Corazon Family Camp

Social support networks

Pilot or new project, program, or initiative (testing or implementing a new idea)

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the #1 birth defect affecting nearly 40,000 babies each year in the U.S. Advances in cardiac surgery and the field of cardiology has created hope for these babies and their families. More than 80% are expected to live full lives. However, it also means these families face the burden of living with a chronic illness that will include: multiple surgeries, procedures, hospitalizations, and countless hours in doctors' offices. Living with chronic illness can be isolating and place a strain on all family member's mental health. For 30 years Camp del Corazon (CdC) has provided sick kids a respite from their chronic illness by providing a medically-supervised, residential camp on Catalina Island for acute cardiac kids, ages 7-17, to experience summer camp and just be a kid. The opportunity to be together, in nature, as a community has boosted our campers' resilience. We want to extend this to our camper families, who are a fundamental part of the care team.

Corazon Family Camp (CFC) will offer CHD patients, together with their parents, siblings, and partners, a three-day retreat in a nature-based environment in Greater Los Angeles. Building on 30 years of offering therapeutic nature-based camp to chronically ill children, the creation of a Family Camp will extend CdC's programming to immediate family members of cardiac patients and will include: educational workshops, nature-based activities, and wellness activities. Educational workshops led by leading medical professionals will give patients and parents the opportunity to equip themselves with up-to-date knowledge and resources to become better health advocates. Nature-based activities, including rock climbing, hiking, swimming, and surfing, will facilitate community-building between families while also stimulating team building and resiliency skills within families. Wellness activities including yoga, meditation, and sound baths, will give families the chance to recharge with self-care while promoting skills for healthy living habits. Structured time for art projects, music, and coffee chats will provide further opportunity for organic connections while modeling different coping skills. Breakout groups for different segments of participants (teens, siblings, partners, parents) will also help create building blocks for future support networks. The entire program, including meals and lodging, will be free-of-charge.

Studies by the American Camp Association (ACA) have shown the immense positive impact of summer camp on children, both because of the social and nature-based elements of summer camp activities. We have found this positive impact to be magnified for our population of chronically ill campers, who are often left out of many activities because of their physical restrictions or fragility of health. Many of our campers have never spent a night away from home or participated in these nature-based activities. One of the greatest strains on our campers and their families is the isolation of a life of chronic illness. Our summer camp has created a space for campers to be among peers who validate their experiences. This experience creates newfound confidence, resilience, and community for campers. It is our hope that Family Camp will do the same for the entire family unit, including parents, siblings, and partners, yielding stronger and more resilient family units for Los Angeles.

For the past 5 years we have surveyed camper families to see how useful a Family Camp would be. This past year, over 275 families said they would attend a Family Camp if we offered one. Camp del Corazon uses several survey software platforms to survey our campers and their families before and after participation in our programs. These surveys measure the impact of our programs by comparing observable changes in confidence, independence, mental health, resilience, and knowledge. Family Camp will also utilize pre- and post- surveys of all participants to evaluate and measure programmatic impact. Additionally, we have family members of patients on CdC's Board of Directors and Advisory Board, who all provide guidance and feedback to organizational strategy and programming.