Sara Meslow – Executive Director
Sara is a lifelong camper, and a heart patient herself. She is a former elementary school social worker and has worked and volunteered at many camps over the years. Sara holds undergraduate degrees in Social Work & Communication from Concordia College, and a graduate degree in Youth Development Leadership from the University of Minnesota.
Sara is very familiar with the cardiac care world. She had a catheter ablation to correct her supraventricular tachycardia, and has an implanted Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) as a result of ventricular tachycardia.
She believes in the positive impact summer camp can have on everyone, especially children with special hearts!
Learn more about our Executive Director by downloading this article from United Hospital/Saint Paul Heart Clinic (857 KB)
Alison Boerner – Assistant Director
Alison Boerner joined the Camp Odayin team in May of 2007 with a Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver and a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Chapman University. Alison has been involved with a number of summer camps and prior to Odayin served on the board of directors for a camp for children with cancer. She is thrilled to be a part of a small organization that makes a big difference.
Matt Olson – Office and Finance Manager
Raised in northern Minnesota, Matt’s passion for camping and the outdoors developed at a young age. Matt joined Camp Odayin in the fall of 2007, after majoring in Economics and Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas and working for a brief period in the for-profit sector. Matt volunteers at other area nonprofits and serves as Food Coordinator on the St. Louis Park Empty Bowls planning committee. A marathon runner and triathlete, he enjoys challenge and is excited to tackle anything that comes his way at Camp Odayin. Matt enjoys positively impacting the lives of young people and their families.
Edward “Chip” B. Martin, M.D. – Medical Director
Dr. Martin, or “Chip” as he is often called, joined the Saint Cloud Hospital’s Children’s Center Neonatal Program in May 1999 and has served as its medical director since November 2002. He is a neonatologist and pediatric cardiologist who attended medical school at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He completed his pediatric residency and his fellowship training in pediatric cardiology and neonatal intensive care at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He is board certified in pediatrics and pediatric cardiology. His special clinical interests are in chest pain in children and adolescents.
“Dr. Chip (as he’s known to his patients) loves Camp Odayin because it lets special kids with special hearts be as ordinary as possible and go swimming, horseback riding, canoeing, and other fun camp activities. He is excited to be part of Camp Odayin.”
Laura Miller – Summer Camp Coordinator
Laura came to Camp Odayin in 2004 as a volunteer counselor, absolutely loved the experience, and has been back in many different roles nearly every summer since. She holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota, Duluth and is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Teaching and Learning from St. Mary’s University. Laura has had a passion for working with children for as long as she can remember, and is completely amazed by the wonderful kids with special hearts that she has come to know at camp. As an elementary school teacher during the school year, she thinks that camp is the best possible way to spend her summers.
Vicky Hidalgo – Summer Camp Program Director
Vicky began her Camp Odayin journey as part of the Camp Knutson Staff from 2008-2010. Upon completion of her last summer as “K-staff” she joined the Camp Odayin crew as a volunteer counselor at Family Camp and Winter Camp.
She holds an undergraduate degree in psychology from Gustavus Adolphus College and is currently working as a Recruitment and Retention Advisor at Minnesota State University, Mankato while pursuing a Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling. Vicky strongly believes in the power of spontaneity and laughter. She is amazed by the immense joy and love that shines through the hearts of those who are a part of Camp Odayin and loves being part of such a wonderful family!
Charlotte Lilla – Nursing Director
Charlotte is a Registered Nurse at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview. She is a graduate of the University of North Dakota. Always having a love for children, she began her nursing career with Head Start. She then moved to Minneapolis to begin a career as a nurse on a Cardio-Thoracic Intermediate Care Unit where she worked for over seven years. Currently, she is loving her job as a Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) Coordinator. She has a special interest in adults who have congenital heart disorders and how the medical community will help them as the population grows larger and larger.
Charlotte started as a volunteer nurse with Camp Odayin in 2007. That summer she was touched by the amount of love and support she saw amongst her Odayin family. She was hooked. Her passion for Camp Odayin and its mission grows more and more every year. She took over as one of the Lead Nurses in 2009 and was appointed Director of Nursing in 2013.
