Who We Serve
Who We Serve
The Need For a Medical Specialty Camp
There are more than one million children in California with chronic and life-threatening illnesses. Our needs assessment revealed more than 17,500 of those children are unable to attend summer camp due to their medical conditions. That is, until The Painted Turtle came along!
The Painted Turtle has provided more than 122,000 camp experiences to children and their families — absolutely free of charge — since 2004.
Each year, we provide more than 3,000 on-site camp experiences to children and family members effected by serious illness. We welcome roughly 130 children to each of our 8 overnight, medical condition-specific Summer Sessions, up to 130 campers and family members to each of our 10 Family Weekends, and over 400 guests to both our annual Holiday Gathering and our Spring into Camp event.
Additionally, we serve 3,500 campers annually through our in-hospital program, The Painted Turtle Outpost. Outpost brings the camp experience into 22 hospital sites, medical centers, and clinics throughout California, as well as to community events.
Find a Session by Medical Condition
In order to be considered for Camp, each child must meet the below criteria and have one of the medical conditions listed below.
Requirements and Eligibility
- Age Requirements:
- Family Weekend: Between the ages of 6-17
- Summer Camp: Between the ages of 7-16
- Have a minimum developmental age of 5 years
- Be able to function and participate in a group setting
- Able to communicate needs independently
- Can be without family members for a limited period of time (overnight retreats and family weekends) or the duration of the camp session (summer camp)
Please be advised that no child is guaranteed to be accepted to camp. Applications are reviewed and acceptance is based upon health care needs, space, and staffing ratios..
Search for Medical Conditions by Program Type
Family Weekend, Camp at Home
15 Q 24 Micro-deletion Syndrome
22q Deletion Syndrome
Alport Syndrome
Apert Syndrome
Ataxia
Cerebral Palsy
Craniofacial Conditions
Kabuki Syndrome
Limb deficiency
Mitochondrial disease
Muscular Dystrophy
Myopathies
Paraplegia
Pulmonary Hypertension
Rare Genetic Conditions
Spina Bifida
Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Wegener’s Granulomatosis
Summer Sessions, Camp at Home
Achondroplasia
Aplastic anemia
Diamond-Blackfan anemia
Dermatomyositis
Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
Factor Deficiency in Females
Fibromyalgia
Hemophilia
Juvenile Arthritis
Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
Mucopolysaccaridosis
Noonan Syndrome
Rheumatologic Conditions
Scleroderma
Skeletal Dysplasia
Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
Thalassemia
Uveitis
Camp at Home Only
Cystic Fibrosis
Dialysis: Hemodialysis
PKU
Quadriplegia
Ventilator Dependent
Family Weekend, Summer Sessions, Camp at Home
Adrenal Insufficiency
Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction
Kidney Disease
Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Crohn’s Disease
Dialysis: Peritoneal
Epilepsy
General Nephrology-decreased kidney function
Kidney Transplant
Liver Disease (non-communicable)
Liver transplant
Primary Immunodeficiency Disease (PIDD)
Short Gut Syndrome
Small Bowel Transplant
Tube Feeding Dependent
TPN Dependent
Ulcerative Colitis
Search for Programs by Medical Condition
Campers
When campers set foot into The Painted Turtle, they enter a world where fun and laughter are part of the remedy. Upon their arrival, campers and their families are greeted by The Painted Turtle’s exceptional staff. Volunteers and staff are both experienced working with children and committed to the well-being and care of our campers.
Families
When a child comes to The Painted Turtle, it impacts the entire family. As the guardian of a child with a serious medical condition, we understand that you might be searching for more information about The Painted Turtle. We hope that you will use this section as a starting place for your exploration and research.