Family Camp
North Star Reach provides life-changing, year-round programs (at camp and remotely) for children with serious health challenges and their families, free of charge.
A look at traditional family camp weekends
Aside from the fun, our Family Camp programs are designed to build relationships with and receive support from other families who understand what it means to raise children with serious health challenges.
The video below highlights family experiences during a Traditional Family Camp Weekend.
During our traditional Family Camps, we offer many activities similar to our summer camp programs, such as boating, arts and crafts, archery, evening campfires, morning hikes, and more. We purposefully plan these activities so that families can spend time together.
Our traditional Family Camp programs are entirely free of charge and all “General Sessions” are open to families with a child who has any serious medical diagnosis. In addition, the medical diagnosis associated with each session places a focus on specific medical populations, allowing families to connect with others on a similar medical journey. To be eligible, the child who has a serious health challenge must be 17 years old or younger–including infants. Families are eligible to attend one Family Camp per year. We welcome immediate family members who reside in the household caring for the child with the medical diagnosis.
Things to Know About Our Traditional Family Camp Weekends
If you have questions about our Family Camp sessions, you can email campers@northstarreach.org for assistance.
Note: Please visit our FAQ pages for additional information!
Housing
For our family camp sessions, campers remain under the care of their parents or other legal guardian. Two families often share a cabin with two bathrooms (2 toilets, 2 sinks and 2 fully accessible showers in each). Our cabins are purposefully built to house 16 people, so plenty of room for two or more families to share for a weekend. Each cabin has heating, air conditioning, electrical outlets and bunk-style beds.
Activity Level
The distance from the cabins to our waterfront is approximately a half mile. Participants should be aware on an average Saturday at Family Camp families may walk up to three miles going from cabin to meals to activities.
Immunizations
At North Star Reach, we strive in every way to create the safest environment possible for children with medically complex conditions and their families. As such, we uphold the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations on immunization schedule.
- We require participants under the age of 18 to be fully immunized, with the exception of Influenza and HPV vaccines, unless there is a physician’s note submitted describing the reason for requesting an exception, which our medical team will review and consider as part of the application process. .
- We require participants over the age of 18 to have been vaccinated for chicken pox (varicella), measles/mumps/rubella (MMR), and tetanus and pertussis (Tdap).
When you log into our online application system (UltraCamp website), the form will have all the details of what immunization dates are needed.
Processing Your Application
After submitting your family’s application, your forms will be reviewed for completion. You will be contacted at a later date if information is needed to complete your application. Once all members’ applications are complete they will be reviewed by our review team and you will be notified of your enrollment status. Enrollment is based on completion date: first completed, first reserved.
Waitlist
Unfortunately, North Star Reach may not be able to accommodate all who apply to camp. While we would love to be able to welcome everyone, we do have a limit to the available accommodations for families so first completed, first reserved. If a session is already full and you apply, you will be notified you have been placed on a waiting list. If a reservation becomes available you will be notified.
Keep in mind that an application must be complete before it is reviewed by our review team.