Okizu: Continuously improving our programs to meet our mission goals and objectives
Since shortly after its founding in 1982, Okizu has sought to include stakeholders in program planning and evaluation through questionnaires which are sent to campers, parents, and volunteers, as well as a Medical Advisory Board which meets regularly to offer the opportunity for input from the medical professionals who refer their patients and families to our programs. Over the years, our programs and our mission have grown and changed in response to the input we have received from these questionnaires, which we continue to send out after every program session we offer. In the early ‘80s, we saw our mission as to provide a fun camp experience for children suffering from cancer and having to endure the traumatizing treatment that is required. It was meant primarily as respite and recreation for these kids who are unable to participate in so much of what childhood is about. Relatively quickly, we saw the need to provide support to all members of these families, who are impacted in many ways by the cancer experience.
Click here to view the 2018 Camper Outcomes.
Additional Resources
Assessing Experiences of Children Who Attended a Camp for Children with Cancer and Their Siblings: A Preliminary Study as taken from the Child Youth Care Forum (2011)