overview
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.
The Need for North Star Reach
Every year, there are thousands of children in the Great Lakes region who are unable to attend regular summer camp due to serious medical conditions. A needs assessment conducted in 2008 confirmed that there are more than 75,000 children in the Great Lakes Region (Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada) with serious and life-threatening illnesses (cardiology, gastroenterology, blood disorders, cancer, burns, organ transplants, ventilator dependence) who could be eligible to attend a medically supported camp like North Star Reach. Currently, less than 10% of these children have an opportunity to attend summer camp and for some no programming exists at all.
The Need
Our Camp
Our Funding
The Benefits of North Star Reach
est.
2007
Living with a chronic illness is proven to cause stress, anxiety, and depression which increases the risk of new health problems and is shown to worsen symptoms of many ailments. Kids lose a sense of themselves and the ability to control their own lives.
The activities kids learn to conquer at camp leads to an increase in independence and confidence. Encouraged, but not required to try new things, kids gain a sense of control and self-advocacy. They make lasting bonds with other kids facing similar challenges, often for the first time.
These experiences help them develop a sense of community, and a sense of belonging. This gives them hope and purpose, a reason to take better care of themselves today—and in the future. In fact, North Star Reach has many campers who, once sick themselves, are now returning to camp as volunteers and pursuing careers as nurses and doctors.
our mission
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.
About Our Camp
Located on 105 beautiful wooded acres in Pinckney, Michigan, and bordered by two lakes, North Star Reach is a no-cost, medically-sound camp where thousands of children who would otherwise be too sick to go to camp can enjoy the experience of a lifetime. Our state-of-the-art health center, The Observatory, is one of the things that sets us apart.
The clinic includes a fully supplied dispensary and is staffed 24/7 by medical professionals from leading hospitals and medical centers throughout Michigan and Chicago. Capable of managing central lines, providing chemotherapy or dialysis, and so much more, campers can receive the individualized care they need, all without ever leaving camp.
Camp sessions are organized by campers’ medical conditions, allowing kids to meet others just like them. This also allows our medical teams to be fully prepared with the right equipment, supplies, and the expertise to care for our campers. And if an emergency arises that can’t be addressed onsite, a hospital is just 15 minutes away, accessible by ambulance or helicopter.
Knowing that there is such a dedicated and gifted team of medical professionals at camp gives parents peace of mind and a sense of security knowing their kids are safe. For many, it’s the first time their children have been away from them for more than a few hours. This is life altering for families.
