A Message to our Community

For over two decades, The Painted Turtle has delivered the magic of Camp to over 248,000 children with serious medical conditions and their families through joyful, medically safe camp experiences provided completely free of charge. Recently, The Painted Turtle faced an unexpected challenge when financial crimes committed by a former employee created significant strain for the organization. While deeply difficult, this moment has also reinforced our shared commitment to accountability, transparency, and strong stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.

To ensure the organization’s long-term sustainability and our ability to provide life-changing experiences for children with serious illnesses and their families, we have implemented the following changes across the organization.

2026 Roadmap

In January 2026, The Painted Turtle staff and Board Members came together to candidly assess the situation and chart a path forward. The result is a focused one-year roadmap designed to strengthen our financial practices, increase transparency, ensure confidence across our community, and support our staff. Grounded in our core values, this roadmap reflects our collective commitment to move forward with integrity, resilience, and an unwavering focus on the children and families we serve.

Click here to view The Painted Turtle’s 2026 Roadmap

Camp Calendar

We have adjusted the 2026 Camp Calendar and are confident that we will fulfill all programs as scheduled. TPT’s 2026 Camp Calendar includes five Spring and Fall Family Weekends, four Summer program sessions, and the annual Holiday Gathering. 

The Painted Turtle 2026 Calendar

In addition to on-site programming, Outpost {Link Outpost}, The Painted Turtle’s in-hospital program, will complete over 200 visits, delivering the magic of camp to thousands of children across 23 hospitals and clinics in California.

Financial Sustainability

Our Board of Directors stepped up, and all members – as well as other major donors – have contributed to a fund totaling millions of dollars. As a result, we are financially stable.

Governance & Financial Stewardship

The Painted Turtle has a new Controller who quickly implemented and is now overseeing our finances. We have implemented new controls to enforce segregation of duties surrounding payment remittance and authorizations, both for manual checks and electronic payments. In addition, we are in the process of implementing new systems to transition from manual, written approvals, to system-enforced approval workflows with readily available audit trails.

In addition, the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors has been reconstituted with new members, including Committee Chair, Dan Bane, who joined our Board of Directors in 2024. Dan is the former long-time CEO of Trader Joe’s and his education and background are in accounting.

We have engaged a new auditor. The Painted Turtle’s 2024 audit will be completed by April and our 2025 audit later this year. Please return to this page for updated financials throughout the year.

2025 Outcomes 

As we move through financial challenges in 2026, we remain focused on our commitment to campers, families, volunteers, and supporters. At the same time, we are proud to reflect on the remarkable outcomes of 2025.

Click here for a snapshot of 2025 successes.

In closing, The Painted Turtle’s mission is centered on the children and families we serve. We are deeply grateful to our community whose support makes it possible to provide medically safe, joyful, and magical Camp experiences for children living with serious illness and their families.

Thank you. With your continued partnership, we look ahead with hope and determination, working to ensure campers and families continue to experience strength, connection, and joy for many years to come.