“Esperanza” – the Spanish word for “Hope” – is what Camp Esperanza is all about.
We provide kids with cancer a week of fun and friendship while building confidence and inspiring hope.
Camp Esperanza offers an opportunity to play and to explore. They may discover their new selves with cancer and to realize just how normal they still can be. Campers share stories with others on the journey of fighting cancer while building friendships and encouraging one another in the midst of joy and laughter.
Camp Esperanza is a unique summer camp experience for children between the ages of 6 and 15 who currently have cancer or have been treated for cancer at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.
Laughter brings us together in celebration.
Kids laugh a lot. A child’s laughter is glorious. They laugh about a vast array of noises: screams, beeps, blurps, dings, and whistles. They laugh about a vast array of bodily functions, especially the accidental ones. They laugh about peculiar birds, curious monkeys, outspoken puppets, buckets of slime, knock-knock jokes, and plays on words. They crack up when characters trip, slip, fumble, and bumble. They hoot when they are pleasantly and suddenly surprised. They chuckle when the same thing happens over and over again. They squeal happily when they are tickled, and they beg for more. They laugh when they are chasing one another. They laugh when they are dancing like chickens. They laugh when they are rolling down a grassy hill.
Children laugh a lot.
They laugh at one another, but they especially laugh with one another. In fact, if there is a group of children sitting at a lunch table, chances are they will be laughing together. If there is a group of children playing on the playground together, chances are they will be laughing together. It doesn’t matter where they are — at the movies, in church, at school or at camp — a child’s primary social language is laughter.
Camp is good medicine.
At Camp Esperanza, we embrace the power of laughter. We encourage it. We do things to inspire it. We believe that laughter empowers us as a community and gives strength to battle the hurdles most of our campers are challenged with. So for one week in July, every year, we gather to laugh, play, grow, share, support, and encourage. We absolutely believe that laughter really is the best medicine.
I thought I was the only one with cancer.
Now I know I’m not.
I made a ton of new friends
at Camp Esperanza.
Camper
I didn’t want to go at first
but my Mom changed my mind.
She was right.
Camp was pretty awesome.
Camper
It was so hard to let him go away for a week.
It turned out great,
I had some “me time” and he had a blast.
Parent
Why is Camp so Important?
Camp provides kids with cancer the opportunity to enjoy a summer camping experience, with the benefit of medical supervision. Camp provides a break during which young patients can share in the best medicine of all – HOPE! The Bridewell Foundation makes this happen for 140 kids each summer. We also fund and organize a fall teen retreat which campers can attend when they graduate from summer camp at age 15. Camp Esperanza allows kids to just be kids.
Bridewell Foundation
PO Box 25317
Dallas, Texas 75225
214-456-6228
[email protected]
campesperanza.org
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