Stanley Stamm Children's Hospital Summer Camp Celebrates 40 Years
August 11, 2006
The Stanley Stamm Children’s Hospital Camp hosted 100 children with terminal or chronic medical conditions at its 40th annual summer camp at the base of Mount Rainier this week.
“I started the camp in 1967 because it wasn’t easy for many of my patients to get physical activity and traditional summer camps could not accommodate their medical needs,” said Dr. Stanley Stamm, cardiologist at Children’s Hospital. “Knowing that it is imperative to have round-the-clock medical care for children who are very sick or living with chronic medical condition, we designed the camp to offer that care and provide a fun and safe place for the children.”
The camp provides a medically supported one-week overnight camp experience in an outdoor wilderness setting. Campers accepted to the Stanley Stamm Camp are not able to attend other camps due to their complex medical needs. The camp is staffed with 200 to 250 volunteers, many with medical backgrounds, who often return year after year from various parts of the country. Some have been with the camp for 30 years.
“The purpose of this camp from the beginning was not to focus on a single medical condition, but to show these kids that they were not alone,” continued Stamm. “The camp also gives parents of our campers a much needed break.”
The camp was founded by Stamm with 19 cardiology patients. Now the camp hosts approximately 100 children each summer, ages 6 to 14, with a range of terminal or chronic medical illnesses including pulmonary problems, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Down ‘s syndrome, cystic fibrosis, endocrine diseases, neurological problems, and cancer.
“Dr. Stamm has been a tireless supporter of children with chronic illnesses,” said Melanie Tronson, a parent of one of the campers. “It means so much to my son to have a place where he can enjoy the outdoors, camp and hang out with friends. …”
The camp, located on Sunset Lake near the base of Mount Rainier outside of Wilkeson, Washington, offers a variety of programs including sports, games, swimming, boating, fishing, horseback riding, arts and crafts, music, archery and nature.
The camp is subsidized by two annual fundraisers; a Swim for Stamm Camp in November and the Stanley Stammpede, a bike-a-thon held in June. The camp is able to keep attendance fees at a minimum and even offer some scholarship assistance because of the generous support during the annual fundraisers.
For more information about the Stanley Stamm Camp please visit http://www.seattlechildrens.org/our_services/support_services/stanley_stamm_camp.asp.
About Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Consistently ranked as one of the best children's hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report, Children's serves as the pediatric referral center for Washington, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. Children's has been delivering superior patient care for 100 years, including advancing new discoveries and treatments in pediatric research, and serving as a primary teaching, clinical and research site for the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. For more information about Children's, visit www.seattlechildrens.org.
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