunity to participate in the Pit Crew Challenge game where Pathfinders could try their hands changing tires much like professional pit crew teams do.
AdventHealth has a firm belief that faith-based health care is the best kind of health care and it’s the desire of the organization to serve as many people with this type of health care as possible. Its focus is to show up in the community where people gather so they will have a connection with AdventHealth and choose it when they need health care.
Approximately 10,400 people signed the card and completed the challenge.
The AdventHealth Pin Challenge
As Pathfinders participated in each AdventHealth activity at camporee, they received a limited-edition pin. Once they collected all three pins, Pathfinders were eligible to receive an exclusive executive pin from an AdventHealth executive to complete their set.
The AdventHealth Pin Challenge allowed Pathfinders the opportunity to engage in each AdventHealth activity, immersing them in the complete purpose brought to life through each activity as outlined in the manifesto AdventHealth created to drive the focus of their presence at camporee:
“At AdventHealth, our brand promise—feel whole—invites each person to experience love, healing, growth and fulfillment. In 2024, we’ll extend that invitation to the camporee attendees as they discover God’s promise for their lives and are inspired to consider how that promise could lead into a future in healing—for others and for their communities—using their unique, God-given talents.”
— an excerpt from AdventHealth’s manifesto for participation in the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee
