The wind riffles the pine boughs overhead and kicks up a small dust devil across the way. From down the slope come young voices, laughing, yelling and having fun.

This is Shadow Pines Camp near the mountain town of Heber, Ariz., 110 miles northeast of Phoenix. And for a week every June for the past decade, Irene Marsh has come here to share the fun, frolic, bumps and bruises of the 75 or so youngsters who attend the MDA camp.

Irene retired a few years ago as a registered nurse, but keeps volunteering at the camp.

"I intend to keep coming until they tell me they don't want me anymore," she said. "It makes you feel special when you see the kids making new friends and having so much fun."

Being responsible for so many young people, many of whom have delicate medical needs, must be rather scary. Especially being up in mountains, so far from a metropolitan area.

Irene chuckled at the idea.

"You'd be amazed at how well staffed the camp is," she said. "There is at least one doctor on hand at all times, there are lots of firemen and paramedics who volunteer as one-on-one attendants with the children, and plenty of others have had CPR training.

"We have ambulance and paramedic service just a few minutes away, and an Air Evac helicopter can fly in from Phoenix in a very short time. The level of care available is very high. Even the art instructor is a nurse."

Irene dispenses the medications for all of the campers and keeps a log to make sure no one gets so excited with horseback riding, swimming or other distractions that they miss a dose.

The infirmary is in the middle of Shadow Pines, and any child is welcome at any time for any reason.

"If I leave for even a few minutes I tack a note to the door saying where I can be found," Irene said. "When I'm in the infirmary, the door is always open -- I even sleep there. Sometimes the younger ones just want to come and talk."

Brad and Denise Morris with son, Kyle

What are the most common camp problems?

"A few scrapes and scratches are to be expected, and there are some sore throats from yelling and cheering," she said.

Irene's enthusiasm about her volunteer work is echoed by other volunteers at MDA camps across the country.

Denise and Brad Morris both are registered nurses in Salt Lake City, and volunteer at the MDA camp that's held each summer there. About 100 campers, an equal number of volunteer personal assistants and an array of other support personnel who stay for a week bring the total at the MDA camp to nearly 300.

"I started out as an assistant with one of the children,"Denise said, "but now I'm the assistant camp nurse. The medical care is really well organized. Nothing is left to chance.

"These kids who can't always get out much when they're at home go to the zoo when they're at camp and take in a baseball game, go swimming, ride horses and go for a day camp in a canyon."

"It's just great to see them doing things they might never get a chance to do otherwise."

Brad is an emergency room nurse at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City, but serves as a group leader for the MDA camp, overseeing about 30 of the campers.

As an ER nurse, Brad sees plenty of life-and-death situations. He says the medical care at the MDA camp is outstanding.

"I encourage any parent who is thinking of sending their child to an MDA camp for a week to do it," Brad said. "The medical care is fantastic. It's a wonderful chance for parents to get away from the everyday worry and pressure of caring for their child's needs. That break of a week can be a really positive experience for everyone involved."

Dr. Robert Leshner was a resident at the University of Colorado when he attended his first MDA camp 25 years ago.

"That's when I realized neuromuscular disorders would be my life's work," he recalls.

Now he's a professor of neurology at the Medical College of Virginia and also works in his specialty at the Children's Hospital of Richmond.

For the past 10 years, Leshner has volunteered as MDA camp physician at the annual weeklong event at Wakefield Airport 4-H Camp.

"For that week, I'm just a regular old camp doctor. I like seeing all the care and attention the children get and how much fun they have.

Dr. Robert Leshner

"There are plenty of qualified medical personnel on hand all during camp, and I would encourage parents to send their kids to these camps because of how good it makes them feel."

Leshner's wife and five children have been regular visitors at the camp, and the two younger offspring, ages 13 and 15, probably will be counselors at the camp this summer.

The experience of attending MDA camp is extra special for Dr. Boyd Miller of Madison, Wis., and his wife, Melissa.

"It was at an MDA camp at Minikani, Wis., that we first met in 1980," said Miller, who now is a pediatrician at St. Mary's Medical Clinic in Milwaukee.

Volunteering at MDA camp is a family event for the Millers and their children, 7-year-old Ryan and 5-year-old Callie.

"They both help out with sports, arts and crafts," Miller said. "Ryan is into computers and assists the computer director with his lab."

Helping out at MDA camp has had a positive influence on his children, Miller said.

"They see disabled kids laughing, making friends and having fun, and come to realize that those kids are just like them, except some of the campers are in wheelchairs."

For the parents of a child with one of the diseases MDA covers, Miller has this advice:

"Take advantage of the camp opportunity. The experience will make a huge difference in your child's life."