Summer Camp Volunteers
Okizu relies on volunteers to make camp a reality each summer. Each year volunteers contribute over 50,000 hours to make our camp programs happen. The Oncology and SIBS (Special and Important Brothers and Sisters) Camp staff is a carefully selected team of qualified adults, selected for their experience and enthusiasm for their work with children. Staff members are required to participate in an orientation and training program. Many of the counselors are university students who are interested in working with children. Others are teachers, nurses, and other professionals who have made it a priority to spend at least one week of their vacation time volunteering at camp.
Family Camp Volunteers
In addition to our week-long programs, we have family camp weekends, and are always looking for volunteers to staff these programs. Volunteering at a family camp is a great idea for people who don’t have the time to volunteer for a week, but could spend a weekend up at camp. It’s also a great way for people who are new to Okizu to get to know our program, our site, and the kids and families we serve. Family camp is a time where patients, their siblings and their parents can enjoy a relaxing weekend away from home stresses and hospitals. It’s a chance to spend time as a family, and also an opportunity to get to know other families dealing with having a child with cancer. Volunteers are needed from Friday evenings until Sunday 3 p.m. for family camp (with the exception of the 3-day weekends, where volunteers are needed until Mondays at noon.)
Visit our Volunteer Information section for more information. Visit www.okizu.org/apply to apply!
Medical Staff
Medical supervision at camp is overseen by the pediatric oncology staff from the participating hospitals. These professionals volunteer their time because they enjoy being with the children when they are not in the hospital setting. Dr. Michael Amylon, Emeritus (Active) Professor of Pediatrics (Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation), Stanford University School of Medicine, supervises the medical staff.
Under-18 Volunteers
Please contact the Okizu office to inquire about volunteer opportunities for 16 and 17-year-olds or visit www.okizu.org/apply to apply!
Writing a Reference?
The online reference form for over-18-year-old volunteers can be found at www.okizu.org/referenceform.
The online reference form for under-18-year-old volunteers can be found at www.okizu.org/under18reference.
Art Inspiring Hope Gala Committee
As with camp, we depend on a volunteer committee to band together to make this event come to life. Meeting once a month from August to April, and communicating via email the rest of the time, the gala committee’s responsibilities are varied and many, allowing volunteers and friends to participate in areas of their choosing. Those include sub-committees of Auction, PR, Production, Raffle, Signage, and Corporate, In-kind, and Honorary Sponsors.
For more information on Art Inspiring Hope, please contact Sarah Uldricks at 415.382.1503 or sarah@okizu.org.
If you have questions about any of our other volunteer positions, please call 415.382.9083 or email info@okizu.org.