INDIANOLA — There is one little boy John and Jude Hubbell will never forget.

Sam — the name they call him for confidentiality reasons — was one of the first campers to attend their Royal Family Kid’s Camp, a summer fun camp designed specially for foster children of Kitsap County.

“He was covered in severe burns from his head to his knees,” said John. “One of his siblings had poured gasoline in a dog dish, lit it on fire and threw it at him.”

The incident happened two years before Sam’s trip to the Royal Family Kid’s Camp. The experience left Sam with scarring over 70 percent of his body and missing fingers.

The Hubbells thought Sam was exactly the kind of kid who would benefit from the camp, so they invited him.

“I remember we braced the other kids for it, but it still shocked them,” John said.

One little boy couldn’t stop looking at him and when Sam asked why, the little boy replied, “you look like a monster.”

Sam replied simply, “I know.”

Each camper at Royal Family is assigned a camp counselor and with the additional backup staff, it’s a one-to-one ratio of children to adults.

Sam’s counselor was finishing up his residency for medical school at the time, John recalled.

Throughout the week Sam won over every heart, Jude said, especially his counselor.

“(Sam) was the peacemaker,” added John. “When two kids were fighting he would say ‘come on guys. We’re supposed to be having fun here.’ ”

Sam continued to attend camp a few summers in a row, although sometimes his surgeries prevented him from staying the whole week.

The Hubbells have operated Royal Family Kid’s Camp for the past 16 years, the last three at Camp Indianola.

Each year they see relationships build between kids and their campers and emotional walls torn down.

Sam’s counselor stayed in touch years after and was even in the operating room while Sam received one of his many surgeries.

The camp, which runs a bit differently from other summer camps, is all about letting the kids find their own happiness.

For one week the Hubbells take on 30 grandchildren, of sorts, each with different needs.

“Some are so sweet and some have been more abused, some physically, some sexually, and some just need more lovin’ on,” Jude said. “A lot have anger issues — justifiable anger issues.”

Issues which force the children to grow up too soon, think about grown-up things too early and act out in frustration or fear.

“A lot of them are just kids that don’t know how to be kids and just have fun,” said John.

From building racing sailboats out of wood to getting sweet motorcycle rides on Harley-Davidsons, kids at this year’s camp had the opportunity to do what they wanted.

“We do what grandparents do and spoil them for a week,” John said.

As the kids grow up, it’s bittersweet for the husband and wife duo. They are used to receiving thank you letters from foster parents and are starting to receive letters from their first campers, now all grown up.

Although in the thank you notes the Hubbells hear of how the camp has changed the lives of the campers, they can’t stress enough how many lessons they have learned from the children.

“Some of us carry our scars on the inside,” John said. “Others bear theirs on the outside for others to see.”

And, today, Sam is all grown up. The last the Hubbells heard he is married and lives in Washington, D.C.