Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Cancer can be devastating to a person at any age. During childhood it can be especially destructive for the child's psychological growth and development. At a time when most children are deciding which sport to play, pediatric cancer patient have their lives disrupted as they are faced with harsh treatment methods such as chemotherapy and radiation, in an attempt to eradicate the cancer from their bodies. This is where Care Camps steps in. At medically supervised camps, children expand their quality of life by spending time in the great outdoors with other kids who understand what they're going through-all while receiving the treatments they need. The average cost to send a child to camp for a week has skyrocketed to $1,800 and there is no cost to the child or family to attend. We provide funding to make this happen.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Onocology Camps
Through its charitable fundraising efforts, Care Camps will provide necessary support to send kids with cancer to medically supervised cancer camps where they can have fun, build awesome friendships, feel the joy that comes from camping and spending time in nature, make memories that will help them heal and ultimately return home feeling renewed and filled with hope.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
COCAi 2014
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total dollars received in contributions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
Onocology Camps
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Facebook followers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Onocology Camps
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of independent organizations served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Families, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
Onocology Camps
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of people on the organization's email list
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Family relationships
Related Program
Onocology Camps
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of health outcomes improved
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth, People with diseases and illnesses
Related Program
Onocology Camps
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020 and 2021 were significantly impacted by COVID. Many camps did not run regular programming opting for virtual experiences.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goal is provide funding for any child with cancer, who wants to attend an oncology camp, the opportunity to go at no cost to the child's family. Being sick or different involves a change in nearly every aspect of a child's life. Children will experience changes in their relationships with other people and in their perceptions of themselves. Illness deprives the child of control of daily routine, privacy, relationships with family and friends and control of life itself. Camp allows children with cancer the opportunity to be themselves, by allowing their focus to be off their disease and on meeting friends, swimming, sailing, horseback riding and making crafts. By participating in enriching camp experiences, these children gain confidence in themselves and learn activities that they can carry with them throughout their lives. At Care Camps children develop skills and abilities, as well as discover that they are still able to do many of the same activities as everyone else.
Camps have proven to be a beneficial environment for all children-especially those with cancer. Though the camp experience they can learn many of the skills necessary to meet the extraordinary challenges that they will face while fighting their disease and the everyday struggles of life.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To make this happen we engage campground owners and managers to raise money at their locations through events and activities as well as through the reservation process. We have the generous support of Kampgrounds of America (KOA Inc) who provide resources and advise. We engage companies and employees in the RV/Outdoor industry through cause marketing and online campaigns. We also have several Ambassadors who help to raise awareness at a National level and also raise funds for our cause. The combined efforts of these generous and passionate people allow us to send more kids with cancer to camp.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Through our fundraising efforts we currently raise approximately $3 million a year in donations to provide a life changing experience to the kids with cancer that get to go to camp. We have the capability of reaching out on an national level and have many partners that work with us to build awareness, which in turn generates donations. We also have a special relationship with the camps through their camp association COCAi, which allows us to get funds to the camps through a grant process. We currently fund 135 camps across North America.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
The organization has raised more than $23 million since its inception in 1984 to provide funding to oncology camps. Our goal is to continue to fund as many camp experiences as possible, until there is a cure for childhood cancer and our services are no longer needed. In the interim we will continue to work on engagement, national recognition and outreach to donors, as well as acting as liaisons with the oncology camps we support.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Oncology Camps across North America
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CARE CAMPS
Board of directorsas of 02/24/2023
Wade Elliott
Utility Supply Group
Term: 2015 - 2023
Mark Lemoine
Coloma/St Joseph KOA
Term: 2022 - 2027
Carlene Morris
Southeast Publications
Barry Stern
Automarine LLC
Jay Cooke
Lake Livingston/Onalaska KOA
Susan Marcoux
1000 Island/Mallorytown KOA
Rebecca Kirch
Consultant-Pediatric Oncology
Wade Elliott
Utility Supply Group
Mark Lemoine
Coloma/St Joseph KOA
Shawn Peterson
Tempest Technologies
Tim Allen
Kristina Akin (Helbert)
Bristol/Kingsport KOA
Debora Hankinson
Alamosa KOA
Jason Hershberger
Forest River
Kathy Holland
KOA Inc
Jamie Rademacher
JACZ Managment LLC
Jeff Rodino
Patrick Industries
David Vaughan
Indianapolis KOA
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/24/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.