Residential Summer camp
North Star Reach provides life-changing, year-round programs (at camp and remotely) for children with serious health challenges and their families, free of charge.
A look at RESIDENTIAL SUMMER CAMPS
Summer camp is more than s’mores, swimming, and songs; it’s the moments in between where the real magic happens. At North Star Reach, camp is a place of belonging, community, and connection for children with serious health challenges and their siblings.
The video below highlights camper experiences during a Summer Camp session.
It’s been 10 years since the Mooseness started at North Star Reach, when we welcomed our first summer campers on July 1, 2016.
Since then, there have been many “bursts of firsts” as they were known. A first campfire, s’more, no hands spaghetti, and closing campfire. The list goes on and those are only the ones we know about. There’s the first friend you met that has the same thing you do. There’s the first time you realized that you were not alone. There’s the first time you truly felt like you belonged. Luckily, those firsts have continued happening over and over, over the last 10 years of camp. That’s the Mooseness we are talking about.
Our camp programs provide life-changing experiences for children with serious health challenges and their families, free of charge. The heart of our program is summer sleepaway camp, welcoming children ages 7–15 to our beautiful, fully accessible camp in Pinckney, Michigan.
With traditional outdoor camp activities like archery, boating, campfires, fishing, nature and swimming, our campers bond with others who have shared the experience of serious illness and learn they are capable of much more than they ever thought possible.
Things to Know About Our Residential Summer Camps
Summer Camp Schedule
- June 14-19: Summer Session 1 – Blended Diagnosis & Siblings, presented by the Michigan Medicine Transplant Center
- June 28-July 3: Summer Session 2 – Blended Diagnosis & Siblings, presented by the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan
If you have questions about our Residential Summer Camp sessions, you can email campers@northstarreach.org for assistance. If you would like to volunteer at a Residential Summer Camp session, visit our Medical Volunteers and Program Volunteers pages to learn more and to submit your application!
Note: Please visit our FAQ pages for additional information!
2026 Summer Camp Applications
Applications are not complete until all required medical forms are submitted. Completed applications (application, medical forms, insurance information, immunizations) will be reviewed and accepted as space is available, otherwise completed applicants will be placed on a waiting list when necessary.
The Children We Serve
Our state-of-the-art health center, known as The Observatory, is staffed by nurses, physicians and other medical professionals, including volunteers practicing in the local area and others recruited from our medical partners. The medical support we provide allows children with complex healthcare needs to come to camp, often for the first time. Since we opened in 2016, we have served more than 3,000 children with serious health challenges and their family members.
Program Goals
Our Summer Camp program is designed to foster adventure and exploration, support positive self-identity, and build meaningful friendships. We call this our Authentic Camp Experience (ACE).
Creating transformative camp experiences for children with serious health challenges and their families takes a dedicated community of talented staff, medical professionals, and generous volunteers. How we bring it all together is something we lovingly call Mooseness, a feeling that’s been growing here for more than 10 years.
To truly understand the magic of Mooseness, we invite you to experience it with us at North Star Reach.
Who Can Attend Summer Camp?
North Star Reach Summer Camp is entirely free of charge and open to children ages 7–15 (by the first day of the session) who have a qualifying medical diagnosis, as well as siblings of eligible campers.
Our summer sessions are blended, meaning campers with a variety of diagnoses attend camp together alongside their siblings. This model creates a welcoming, inclusive environment where differences are celebrated, friendships form naturally, and every camper is supported as a whole person, not defined by a diagnosis.
Our experienced staff and licensed medical professionals work together to ensure every camper’s medical, emotional, and social needs are met safely and thoughtfully.
Eligible Health Conditions
Children with the following diagnoses are eligible to attend Summer Camp at North Star Reach:
Transplants
Campers who have received a solid organ transplant, including heart, kidney, or liver.
Cardiology
Campers with congenital or acquired heart disease, including those who are pre- or post-surgical repair and those who have undergone transplantation.
Epilepsy
Campers with a diagnosis of epilepsy or a seizure disorder.
Neuro-Oncology
Campers with a diagnosis of a neuro-oncological condition.
Sickle Cell / Hematology
Campers with hematologic conditions, including sickle cell disease, bleeding disorders, and anemias (excluding blood cancers).
Siblings
Siblings of campers who have attended a past North Star Reach Summer Camp or who have applied to attend in 2026.
Immunizations
At North Star Reach, safety is our highest concern. We strive in every way to create the safest environment possible for children with medically complex conditions. As such, we uphold the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) immunization recommendations. The AAP sets its immunization schedule based on evidence based research and provides the latest, trusted guidance on when children and teens should receive each immunization. Every vaccine included has been thoroughly studied and licensed by the Food and Drug Administration. You can view that immunization schedule here.
Your health care provider will be familiar with the recommended immunizations as well as any potential medical contraindications to those vaccines. All summer campers must be fully immunized unless there is a physician documented medical reason not to do so.
Please be advised that no child is guaranteed to be accepted to camp. Applications are reviewed and acceptance is based upon health care needs, space, and staffing ratios.
Medical Eligibility
The following are eligibility requirements for participation in a summer camp program:
- Must have an eligible diagnosis
- Must be 7-15 years old
- Must be medically unable to attend a summer camp for healthy children
- Must be non-violent: not currently a danger to self or others
- Must be able to function and participate successfully in a group setting
- All summer campers must be fully immunized as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) unless there is a physician documented medical reason not to do so
North Star Reach is an inclusive camp. We have resources to accommodate the needs of campers with serious health challenges, however, not all campers may be safe to attend a summer camp session. Campers who do not meet the following criteria will require a thorough medical review in order to assess each camper’s ability to have a safe, fun camp experience:
- Bathroom independence
- Ability to communicate needs independently
- Have a minimum developmental age of 7 years old
Waitlist
Unfortunately, North Star Reach may not be able to accommodate all who apply to camp. While we would love to be able to welcome everyone, we do have a limit to the available camper spots so first completed, first reserved. If a session is already full, your camper will be put on a waiting list once all forms are complete and you will be notified. You will be notified if a reservation becomes available. Notification can be as late as the first day of camp.
Eat. Sleep. Camp. That’s what we do.
Thank You, Sponsors!
Series Presenting Sponsor
Available
Campfire Sponsors
Cabin Sponsors
Available
Activities Sponsors
Available
S'Mores Sponsors
Available
Memories Sponsors
Print Sponsor
Sponsorship Opportunities!
We are currently seeking sponsors for our Residential Summer Camps! Learn more about our sponsorship opportunities: Residential Summer Camps
Ready to Sponsor?
Contact Cassy Sleeper, Corporate Philanthropy Director, at either (248) 896-1116 or cassy@northstarreach.org to secure your sponsorship today!