There was a time when, if you were a child with a serious illness, you watched your school friends go off to summer camp while you stayed home. Thanks to the vision of actor Paul Newman, and the generosity of many donors, since 1988 ill children can have a fabulous camp experience, too.

What groups of children are the camps for?
The Hole in The Wall Gang Camps are designed for children with serious illnesses. These include cancer, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, HIV/AIDS, and many other life-threatening disorders. Children of all ages attend.

How are the children's medical needs met?
A full-time staff of doctors, nurses, and counselors can meet the campers' needs for medications, treatments, and special care in the on-site medical center. The counselor to camper ratio is 2:1, and 1:1 if necessary.

What do the children do at camp?
A better question would be, "What don't they do?" The camp staff help provide a wide range of activities for the campers including fishing, swimming, horseback riding, adventure courses, performing arts, crafts, computer education, and even singing around the campfire. The staff work to include all children, no matter what their physical limitations might be, in all activities.

A video about The Hole in The Wall Gang Camps is available online (requires RealPlayer, and a box of tissues). To date over 50,000 children have attended the camps.

Where are the camps? How can I get more information?
There are 4 existing camps, and 3 in the planning stages.

The Hole in The Wall Gang Camp
The original camp of the group, it occupies the site of a former 300-acre farm in Connecticut (U.S.) and is designed to look like an "Old West frontier town," including horse stables, log cabins, dining hall, and general store. Children from 30 U.S. states and 27 other countries go to camp there each year.

Address: 555 Long Wharf Drive
New Haven, CT 06511 USA
Phone: 203.772.0522
Fax: 203.782.1725
Email: newhaven@holeinthewallgang.org
Web site: http://www.holeinthewallgang.org

The Boggy Creek Gang Camp
Located in Eustis, Florida (U.S.), this camp is a permanent year-round center with cabins, pool, theater, and nature center.

Address: 30500 Brantley Branch Road
Eustis, FL 32736 USA
Phone: 352.483.4200
Fax: 352.483.0589
Email: info@boggycreek.org
Web site: http://www.boggycreek.org

The Barretstown Gang Camp
This camp was the first outside of the U.S., and is located in a castle in County Kildare, Ireland. More than 1,000 children ages 7 to 16 from 20 different countries attend camp there each year. The multi-lingual, multinational staff members provide a safe, supportive environment.

Address: Barretstown Castle
Ballymore Eustace, County Kildare, Ireland
Phone: (353) 45 86 41 15
Fax: (353) 45 86 41 97
Email: info@barretstowngc.ie
Web site: http://www.barretstowngc.ie

L'Envol
Each year more than 500 children come to L'Envol (French for "take off") from France and Europe. It is located just south of Paris, on the edge of the Fontainbleau forest. The camp features guided plane and hot air balloon rides.

Address: Chateau de Boulains
Echouboulains, 77830 France
Phone: (331) 60 73 58 58
Fax: (331) 64 31 88 75
Email: Lenvol@aol.com
Web site: http://www.l-envol.org

Future camp sites
Victory Junction Camp
Randleman, NC USA
Projected opening: 2004

The Painted Turtle
Malibu, CA USA
Projected opening: 2003

Jordan River Village
Galilee, Israel
Projected opening: 2005

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