Bringing laughter back to kids with cancer

Sunrise Day Camp, for children ages 3 to 16, is the only dedicated day camp in the nation for children with cancer. Operated by the Barry and Florence Friedberg JCC, it is situated on the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds, a 300-acre wooded site in Wheatley Heights in Suffolk County, just minutes from the Nassau County border.

The camp is free of charge to all children being treated for cancer or related disorders. It boasts one of the largest private swim complexes in the world and miles of wooded, tree-lined recreational areas. Children enjoy indoor air-conditioned shelters, log cabins, wooded campsites, ball fields and courts. Daily activities include swimming, basketball, baseball, volleyball, golf, cookouts and campfires. The campers can also take part in the art studio and music and drama workshops.

“We bring a sense of normalcy to these children,” said the camp’s executive director, Michele Vernon. “We give them the fun and the laughter that was taken from them because of their illness.”

Year-round programs

Sunrise Day Camp is much more than just a summer camp. It offers a wide variety of programs all year long, including fundraising and social events.

Sunrise on Wheels is an in-hospital outreach program for children and families who are in a hospital’s outpatient clinic for all or part of the day. Waiting for checkups, laboratory results and treatments can be a long and difficult process. But children’s faces light up when Sunrise volunteers roll out a rainbow tie-dye trunk to reveal coloring books, crafts and stickers, hand-held games and even Internet-ready laptops.

One Sunday each month, known as Sunrise Sunday, campers get together with their camp friends and their summer counselors for an exciting, fun-filled day. The camp-like programs include sports, crafts and swimming in an indoor pool.

Other programs coming up this year include school vacation programs (see Sunrise’s web site for dates); Superstar Showdown, in which children can show off their karaoke talents; and Juggling Life, in which kids learn circus skills and then put on a special performance for their friends and family. Transportation for these events is provided by Sunrise Day Camp from various area hospitals.

Fundraisers

Sunrise Day Camp relies on the generosity of donors. It will be hosting the fifth annual Friends of Sunrise Cocktail Party and Auction on March 17 at the Glen Head Country Club. On June 5, the camp’s sixth annual Walk to Help the Sun Rise will be held at the Henry Kaufmann Campgrounds in Wheatley Heights.

“We want these families — the parents, the siblings — to enjoy their children, and we want the children to enjoy their childhood, despite their illnesses,” said Vernon. “They need to see that they are not alone, and there can be some normalcy in their lives.”