“Cancer is such a difficult part of every diagnosed person’s life and Camp Sunshine truly is a ray of hope for the people affected by it.” – Margaret Kelleher, Camp Sunshine Scholarship recipient

“We had no idea of the depth of this community. It is like a thread that gets stitched through all of us that binds us together in a way I couldn’t have fathomed that first camp.” - Dorothy Jordan

"Going to Camp Sunshine was always the highlight of my summer growing up. I was able to form lasting friendships with people from all over the state of Georgia with whom I still talk to daily. Being at camp made me feel like I could truly be myself, and it was so liberating being able to relate to and share a common bond with so many people."

Click the title to read the full essay from Nichelle, a 2021 Camp Sunshine scholarship recipient.

“Having cancer was obviously a very difficult time. However, one unabashed silver lining of the whole experience was to see the depths that people cared, and the communities that supported my family and me, like Camp Sunshine..." Click the title to read more.

"But one of the greatest gifts that cancer gave me was Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine is a camp for kids with cancer, located in Georgia. Once a kid receives a cancer diagnosis, he or she is eligible to attend camp every summer until they turn 18 or graduate from high school. Camp Sunshine became a very important part of my life. The community I was a part of at camp helped me to know that I was not alone."

It does not take a lifetime of summers to have an impact or change a person’s life. Our volunteers, staff, and campers do that by opening themselves to our community – to our family. They create an environment where a child can truly flourish and thrive – even in the face of the challenges of childhood cancer.

One of my favorite quotes, and one I share each summer at our camp “graduation” ceremony is, “[Camp] Friends are like stars, you don’t always see them, but you know they are there.”  A veteran volunteer gave me a framed version of this quote and it is in my office. I have looked at that quote often over the past year and have been reminded how closely I hold on to that belief.