The camp, themed ‘Go for GOLD’, brought together over 35 campers aged 7-13 from around the mid-north coast of NSW who have been impacted by cancer.

Packed with activities, the four-day camp was designed to help kids create new memories outside of the hospital.

Delivering their Olympics Unleashed presentations on day three of the camp, Jo and Nick shared their Olympic journeys with the campers and passed on important messages about resilience, optimism, integrity and celebrating life.

Reflecting on the day, Jo said it was a fantastic experience bringing the Olympic spirit to the campers.

“To get the opportunity to do an Olympics Unleashed talk at Camp Quality was so special and to see how excited all the kids were, and how much they got out of it, was awesome,” Jo said.

“When I look back on my journey to the Olympics I had so many people supporting me along the way, so I think it is really important in our position to give back to the community and to share what we have learnt in our careers as Olympic athletes.

“I think it's important for Olympians to not only speak about the highlights of our careers but also talk about the challenges we face along the way,” she continued.

“I try to teach the kids that while it doesn’t always go to plan, it's about how you fight back from that and overcome that adversity that's most important.

“You can achieve so much if you set your mind to it. You just have to remind yourself to keep chasing your dreams, even when it gets tough.”

Skeleton Olympian Nick Timmings said he was inspired by how positive and energetic the campers were.  

“Being sports people, we can often get wrapped up in our own world and sometimes become really negative on things like training or performance,” Nick said.

“This visit has given me a bit more perspective on life, seeing all these kids who were all so happy and positive despite some pretty tough circumstances was very inspiring.

“I hope our Olympic journeys and the messages we shared in our presentations help the campers believe in themselves, help them stay motivated and inspire them to keep chasing whatever it is they want in life,” Nick concluded. 

One camper, Pippa age 12, shared her excitement meeting two Olympians.

“I really loved today because I got to meet two Olympians, I have never seen famous people in real life before!” Pippa said.

“I enjoyed getting to talk to them and having my photo taken with them. I would love to meet more Olympians in the future.”

When asked what she liked most about the Olympians presentations, Pippa said she really liked when they athletes spoke about their individual sports.

“I liked how they spoke about their sports and what they most enjoy about their sport, I also really liked all the messages they gave us about not giving up and to keep going, even if it's hard."

Camp Quality Leader Louise Francis said the Olympics Unleashed visit aligned perfectly with their camp theme ‘Go for GOLD’.

“It was amazing to have Jo and Nick come out and speak to the campers, the kids were really engaged and had plenty of questions for the athletes. I think it was much better than what the campers were expecting,” Ms Francis said.

“A lot of our campers have already been through a lot of adversity, whether through their own illness or their sibling's illness.

“Hearing the messages from both Olympians about how to overcome that adversity and keep striving towards your goals was really important and a key message of this camp,” she said.