Where Hope Makes Light
Photos courtesy of Care Camps Foundation
We all remember the magic of being outdoors as a kid. How the dirt, trees, critters nearby and friends in tow were a bedrock for storytelling, imagination and an unspoken connection to each other and the world around us.
All the more important are these things for children who are facing cancer — and equally so for the siblings and parents who care for them.
For these kids, a childhood can become defined by hospital rooms, treatments and uncertainty. But beyond those clinical walls, there is still a childhood to be lived: campfires to sit around, land to explore, friendships to make and moments when cancer isn’t the main thing on the mind.
This is where Care Camps Foundation (CCF) comes in.
For more than 40 years, CCF has funded medically supported oncology camps across the U.S. and Canada, making it possible for kids with cancer and their families to experience what can often become difficult during treatment: the freedom to simply be kids. And because camp is just as meaningful for siblings and parents — along with families who can’t leave the hospital and instead receive Camp-in-a-Box with toys and activities — the impact extends well beyond the camper.
This year, CCF’s inaugural Young Professionals Board — established in May 2026 to tap the next generation of leadership carrying the Care Camps mission forward — is launching Under The Stars, a three-day event taking place Dec. 4-6 in Tampa, Florida. The weekend will bring together Care Camps supporters and new advocates, including outdoor industry partners, business leaders, family and friends. It’s an incredible opportunity to celebrate the support that brings joy, belonging and the healing power of nature to more kids and their loved ones.
The event will culminate in an ambitious world record attempt for longest chain of glowsticks: 45,000 individual lights. The number is intentional — each glowstick represents one of the children or family members Care Camps helps each year.
It’s both a powerful 5.6-mile-long visual and a fitting symbol for what the new generation of Care Camps advocates hopes to accomplish. The goal is one light becomes thousands, and one weekend can help more deserving kids have the chance to step away from treatment and into Where Hope Makes Light — a place they can laugh, get dirty, be with friends and make memories.
The Young Professionals Board is proud to help build that future — and Under The Stars is just the beginning.
Dec-O-Art Gives Back With Donation Day, $16K for Care Camps
Photos courtesy of Dec-O-Art
Dec-O-Art of Elkhart, Indiana, has shown it is more than just a for-profit company, but a business that cares for its community. Dec-O-Art marked its fourth annual Donation Day on Sept. 18 and also made a $16,000 donation to Care Camps through a co-branded decal program that helps fund healing camp experiences for children with cancer and their families.
On Donation Day, Dec-O-Art closes its doors for a day of hands-on service at three local nonprofits chosen by employees: A Rosie Place for Children, Angels in the Attic and Cultivate Food Rescue. Donation Day gives employees the opportunity to give back to the community in a direct, hands-on way, the company says, reflecting Dec-O-Art’s belief that community involvement is just as important as the products the company creates.
At A Rosie Place for Children, Indiana’s specialty hospital dedicated to respite care for medically fragile children, the team helped prepare for its annual “It’s A Wonderful Life” Christmas party for the children and families the organization serves. Dec-O-Art volunteers painted canvas panels for a Christmas craft and assisted with other projects as the organization prepared for upcoming events.
At Angels in the Attic, a nonprofit organization founded by Kristine Kuroski that provides clothing, food, hygiene products, and other essentials to individuals and families across Northern Indiana and Southern Michigan, the team assisted with the organization’s furniture operations, pulling furniture and loading moving trucks to help prepare deliveries for local families. The remaining volunteers supported the main facility with sorting, organizing, stocking and other projects that needed attention.
And for Cultivate Food Rescue, a Northern Indiana nonprofit dedicated to rescuing surplus food and providing nutritious meals to families facing food insecurity in St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties, volunteers sorted frozen meals and packaged them into bags for distribution throughout the community, then worked assembly-line style to fill meal trays, seal and stack finished meals, and assist with other production tasks.
Dec-O-Art also presented each nonprofit with a $25,000 donation to help strengthen the services these organizations provide.
“Donation Day is a reflection of who we are as a company,” said Angela Marazita, marketing director at Dec-O-Art. “It’s been a privilege to coordinate this event and work alongside so many incredible community organizations. I’m grateful to be part of a company that prioritizes giving back and empowers employees to make a meaningful impact beyond the workplace.”
The $16,000 Care Camps donation will help support 125 pediatric oncology camps across the United States and Canada, reaching more than 47,000 children, parents and siblings. At camp, children are not defined by their diagnosis. They are simply campers, making friends, building confidence and creating lasting memories alongside others who truly understand what they are experiencing.
Every sale of the co-branded decal created in partnership with Dec-O-Art and Care Camps Foundation will help fund healing camp experiences for children facing cancer and their families.
Through the decal sales, Dec-O-Art is contributing $11,610 to the Care Camps Foundation. Beyond the decal program, Dec-O-Art is providing an additional $5,000, bringing its total contribution to $16,610.
“Supporting Care Camps Foundation is incredibly meaningful to our team,” said Alexis Sindle, sales operations manager of Dec-O-Art. “Every purchase goes further than the product itself. It helps give a child and their family a moment of joy during an incredibly difficult time. We are proud of what this partnership makes possible, and we look forward to growing it.”
The company designed and printed custom decals in-house, and Dec-O-Art team members personally applied them to three custom Jenga sets. The company also created handwritten inspirational cards for children with cancer attending camp.
“Partnerships like this demonstrate the incredible impact that is possible when businesses come together to support children with cancer,” said Jenna Berneck, development director of Care Camps Foundation.
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