Camp Kesem is the flagship program of Kesem. It is a free overnight summer sleepaway camp (meaning that campers stay overnight at camp), typically 5 nights, 6 days long for youth impacted by a parent’s cancer.

Camp Kesem and all other year-round services are completely free of charge.

Camp Kesem serves youth ages 6-18 who have lost a parent to cancer, have a parent undergoing cancer treatment, or a parent that is a cancer survivor – an estimated population of over 5 million children in the United States.

When the term parent is used at Kesem, it includes any parent or guardian with primary or legal responsibility for a child. This includes biological, adoptive, and foster parents. It can also include grandparents and other relatives in parenting roles.

Camp Kesem is focused solely on supporting children impacted by a parent’s cancer. We are unable to support the broader circle of children whose parents have had other illnesses or children affected by other family members with cancer. 

For children who have experienced the loss of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver due to non-cancer illnesses, visit our Family Resources page for other organizations that can offer support. 

If you have questions about a child’s eligibility for our program, please contact support@kesem.org.

Yes! Camp Kesem welcomes campers (and staff) with disabilities, and will make reasonable accommodations for campers with disabilities and medical conditions. If such accommodations are not available, or Camp Kesem cannot ensure the child’s or other campers’ safety, then Camp Kesem is unable to accept the camper. Please contact us at support@kesem.org so we can discuss your child’s accessibility needs.

No, Camp Kesem is a secular camp, and we welcome student volunteers and campers of all backgrounds.

Yes! Campers are part of our Kesem family for life and can return year after year until they age out of the program after age 18.

Don’t worry! Most of our programs and services are hosted off-campus. We rent out campsites for Camp Kesem. One of those locations may be more convenient for you.

Yes! Kesem offers additional year-round support services. This includes “Friends + Family Day” where youth impacted by a parent’s cancer can meet their peers and experience a fun half-day program. Parents and guardians are also invited to attend and experience the fun and community-building of these days!

We also send “Special Deliveries” and “Warm Welcomes” which are birthday cards and mailed packages to welcome children to the Kesem community. All youth who attend camp (or who are approved for the camp waitlist) are automatically invited to participate. Youth who are not able to attend camp, but have been impacted by a parent’s cancer, can find out more information and sign up for these programs by contacting us here.

Our camps are staffed by highly trained college student volunteers. Our students are carefully screened through a competitive interview process and undergo extensive training prior to camp. In addition, they work year-round to raise funds, conduct outreach in their communities, and plan the programming necessary to make camp a truly unique and unforgettable experience. Each camp is also staffed with nursing and mental health professionals and an experienced Camp Advisor. Every volunteer and staff at camp also receives a comprehensive background check.

The Camp Advisor, Camp Nurse, and Camp Mental Health Professional, and much of the program staff are college-graduates over 21 years old. Additionally, all of the camp counselors are older than 18 years old and undergo a thorough application and screening process to become counselors. Camp Advisors are college graduates who are specially trained and selected by Kesem’s national staff. To be selected to be a Camp Advisor, one must have significant Camp Kesem experience and have excelled while a leader of a Camp Kesem program. Also, most campsites that Camp Kesem operates at have professional camp staff to support the Camp Kesem leadership team.

Each Camp Kesem college chapter holds their camp in an off-site camp facility for the week of camp. These campsites are not tenting campsites, but are well-equipped campsites with cabins, activities, cafeterias, etc. Campsites that we rent are held to high standards, and are often YMCA, Girl Scout, or other professional camping venues. Campsites are typically located within 2 to 3 hours of the college chapter. Please visit each camp’s website for details on their specific location.

Visit the “Kesem Chapters” page.

Applications open in January of each year and are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. All applications are completed online at www.kesem.org. If you need a paper application that can be printed and mailed in, you can email us at support@kesem.org or call us at 253-736-3821.

Yes! Our camper application can be completed on a smart phone or tablet, as well as using a traditional desktop or laptop computer.

No. Health insurance is not required to participate and has no impact on application status.

Yes. You will need to bring the Camp Kesem health form to the doctor’s office and have them fill it out on behalf of your child(ren). Please note that the form requires a physician’s signature. Once complete, you can upload the health form(s) directly to Kesem Central (where you applied for camp) or email them directly to your local chapter.

If the session you would like to register for is full, we highly encourage you to register for our wait list. We have spaces often become available for families on the waiting list. Additionally, families on the waiting list are included in priority registration the following year, and are immediately included in all year-round service offerings.

Many of our chapters provide bus transportation from a central area to the campsite. If a chapter does not provide bus transportation, we can typically provide another form of support with transportation to your local chapter. When you register your camper, you will be asked to check a box if you need transportation support and then we will follow-up with you to determine what will work best for your family. Unfortunately, at this time we cannot provide transportation support to families who live in a state without a Kesem chapter.

You will receive a packing list before camp starts, and supplies typically include clothing, sleeping bag and pillow, towels, and sunscreen as the essentials. 

We are always happy to provide support with supplies. When you register your camper, you will be asked to check a box if you need support with supplies and we will follow up with you to determine what is needed. At any time, please don’t hesitate to let us know if there is a packing list item you don’t have.

Please visit the “A Day at Camp” section of our website to see a sample schedule for a day at Camp Kesem.

We serve three nutritious kid-friendly meals a day, along with snacks. Our menus vary but may include things like burritos, pizza, sandwiches and salad, or burgers all with sides of vegetables or fruit. Breakfasts can include sausage, pancakes, cereal, eggs, etc. We have plenty of snacks available at camp for throughout the day.

There are always vegetarian options available. Our campsites are committed to accommodating allergies and special dietary needs. Please be sure to note your child’s dietary restrictions on their application (and if your child is a picky eater please also note this and what kinds of foods they typically like at home!).

While the cabin setup varies between camp locations, we typically have 5-10 youth of a similar age in each single-gender cabin (along with 3-4 counselors of the same gender identity). Each child has their own single bed (often bunk-beds) and all cabins have electricity. Campers are never left unsupervised.

We find that these conversations often increase homesickness and delay children’s adjustment to camp. Additionally, it is not feasible for all children to call home.  If one child calls home, it can cause increased homesickness for other campers. Except under the most unusual circumstances, campers are not permitted to talk with their families over the telephone for the following reasons:

• We keep the campers very busy with lots of fun during camp! We do not want to have to pull them away from their activities and peers to come to the phone.

• We prioritize keeping phone lines open for urgent calls. We will absolutely contact you if there are any concerns, and will provide you with contact information so you can contact us in case of emergency. We will also post pictures and brief updates online throughout the week of camp.

• We know this might be a new experience for many families! We are happy to explain this policy further and address any questions or concerns you might have or connect you with a returning camper family. If you believe your family might have an unusual circumstance (for example, wanting to update a child about a parent’s medical condition during the week of camp) please let us know and we can discuss.

Yes! We’d be happy to connect you with one of the Kesem families who have graciously offered to speak with prospective parents. Please use the “Contact Us” page to let us know you are interested. We recommend providing a bit of information about your children (ages, any concerns about attending camp, language spoken etc.) so we can connect you with a family who can best answer your questions.

Camp Kesem affirms and welcomes people of all gender identities, and will work with your family to ensure your transgender or gender expansive child has a positive experience at camp. Camp Kesem recognizes that gender identity exists on a spectrum. We will work with your family after receiving your application to select a sleeping area that most closely matches your child’s gender identity. As part of our values at Kesem, we ask that everyone in the Kesem family respects the gender identity of one another including sleeping area selection, names, and pronouns.

The health and safety of your children has always been, and will continue to be, our number one priority. To help ensure their safety, every volunteer who attends camp must first complete over 30 hours of training, which includes modules on how to address bullying, prevent harassment, and support campers’ mental health. Additionally, Camp Kesem performs a background check on all our camp volunteers. Finally, our policies ensure campers and staff are never alone, and our high 3:1 camper to counselor ratio allows an excellent standard of supervision – far more than you would see at any traditional summer camp.

Yes, a licensed Camp Nurse will be on-site at all times to issue all medications and care for any injuries or sickness.

We realize that children of cancer patients have additional needs- and we address them by giving them extra attention and support. Camp Kesem has a 3:1 camper to counselor ratio to ensure that campers receive extra attention. These counselors ensure that camp is a safe, supportive, high-energy, and fun place for every camper. Campers are supervised at all times and are never alone 1:1 with one another or with a staff member.

All water activities are supervised by at least two certified lifeguards in addition to our counselors. Our campsites also provide life jackets. Campers are also not required to participate in swim activities – as with all of our activities, participation is optional and there are alternate activities available.

No. Our student leaders provide a warm and loving environment where children are free to share their feelings with one another. Our model focuses on providing a strong peer-based support network where children can find strength, hope, compassion, and fun.

Leader In Training (LIT) are our 14-18 year olds who participate in our Teen Leadership Program as a part of camp. LITs are split into two separate groups – our 14-16 year olds, and 17-18 year olds. Both groups are focused on having fun at camp and participating in age appropriate activities and leadership development; our older LITs will have additional opportunities for development through workshops and trainings.

Yes! We want everyone who is interested in attending to be able to do so, including our Deaf and hard of hearing community members. ASL Interpreters can be made available at camp and other Kesem events such as Friends + Family Day upon request, provided we are given enough advanced notice. Requests for ASL interpretation during camp should be made at minimum three weeks prior to camp to support@kesem.org. After that date, requests cannot be guaranteed.

Absolutely not. Your child will quickly become part of a loving, supportive community of other children – all of whom understand each other and respect each other. For most of our campers, being a part of this community – with other kids who are just like them – is empowering, comforting, encouraging, and inspirational. Campers are given optional opportunities to share or not share anything that is on their mind in nightly “Cabin Chats” which are held with their own cabin (and facilitated by our trained student leaders). They are also invited to participate with all campers in an Empowerment Ceremony – intended to honor all camper families and their individual family’s journey.