Since 1988, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp has provided a special camp experience for over 9,000 children, ages seven to fifteen, with cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS and other serious blood diseases, free of charge. Founded by Paul Newman and a group of generous, talented people, the camp is located on over 300 acres in Ashford, Connecticut. The campers enjoy nature, swimming, theatre, art, poetry, singing and horseback riding. There is a medical clinic providing round-the-clock care. Programs for parents, campers and professionals continue throughout the year.

In 1985, Mr.Newman and the founders set out to build a good, old-fashioned camp, a camp for children who couldn't camp anywhere else because they suffered from cancer or serious blood diseases, a camp where 7 to 15 year old boys and girls could laugh and play, sing and shout, meet other children with similar problems, and-at least for a while-forget about being sick and "raise a little hell."
 

And it wouldn't cost the children, or their families, a dime.

The head of Yale-New Haven Hospital's Pediatrics Department, Howard A. Pearson, M.D., became medical director and made sure the camp could provide daily care and emergency treatment for very ill children. He set up shop in the "O.K. Corral"-named by a camper because it's okay to go there." This fully equipped clinic operates round-the-clock with two doctors and five nurses. For the parents, the infirmary provides quiet reassurance that every medical need is well covered.

The dean of Yale University's School of Architecture, Thomas Beeby, made sure the buildings were as much fun as the program. He designed an award-winning Old West frontier town complete with a general store, theater, dining hall, recreation center, swimming pool, boathouse, stables, petting zoo, and log cabins. The children hardly notice that the walkways end in access ramps, that forest trails are smooth enough for wheelchairs, and that washrooms contain emergency buttons that can summon instant aid.

Construction began in the fall of 1987, doors opened in the summer of 1988, and children have been coming ever since. With the generous financial support of many thousands of caring people from across the country, and with ties to more than 100 medical institutions, such as the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and Yale-New Haven Hospital, we welcome each summer, free of charge, over 900 children from across the United States and from abroad.

Hole in the Wall Gang campers experience more than a joyous holiday. Camp is a critical experience in their lives, encouraging the heart, enlarging the spirit, empowering the will, all year long.

For teachers: If you are aware of a child that fits the criteria for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp please share information about the camp with parents or guardians. There is an application process that begins each fall and winter for the following summer.

Through all these years, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp has relied on the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations to support and fund the camps programs and medical component. Throughout the year, programs for campers and special C.O.P.E. weekends for parents are part of the entire experience that help camp families.

Please visit our web site at: http://www.holeinthewallgang.org You will find more information on the camp and its programs, photos and a secure web page to make a donation.

Now in the year 2000, we are celebrating our 13th summer and again are welcoming nearly 1,000 seriously ill children to The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

Wish List