Camp Courage- Annual Oncology Camp

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh’s annual oncology camp, Camp Courage, is held for one week each summer at The Woodlands in Wexford, PA. The camp for ages 7–14 can accommodate up to 50 campers. It is designed to be a week-long, stay-over camp, but specific patient and family needs can be met easily. For example, a day camp can be coordinated for younger campers or a patient can miss some days if the camp dates conflict with family plans.

The camp employs experienced college-age camp counselors. Treatment and medication issues can be managed during the camp. A Children's oncology nurse always attends camp, and physicians are on-site during the day and on-call during the evenings.

Campers are divided into sleeping units by age and gender. Any current or previous patient is welcome to attend camp. A family picnic is held on the first day of camp.

The Woodlands is a modern camp dedicated to serving the needs of children and adults with disabilities and chronic illnesses. The camp features an indoor swimming pool, which can be used by all patients (including those with lines), nature trails, camp fires, arts and crafts, sports and other camp activities. It is located in Wexford, PA., near Interstate 79.

Registrations are accepted until the camp is full. For information about Camp Courage or to register and receive a camp application when available, contact Sharon Lavallee at 412-692-5257 or sharon.lavallee@chp.edu; or Michelle Coco at 412-692-5339 or michelle.coco@chp.edu.

Although patients are given first priority to attend camp, siblings of the appropriate age are permitted to attend Camp Courage if space is available. When you register, indicate if siblings are interested in attending.

Thanks to sponsorship by the Children’s Cancer Foundation, there is no cost for attending camp. However, each camper should have $20 for use at the camp store.

Below is the 2005 Camp Courage photo collection. Click on image to enlarge.