Glamping with Purpose
How Your Love of the Outdoors Helps Kids with Cancer Heal
By Jenna Berneck, Development Director Care Camps Foundation
For so many of us, glamping offers more than a getaway — it’s a chance to breathe, to reconnect, and to feel renewed by the beauty of the outdoors. Whether it’s sipping coffee beside a canvas tent, soaking in the quiet of a forest cabin, or sharing laughter under a sky full of stars, glamping reminds us how nature restores the soul.
At Care Camps Foundation, that same sense of renewal is at the heart of what we do, by helping children with cancer experience the healing power of camp.
When Nature Heals the Heart
Every summer, thousands of children across the United States and Canada pack their bags and head to one or more of the more than 120 Care Camps Foundation–supported oncology camps. These aren’t ordinary summer camps. They’re safe, medically supervised spaces where kids who are battling or recovering from cancer can be kids again.
At camp, these children can kayak, sing around a campfire, make new friends, and discover that even though cancer has changed their lives, it doesn’t define who they are. Every moment outside helps them build confidence, find joy, and reconnect with a world that, for many of them, has been overshadowed by hospitals and treatments.
If you’ve ever spent time glamping, you already know the feeling. That deep breath of fresh air, the sound of the wind through the trees, the peace that comes from unplugging and being surrounded by nature. These are the same feelings that help children at camp heal emotionally and spiritually while they continue to battle their illness.
The glamping lifestyle is about finding balance, joy, and restoration through nature. For the children and the families we serve, those very same moments (laughter by the fire, exploring the woods, swimming in the lake) are an essential part of their healing journey.
That shared connection is why so many outdoor enthusiasts have found Care Camps Foundation to be a cause that feels close to home. It’s not about donating to a distant organization; it’s about helping other people experience what you already know to be true — that nature can restore hope, even in the hardest moments.
A Camp Experience That Changes Lives
Every camp we support has a medical team on- site to ensure that children can safely enjoy all the joys of camp while continuing to receive the care they need. But what truly makes these camps special is the laughter, the friendships, and the feeling of normalcy that kids find there.
Imagine a young camper who’s spent months in treatment walking a forest trail for the first time since diagnosis. Or, roasting a marshmallow and forgetting, even for a moment, that they’re sick. Those are the moments your support makes possible.
How You Can Help Kids Experience the Healing Power of Camp
There are so many simple ways that glamping enthusiasts can help bring the magic of camp to children with cancer:
- Make a donation. Even a small gift helps support our camps. One week of camp can change a child’s outlook and their life.
- Share our story. Follow Care Camps Foundation on social media and share our mission with your friends, family, or glamping community. Awareness builds impact.
- Celebrate through giving. Dedicate your next birthday, anniversary, or glamping trip to raising funds for kids with cancer. A few friends joining together can support kids heal via camp.
Every contribution, big or small, adds up to more kids sitting around campfires, hiking trails, and rediscovering joy in the great outdoors.
As the new year approaches, I invite you to carry the spirit of glamping into something even greater by giving kids the chance to experience the same beauty, peace, and freedom that you feel when you step into nature.
There are so many simple ways that glamping enthusiasts can help bring the magic of camp to children with cancer
Together We Can Make 2026 a Year of Hope
Care Camps Foundation exists to make sure no child faces cancer without the chance to laugh, explore, and heal outside the walls of a hospital. With your support, we can continue to fund camps across North America, providing thousands of children and families with a place where healing and happiness meet under the open sky. All at no cost to their families.
Because when you love the outdoors, you already understand the power it holds. At Care Camps Foundation, we’re simply sharing that gift with those who need it most.
o learn more, donate and be inspired, visit carecamps.org. Together, we can help kids with cancer find strength, laughter, and hope — one campfire at a time.
About The Author
Jenna Berneck is the Development Director at Care Camps Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to providing medically supervised camp experiences for children with cancer and their siblings. She partners with donors and organizations to help kids access the joy, confidence, and healing that camp can bring.
Photo courtesy of Care Camps Foundation.