Calling All Summer Campers: Registration is Open!
Registration is open NOW for Camp Rainbow 2022. Please register here.
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting in-person camps in 2022. Following the recommendations of the American Camp Association, our camps will look and feel a bit different but we are confident they will also be fun and magical.
Camp Rainbow Camp Dates
- Oncology Overnight Camp June 11- June 14, 2022 (Saturday morning – Tuesday morning)
- Day Camp June 11 - June 13, 2022 (Saturday morning – Monday evening)
- SIBS Camp June 15 - June 18, 2022 (Wednesday morning – Saturday evening)
Note: all of these 2022 camps will be held at Babler Outdoor Education Center
In 2022, your camper can expect to have fun, create meaningful connections, join an amazing support community, and create camp magic. You can also expect the following:
- Shorter camp sessions
- Fewer campers and fewer volunteers
- No daily visitors
- Programming in cohorts, primarily outside, with limited shared items
- Masking
- No field trips or transportation provided
- Schedules which allow for safe, socially distanced fun to be had by all!
Oncology Overnight Camp (June 11-14, 2022) is perfect for campers ages 6-13 years old diagnosed with a cancer or blood-related disease. Held at Babler Outdoor Education Center in Wildwood, MO, registered campers will be spending the night in cabins.
Oncology Day Camp (June 11-13, 2022) is for our littlest campers ages 4-6 years old diagnosed with a cancer or blood-related disease. Day Campers do not spend the night at Camp Rainbow arriving daily at 9am and departing at 5pm. Day Camp is held at Babler Outdoor Education Center located in Wildwood, MO.
SIBS Camp (June 15-18, 2022) is a fun camp just for the Super Important Brothers and Sisters of our oncology campers. SIBS Campers are 7-17 years old and will be spending the night at camp in cabins. In 2022, SIBS Camp will move our home to Babler Outdoor Education Center located in Wildwood, MO.
Help Your Child Feel Like a Kid, Not Just a Patient
We've been creating a fantastic, friendly environment for children suffering from cancer or blood-related diseases, and their families to be able to take a breath and just have a fun, less stressful situation, and interact with others who are in the same situation.
Start creating positive memories, build self-esteem, and make new friends. Find relief from every stress caused by illness.
A Week of Just Normal Camping
During this one-week overnight camping for children ages 6 to 13 years old we hope to let them put their diseases to the back of their mind and let their inner child come out and play.
Our overnight camp is hosted at Dabler State Park's Outdoor Education Center. This experience gives these sick kids the opportunity to enjoy fresh air & sunshine, free from the confines of hospital walls.
Daily camp activities can include:
Each day has a special theme, and its no surprise to see campers, counselors, and staff in full costumes to match, and joining in the fun we have a broad range of enthusiastic guests such as magicians, clowns, firefighters, police, and professional athletes visiting to join our campers in the fun.
Our staff work with campers on a one-to-one or one-to-two ratio to ensure all the children receive the attention they deserve. Our team consists of volunteers from high school aged counselors, college-age unit heads, and adult staff, including a full medical team.
For one magical week, each summer Overnight Camp strives to create an environment where the campers aren't burdened by their illness but empowered to deal with all of life's challenges.
Take a week to just be a kid again.
A Week of Just Normal Camping
During this one-week camping adventure for children ages 4 to 6 years old we hope to let them put their diseases to the back of their mind and let their inner child come out and play.
This camping trip is held the same week as the overnight camp, but was created for kids who may not be ready for a week-long overnight stay. Hosted at Babler State Park in Wildwood, Missori, we created this camp to give these younger, eager kids the opportunity to benefit from the fun and excitement of a normal week at camp.
Daily camp activities can include:
Each day has a special theme, which the youngest campers really enjoy and embrace. The special guests such as magicians, clowns, firefighters, police, and professional athletes visiting to join our campers in the fun really can bring out the chances for these kids to remember that they are more than just patients.
Our staff work with campers on a one-to-one or one-to-two ratio to ensure all the children receive the attention they deserve. Our team consists of volunteers from high school aged counselors, college-age unit heads, and adult staff, including a full medical team.
This day camp is a perfect introduction for these young campers to what Rainbow Camp can offer them. Most who leave the day camp are excited to return the next summer for the sleepover camp!
Give your kids the chance at being "just a kid" again.
A Camp For Super Important Brothers and Sisters
Siblings of children diagnosed with cancer are also dealing with the weight of their brother/sister's pain. They can often feel overwhelmed by the strong emotional and social impact.
And though it's unintentional, parents and other family members can overlook these siblings needs. Just as a child with cancer needs support, attention & care, we know their strongest supporters need the same - their brothers and sisters.
Camp Rainbow's SIBS Camp is a one-week camp for children ages 7 to 17. Hosted at Camp Manitowa, SIBS Camp is a treasured week and have over 100 siblings attending each year!
Daily camp activities can include:
And in the afternoons are filled with even more choice activities like photography, cooking, pottery and more!
Our staff work with campers on a one-to-one or one-to-two ratio to ensure all the children receive the attention they deserve. Our team consists of volunteer college age and adult staff, many of whom are SIBS too!
This wonderful week can be a time for these kids to bond with others who are going through the same trials. Giving all of them the chance to empower themselves for the trials ahead and have fun being "just a kid."
A Weekend to be a Teen Again
Camp Rainbow's Teen Camp works to help teens facing the trials of cancer or blood-related disorders by giving them a unique weekend overnight camping experience to get to be a normal teen again.
Hosted at Babler State Parks's Outdoor Education Center in March, we work with these extraordinary teens with special themes over the weekend to help improve communication, relationships, and build self-esteem.
Over the weekend they can participate in camp activities like:
At this camp, these teens will assume more of a leadership role in the activities to help build their confidence and inner strength - skills that will help them move forward not only against their illness but in their lives outside of their diagnosis.
Relaxing Over Labor Day Weekend
Held annually at Trout Lodge in Potosi, Missouri, our Family Camp experience provides the whole family with the opportunity to grow closer together and share feelings.
But most importantly, we are giving your family the chance to let loose and have fun.
We have a wide variety of activities for families to participate in:
Our staff is entirely volunteers who are specially selected to ensure the safety of all our campers. Staff members include physicians, oncology nurses, pediatric oncology social workers, teachers, cancer survivors, and past camp families.
We have medical personnel available around the clock to administer any required treatments and handle any medical emergencies that could occur.
Keeping In Touch Through the Years
Our Teens & Twenty program allows our teen campers the opportunity to remain connected with their fellow campers throughout the year.
We hold half and full day social events each quarter for teens ages 14 to 20.
We provide more information about the scheduled events through eBlasts, flyers handed out at the camp and by hospital social workers.
You can also stay up to date about our events with social media.
Bringing Camping To Their Rooms
Wherever smiles are needed that's where the rainbow goes! Several times a year we visit St. Louis Children's Hospital, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, and Mercy Medical Center to bring our camping experience to the inpatient kids.
We bring in activities and excitement not only to the Onocology floors but to the outpatient clinics as well.
These events are run by our volunteers, parents, and select hospital staff.
We bring the same kinds of events and camp activities right to the patients:
If siblings happen to be visiting, they're always welcome to join in the fun! Every participant receives a camp bag filled with goodies and Camp Rainbow memorabilia.
Make a Difference In a Child's Life
Join us in giving children the adventure of a lifetime! Donate today to change the life of a child diagnosed with cancer or a blood-related disease.