New nonprofit offers getaway to the Berkshires to childhood cancer patients and survivors

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA, July 18, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Camp Casco, a pediatric oncology camp established by Erin Fletcher, will soon welcome its first guests to the Berkshires. Erin, a Harvard graduate in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, was unfulfilled with life in the lab and traded her career for a lifelong dream of opening a camp for children with cancer. This new camp is modeled after The Seany Foundation's “Camp Reach For the Sky” (CR4TS) in San Diego, California, where Fletcher has volunteered for eight years, and served on the Camp Leadership Team for the last five.

Erin named Camp Casco in honor of her good friend, Christopher Ramirez, “His work as a pediatric cancer camp counselor and his brave battle with recurring brain cancer made him a larger-than-life presence anywhere he went” says Fletcher. “The joy and hope that Chris, (nicknamed “Hulk”, Casco in Spanish) brought to children will live on at Camp Casco.”

Several of the founding members of the camp are involved in groundbreaking cancer research at Harvard and MIT and aim to help children with cancer outside of the laboratory. Other team members, including Ramirez’s sister, Richelle, have years of experience directing, staffing, and volunteering at children’s camps.

August 24-28 marks the inaugural session of this free summer camp located at the YMCA Berkshire Outdoor Center in Becket, Massachusetts. Complimentary transportation to and from the campsite is available. Campers will participate in traditional summer camp activities, including swimming, canoeing, archery, campfires, and more. Specialized all-terrain wheelchairs are provided for children with mobility limitations. Children of all ability levels are encouraged to apply with the permission of their primary physician or oncologist.

Casco provides a safe environment in which campers can shed insecurities and forge new friendships with peers who share similar experiences. Parents can relax, knowing that their children are in the capable hands of experienced counselors and round-the-clock medical staff. “I am very excited to be a part of Camp Casco,” said Dr. Jeffrey Vogel, a Harvard medical resident who will be volunteering at the upcoming camp. “Our role as camp medical staff is to provide a fun-filled week while ensuring that there is universal confidence in the medical safeguards that are in place."

Eligible campers are childhood cancer patients or survivors between 7-17 years of age. Spaces are still available; applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Interested campers should submit a completed application, available at campcasco.org/attend. Questions may be directed to info@campcasco.org, or 857-30-CASCO.

Erin Fletcher
Camp Casco
857-302-2726
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