Camp at Home
Our First Virtual Family Weekend

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Imagining Camp at home proved to be a huge success as we piloted our first virtual Family Weekend experience! From Saturday, May 2 to Sunday, May 3, The Painted Turtle hosted “Camp at Home” for  families and campers with a condition called Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which is a genetic disorder that can break down myelin, the protective sheath that surrounds the brain’s neurons. Led by a team of ALD and Stanford medical experts, alongside Painted Turtle staff, valuable medical information was shared, connections were formed, and most importantly, we explored the ways that the magic of Camp can be delivered virtually. The feedback and experience we gained from this incredible weekend will serve as a roadmap to guide our future planning for virtual programming moving forward.

With the support of 50 Camp community volunteers, we served 60 families, totaling 216 registrants with campers ranging in age from 3 months to 20 years old. Participants gathered from the comfort of their homes from all over the country, and a few even tuned in internationally.

Camp Care Boxes for Families which included all the supplies they needed for the weekend. 

So what does a virtual Family Weekend look like? 

Delivery: 60 Camp-in-a-box packages were mailed out to families to enhance their experience! Items included Camp t-shirts, s’more supplies, bingo cards, arts & craft supplies, Newman’s Own snacks, and more.

Schedule: A mixture of education and connection sessions for parents, along with modified traditional Camp activities for home like a campfire with s’mores, skits, family ice breakers, a meet & greet, camp activities for all ages, and more.

Going forward: We are surveying parents/caregivers to assess the wants and needs of those we serve during this time. It may look very different to many families, so their input on programming, technology, format and so much more will be invaluable as we move ahead into the summer.

We are grateful to the following for making the weekend possible: the Adler Family and The Lucas Project, Dr. Keith Van Haren and the Stanford Division of Child Neurology, Kathleen O’Sullivan Fortin and ALD Connect, Gina Cousineau and Be A Hero Become A Donor, Janis Sherwood and Fight ALD.

To all of you at TPT- what you created, your energy and the spirit that you conveyed electronically was something beautiful to witness…thank you for bringing Camp back to life and bringing all who participated TPT magic.
– Camp at Home Participant

Bonus Features:

Check out this video which explains how we came to partner with the ALD community!

Take a look at the Camp schedule for the weekend.

What exactly was in those Camp Activity Boxes? 

Peek inside this Journal for Families which includes a who’s who on the Team, information about the weekend, campfire songs, activity pages, and more!