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 64,700 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.
Great news!! All medical conditions served at The Painted Turtle are eligible for all Camp at Home: Fall Family Free Choice programs.
Age Eligibility:
- Camp at Home campers: Child with medical condition must be between the ages 6 to 18
Campers participating in Camp at Home sessions must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Have an eligible diagnosis
- Minimum developmental age of 5 years
Campers for all residential (on-site) sessions must meet the following eligibility criteria:
- Have an eligible diagnosis
- Minimum developmental age of 5 years
- Must be able to function and participate in a group setting
- Must be able to communicate needs independently
- Able to be away from family members for a limited period of time
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.
Use the dropdown below to search sessions by medical conditions.
Medical Conditions Currently Served at The Painted Turtle
- 15 Q 24 Micro-deletion Syndrome
- 22q Deletion Syndrome
- Achondroplasia
- Adrenal Insufficiency
- Alport Syndrome
- Apert Syndrome
- Aplastic Anemia
- Ataxia
- Diamond-Blackfan Anemia
- Cerebral Palsy
- Chronic Intestinal Pseudo Obstruction
- Craniofacial Conditions
- Kabuki Syndrome
- Kidney Disease
- Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID)
- Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
- Crohn’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Dermatomyositis
- Dialysis: Hemodialysis and Peritoneal
- Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
- Epilepsy
- Factor Deficiency in Females
- Fibromyalgia
- General Nephrology-decreased kidney function
- Hemophilia
- Juvenile Arthritis
- Kidney Transplant
- Limb Deficiency
- Liver Disease (non-communicable)
- Liver transplant
- Mitochondrial Disease
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
- Mucopolysaccharidosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Myopathies
- Noonan Sydnrome
- Paraplegia
- Primary Immunodeficiency Disease (PIDD)
- PKU
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Quadraplegia
- Rare Genetic Conditions
- Rheumatologic Conditions
- Scleroderma
- Short gut Syndrome
- Skeletal Dysplasia
- Small Bowel Transplant
- Spina Bifida
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy
- Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
- Thalassemia
- Tube Feeding Dependent
- TPN Dependent
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Uveitis
- Ventilator Dependent
- Wegener’s Granulomatosis
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.