Camp Sunshine, Inc.

The vision of Camp Sunshine is that the lives of children with cancer will be restored and strengthened by the embrace of our Camp Sunshine community. Our mission is Camp Sunshine enriches the lives of Georgia's children with cancer and their families through recreational, educational and support programs. Year-round programs provide opportunities for recreational, education and support activities, promoting individual growth, self-confidence and normal life experiences for children with cancer and their families. We bring together those facing similar experiences, to share those experience and to draw strength from one another amid common understanding and community of support.

To accomplish this mission, goals for our strategic plan completed in 2023 address outreach and serving more of Georgia's children with cancer and their families. Camp Sunshine goals include:
1. Be the premier provider of services for children with cancer and their families in Georgia.
2. Expand visibility and engagement.
3. Attract new and retain existing donors.
4. Assure a safe and inclusive community.

1. Expand the continuum of care
2. Engage referred families.
3. Evaluate the long-term impact of Camp Sunshine programs.
4. Continue to strengthen and develop an effective staff.
5. Highlight the impact of Camp Sunshine through strategic communication.
6. Increase awareness of Camp Sunshine among hospital staff.
7. Promote the Sally J Hale Scholarship Program.
8. Complete the campaign for the Sally J Hale Scholarship Fund.
9. Raise revenue to support programs and operations in Atlanta and Savannah.
10. Explore creation of a board-restricted reserve for in-hospital programs.
11. Utilize recruitment processes that result in Board, volunteers, and staff being representative of the communities we serve.
12. Sustain a pipeline of active, engaged volunteers.

Camp Sunshine has a very strong and committed staff of professionals carrying out our organization's strategic plan with a dynamic and invested Board of Directors. Lead by Executive Director Sally Hale who has been with the organization since inception and has served as the Executive Director since 1987, the staff includes experts in child development, recreation therapy, camping, pediatric nursing, childhood education and non-profit management. Partnership with Camp Twin Lakes provides expertise in camping as well as a state of the art facility for our camp programs. A partnership with the Aflac Cancer & Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta provides expertise in caring for the child with cancer and provides medical and nursing care at our programs throughout the year as well as valuable psycho-social consultation. Relationships with other children's hospitals throughout Georgia, including Memorial Medical Center in Savannah, also provide us with an opportunity to reach children with cancer throughout the state. Camp Sunshine is a member of Children's Oncology Camping Association International and the American Camp Association and we attend annual conferences to network with others providing similar programs and to attend educational sessions. Camp Sunshine is accredited by the ACA and has been designated a Gold Ribbon Camp by the COCA-I. Camp Sunshine professional staff serve in leadership roles in these important professional associations.

We have accomplished our goal of increasing the number of children and families attending Camp Sunshine programs. We have increased visibility and services in the hospitals and community. We have developed new communication networks and materials to convey our message and reach our targeted audience. We have met our fundraising goals and are in a position to continue to grow and strengthen our programs. We have significantly increased college scholarships to alumni. We have greatly increased our service to families in the Savannah area and are committed to providing ongoing programming in that community, now with two staff members and a local office. We have a full time program manager in the hospital providing ongoing programming. In 2016 we began to partner with an academic institution in researching impact of our programs. We published a research paper on the impact of summer camp on pediatric oncology nurses and have published a book on the stories of children attending Camp Sunshine and the impact of the connections they make. We are continuing with research projects and ongoing impact evaluations.

When parents were surveyed about summer camp:
• 100% reported their child felt accepted.
• 100% reported their child came home feeling proud about something they did at camp.
• 99% reported camp helped their child experience normal childhood activities.
• 100% of parents reported they would encourage other children with cancer and their families to participate in
Camp Sunshine programs.
When our campers were surveyed at summer camp:
• 99% of campers achieved our specific measurable outcomes.
• Campers rated their overall camp experience 4.71 out of 5
When parents were surveyed about family camp:
• 100% of families agreed their family spent quality time together.
• 100% of families said they would recommend this program to another family.
• 100% of families who attended family camp reported they would attend another Camp Sunshine program
again.
• 92% of families said they connected meaningfully with other families.
In 2020, in response to the global pandemic, we pivoted to provide all programs virtually. We are able to conduct summer camp and weekend camp programs with online platforms and mailing "camp in a box" to participants. In fall of 2021, we began returning to in-person while maintain virtual programs as well. In 2022, we returned to in-person summer camp and weekend camp programs.