On the surface, Camp Rainbow Gold may appear to be just like any other summer camp — fishing, hiking, campfires, crafts, laughter, and the chance to make lasting friendships. But maybe that is exactly what they are — places to let go of worries, to relax, and to spend time with people just like you. Camp is a therapeutic retreat, safe for children diagnosed with cancer, and their families, to experience the healing powers of Idaho’s great outdoors.
All Camp Rainbow Gold camps are FREE to all campers and take place in the Sawtooth National Forest near Ketchum, Idaho.
For our families and campers, Camp Rainbow Gold is more than a week; it’s a lifestyle. The camp experience builds self-esteem, confidence, hope, and love. Our year-long programs go beyond the summer and beyond the silliness and fun to help develop generous, responsible citizens. Our campers are becoming the scientists, teachers, and even doctors who will serve a new generation.
Learn more about each of the programs below. If you are new to Camp Rainbow Gold, please fill out our New Family form and a member of our program team will contact you.
The Camp Rainbow Gold oncology camps are divided by age — youth camp for children 6-12 and a teen camp for children 13-17. Each week hosts approximately 50-60 children for a week of discovery and outdoor fun. Swimming. Sharing. Singing. Hiking. Playing. Fishing. Horseback riding. Dancing. Storytelling. Laughing. Painting. Biking. Memory making. Creating. Dreaming. Living.
A full medical staff and a licensed social worker keep a careful and nurturing watch over the medical and emotional needs of every camper. Highly trained camp staff and volunteers aim to provide a fun, safe, and caring community for the children.
Family Camp offers families who have experienced pediatric cancer a chance to step out of their day-to-day and take time to enjoy connecting with nature and each other.
Over a long weekend, families gather at Hidden Paradise Camp for a fun-filled four days of group and small-group activities and adventures. Between meals together and sharing SHINES, families can try their hands at archery, mountain biking, ropes courses, or Art Shack projects. Volunteers plan special events for kids so parents have an opportunity to connect and meet other moms, dads, and caregivers who have been in their shoes.
Childhood cancer can be all-encompassing for a family. But all challenges — including this one — are better when they’re not faced alone. Camp Rainbow Gold Family Camp is a safe, empowering, welcoming space for families to meet and build their community of support.
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Summer camp is an important rite of passage for every youngster — meeting new friends, trying new things, creating art projects, and archery, swimming, and campfires. Children who have experienced pediatric cancer are no different. They are kids who still just need to be kids.
Campers will meet other campers undergoing similar experiences who can share a bond only found through Camp Rainbow Gold. Most children return year after year, building on old friendships, adding new ones, and eagerly welcoming first-time campers into the Camp Rainbow Gold family.
Youth Oncology Camp welcomes kids ages 6-12 who have ever received a pediatric cancer diagnosis. At Camp Rainbow Gold oncology camps, experienced volunteers, medical staff, and licensed social workers keep a careful and nurturing watch over the physical and emotional needs of every camper. Highly trained camp staff and volunteers provide a fun, safe, and caring community. Our oncology camps are fully medically supported all week by an on-site nursing staff and pediatric oncologist.
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Teens who have experienced a cancer diagnosis can face unique challenges during an already difficult time for many kids. Cancer is scary, isolating and exhausting. Camp Rainbow Gold offers these teens a space where they can find respite, connection and belonging through empowering adventures with other teens who know what they have been through.
Alongside all of the tried-and-true camp favorites — archery, biking, swimming, art, dance, and campfires — Teen Oncology Camp also gives teens a safe space to grow, to be challenged, to be empowered, and to step out of their comfort zones and find freedom to express their hopes, fears, dreams, and true selves.
Teen Oncology Camp welcomes teens ages 13-17 who have ever received a pediatric cancer diagnosis. At Camp Rainbow Gold oncology camps, experienced volunteers, medical staff and licensed social workers support and care for the medical and emotional needs of every teen. Highly trained camp staff and volunteers aim to provide a fun, safe and caring community and our oncology camps are fully medically supported with a nursing staff and a pediatric oncologist on-site all week.
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When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the experience has a significant effect on the entire family. Siblings of children diagnosed with cancer also experience a strong emotional and social impact. Studies show that more than half of siblings of a child with cancer show post-traumatic distress symptoms.
Oftentimes, siblings feel overlooked as parents and other family members turn their attention to treatment and other considerations that coincide with a cancer diagnosis. Just as a child with cancer needs support, attention and care, so do their strongest supporters — their brothers and sisters.
Camp Rainbow Gold Sibling Camp plays host to siblings of Idaho children who have been diagnosed with pediatric cancer before the age of 18. Over the course of several days, we turn our attention to these children who also need the chance to have fun and make friends who understand what they have been through.
Sibling Camp welcomes children ages 6-17 for a week of laughs, challenges, fun, and empowerment. As with our oncology camps, a full crew of experienced volunteers, medical staff and a licensed social worker oversee the medical and emotional needs of each camper.
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Experience the magic that happens when people come together to create emotionally-empowering experiences for Idaho children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Camp Rainbow Gold is an oncology camp, a sibling camp, and a family camp. It is a teen support group and a college scholarship program. Camp Rainbow Gold is a celebration of life.
Children meet other children undergoing similar experiences who can share a bond only found here. Most campers return year after year, building on old friendships, adding new ones, and eagerly welcoming first-time campers into the Camp Rainbow Gold family.
As the campers get older, they still want to come back. And they can. The Junior Counselor program brings them back to the camp to mentor their young friends.
Siblings of children diagnosed with cancer also experience a strong emotional and social impact. Oftentimes, siblings feel overlooked as the parents and other family members turn their attention to treatment and other considerations that coincide with a cancer diagnosis. Just as the child with cancer needs support, attention, and care, so do their strongest supporters — their brothers and sisters. Camp Rainbow Gold Sibling Camp plays hosts to approximately 80 siblings. Over the course of several days, the attention turns to these children who also need the chance to have fun and make friends with other children who understand them.
Recharge. Reconnect. Refocus. Camp Rainbow Gold Family Camp offers families a chance to focus on each other and enjoy the simplicity of camping. Approximately 20 families of children with cancer meet others who face the same challenges.
Climb a rock wall. Try your hand at archery. Take a bike ride. Hike and play and relax. But most importantly, do it together.
1120 South Five Mile Road
Boise, Idaho 83709
(208) 350-6435
[email protected]
camprainbowgold.org
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