#GivingTuesday: An opportunity to make a difference and
show what’s in your heart
It’s the most wonderful time of the year; the holidays are here! Along with the celebrations comes the opportunity to give back, marked by Camp One Step’s holiday appeal to send more kids to camp in 2021. “Camp is where the heart is” could not be a more appropriate theme for this campaign which has a goal to raise $100,000 in just one month, beginning on December 1st, which is #GivingTuesday. As 2020 has presented many challenges to individuals, families, and organizations around the world, Camp One Step has come together to help its community and has found new ways to address those changes, including creating the Family Assistance Fund and providing virtual experiences for every program. Not only will a donation on #GivingTuesday go directly to supporting both in-person and virtual programming, but it will also be matched dollar-for-dollar by The Ellen Marks Cancer Foundation, up to the first $25,000 raised! We thank The Ellen Marks Cancer Foundation for their incredible support of our campers, families, and this holiday initiative.
Taking a look back at this year’s journey, camp was always going to happen. Giving campers the space to build connections and lifelong friendships via virtual programming was made even more successful by the commitment of our donors that allowed Camp One Step to send individual care packages to each and every camper who applied. The reach of virtual programs also extended beyond the borders of the United States this year, reaching campers living in both the UK and South America. Camper parent Mollie, whose daughter has participated in multiple virtual programs all the way from Ecuador, commented: “Summer Camp was the only camp program that Annika was able to attend but now, with virtual camp, Annika can now go to more Camp One Step programs, see her friends and counselors, and be part of this amazing community that she considers so special and close to her heart, all the way from Quito!”
Seeing the impact of our programs on campers has created a unique opportunity for donations to help in multiple ways, being that $1,000 sponsors a camper for a week of in-person programming, and $500 provides a camper a week of virtual programming. Because The Ellen Marks Cancer Foundation has graciously offered to match donations, supporting the holiday appeal this year gives donors the chance to double the impact of their gifts.
#GivingTuesday is about more than donating; it is about giving kids with cancer from all over the world the opportunity to be kids once again. Camp truly is where the heart is, and this year’s holiday appeal is the perfect way to continue bringing these life-changing experiences to campers, both virtually and in person. Jeff Infusino, Camp One Step President, sums up the growth and adaptations of 2020, as well as the importance of this year’s holiday appeal, commenting that “Camp lives within all of us every day. In 2020, the pivot to virtual programming crystallized the statement that Camp is not just a place, it’s a Community. Your support fuels the heartbeat of Camp that brings joy, confidence, and belief in a brighter future to children who have been diagnosed with cancer.”
Make your gift count this holiday season and help fuel the magic of camp; donate to Camp One Step today! To make a gift in support of the 2020 holiday appeal, please visit www.weheartcamp.givesmart.com OR TEXT WEHEARTCAMP TO 76278 .
