North Star Reach

Our presentation today was North Star Reach a Non-profit center which provides a camp experience for medically challenged children and which gives them an opportunity to be kids.

Unfortunately, each year there are many more children 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) that will be eligible to attend 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. A health center staffed by nurses, physicians and other medical professionals allows children with complex medical needs to come to camp, often for the first time.