A Day in the Life of a Camper
Every camp and program planning team is made up of a dedicated team of volunteers, which we refer to as Program Directors, Program Leaders, Coordinators, or Admin Staff. They work closely with our Camp One Step staff and spend countless hours coming up with creative activities and experiences to make each camp unique. Even though each opportunity is different, we wanted to help you better understand what a day at Camp could look like.
CAMPER FORMS &
MATERIALS
In order to provide the best experience for everyone, we partner with families to collect important information regarding your child’s health and wellness before camp. We ask that families carefully review forms and materials to provide the most accurate and up to date information as possible, ensuring a safe and fun experience for your child while at camp.
Copies, screenshots, or pictures of medical forms and materials can be securely uploaded to your UltraCamp account after applying, or can be sent to designated Camp One Step staff. Due dates for submitted materials will be determined on a camp-to-camp basis; they are communicated via email so please keep a close eye on your inbox.
Health History, Medication Form, & Medical Consent
As part of the online application process, you will be required to complete a health history that explores your child’s medical needs, describe the dosage and schedule for medications while at camp, and provide consent for treatment that could take place at camp. Because safety is our top priority, all of this information helps us to take the best care of your child while away.
Physical Exam Forms
Working with your healthcare team to provide an updated physical exam form is crucial for safety at camp. Physical exams help determine eligibility and allow our team to adapt activities so everyone can participate together. A physical exam form is required for all new participants; updated physicals are required once a year for children who are not on therapy and before each camp for children who are on therapy. Physical exam forms are not needed for participation in digital programming or family-based opportunities.
Immunization Records
In order to keep our immunocompromised community well at camp, routine childhood immunizations are required for all participants. This includes measles, mumps, rubella, varicella, polio, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus. Optional immunizations include flu and COVID-19. Medical exemptions may be accepted on an individual basis; inquiries should be sent to the Camp One Step medical team.
Health Insurance
Meeting the needs of participants is critical to their success at camp. Though we maintain high standards for health and safety while at camp, sometimes, accidents happen. Our medical team members are fully prepared to support your child’s needs, whether they are routine or occur unexpectedly, so having a copy of your health insurance information ensures that care takes place in a timely and efficient manner.
Health and Wellness At Camp One Step
Taking care of your child is our top priority at camp. Showing campers the love and attention they receive at home is important when it comes to a fun and successful time at camp. We have a full team of medical professionals that range from nurses to doctors to other advanced healthcare professionals who manage your child’s needs, including ensuring a healthy camp experience and administering your child’s medications.
Making sure everyone comes to camp healthy through a quick health screening is an important safety strategy we implement for all in-person camps. Upon check in, you will meet with one of the medical team members, discuss current needs, and review medication schedules and dosage. Our medical team organizes all medications at the start of camp to ensure your child receives scheduled and as needed meds on a safe and consistent basis. Please send all medications in original prescription containers; over-the-counter medications are stocked at camp, so no need to send those along with your camper! Should an issue or illness arise while at camp, you will be contacted by a medical team member and a plan of action will be determined.
Camper wellness goes beyond just their physical health; supporting campers’ mental, emotional, and social health is just as important. Campers join from all different backgrounds, experiences, and places along their health journeys, and we believe camp should be a rejuvenating, healing experience. To help meet that goal, we ensure there is professional mental health support either on the ground at camp or available during camp sessions. Taking care of your child is about more than just their physical wellbeing.
Packing Tips
for Campers
- Using luggage or a bag that has wheels makes it much easier for campers to move their items
across campus. - Label clothing and packed items – with multiple campers sharing a room, it helps speed up the pick up process at the end of camp!
- Some activities require specific clothing, like rock climbing and horseback riding requiring long pants and closed toed shoes. We will make sure you know about these activities before coming to camp!
- Spending money can sometimes be helpful, but is NOT required. We cover all the meals, snacks, and fun during camp, but there are times campers want to buy a souvenir on a field trip or purchase an extra special snack!
- Unless using a phone for pictures or a tablet or laptop for homework, we highly recommend campers leave electronic devices at home. Camp One Step is not responsible for lost or damaged devices. Fully engage while at camp and unplug from the outside world!
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION
Getting you to camp is important to us. We provide buses to and from certain camps, and if your family needs support with transportation for others, we’re here to help. Check out the transportation information below; if these plans do not meet your needs, let us know how we can get you to camp!
- Buses are provided from Chicago and Milwaukee to Sibling Camp, Summer Camp, Adventure Camp, Dude Ranch Camp, and Winter Camp, and then back home from those camps as well. Summer Camp has an additional bus option from/to Appleton during week two.
- Plane transportation is provided from Chicago O’Hare Airport to Salt Lake City Airport and back for Utah Ski Camp, as well as a bus from Milwaukee to Chicago before camp and a bus from Chicago to Milwaukee after camp. Plane transportation is also provided for the Washington D.C. Experience from an airport near you to D.C. and back.
Camp One Step Contacts
We know there is a lot of information shared before, during, and after your child comes to camp. We love partnering with families to make sure we have all the information we need for your child to safely attend camp, and for you to have all the information you need to confidently send your child to camp. Here are some key individuals that will be reaching out to you after you apply; please save their contact information to avoid missed messages or emails getting sent to your spam folder.
In addition to the individuals listed here, you will also receive correspondence from volunteer program leadership. These emails will all come from a Camp One Step email account (@camponestep.org), so be on the lookout for those messages as well! For example, if you have signed your child up for Adventure Camp, you will receive emails from adventurecamp@camponestep.org.
Devin Ryan-Holanda – VP Camps & Programs
Jessica Hopper – Director of Camps & Programs Operations
Lucy Burzynski – Camps & Programs Manager
Madeline Brown – Camps & Programs Manager
Susie Burke – Medical Director
Camper Handbook
It’s important to us that your child has the best
experience possible, so we recommend each family review our Camper Handbook. Not only does this help prepare your child for being at camp, but it’s also a
great resource before, during, and after camp!
Camper & Family FAQ’s
Attending camp is FREE! Thanks to generous support we receive each year from individuals, corporations, and foundations, camps and programs are provided to campers and families free of charge.
Camp and program registrations all go through UltraCamp, our registration database. You can create an account in UltraCamp HERE. If you already have an account, you can login and go through the application process to sign up for an open camp or program.
The fun begins! You will receive a confirmation email from UltraCamp confirming the application is completed. If you do not receive that information, you may not have completed the whole process; please reach out to dryan@camponestep.org if you have this issue. Once registration closes, you will begin to receive information from the Camp One Step team about needed paperwork and other important details. Some camps have waitlists, so keeping an eye on your email is very important to make sure your child has the best chance to come to camp! Let’s partner together in the months leading up to camp to make this a great experience for your child.
Each child needs a registration completed through UltraCamp, which includes camp-specific questions, a health history, medical consent, and waivers. Once you apply, you will also need to submit an up-to-date physical exam form, a copy of their immunization records, and a copy of their health insurance card. If additional documents are required, you will be prompted for those by a Camp One Step team member.
Yes. Some of our camps, like Utah Ski Camp and Dude Ranch Camp, require diagnosed children to be at a certain point in their cancer journey or to meet given medical standards; these specific situations will happen on an individual review basis. Even if a certain camp is not a fit for your child at the moment, there are other opportunities for them to participate, including Connected Digital programs!
Yes and we encourage them to join! Camp is a lifelong opportunity; we love to see campers turn to counselors or continue in other roles. We respect children’s varying experiences with cancer and welcome them to apply if they are newly diagnosed, on treatment, off treatment, you name it!
Some of our camps – Sibling Camp, Summer Camp, Adventure Camp, Dude Ranch Camp, and Winter Camp – have buses from/to Chicago and Milwaukee already built into the programming. Plane transportation is provided for Utah Ski Camp and the Washington D.C. Experience. We want camp to be available to everyone, so if you have a transportation need, please reach out to dryan@camponestep.org to partner with us and find a way to camp!
Some of our camps – Utah Ski Camp, Adventure Camp, Dude Ranch Camp, and Family Camp – have a maximum number of participants due to lodging, staffing, and other support factors. What that means is we highly encourage you to apply early and often! Having a complete application – including submitting required materials – is the best way to ensure your child can go to camp. If needed, a waitlist will be implemented and you will receive all necessary information via email.
Having a lot of interest in camp is great, but it does mean we may need to start a waitlist. If you receive a notification that your child is on the waitlist, you will have the option to stay on the waitlist or remove your child’s application from consideration. Camper lists are constantly changing due to schedule changes, illness, and other factors, so we highly encourage you to stay on the waitlist and continue submitting materials as needed! In the weeks and days leading up to camp, we will be in touch about application status and next steps. We appreciate your understanding as camp continues to grow!
We have all types of housing for camp! Whether your child is in lodge-style housing, bunk-style housing, and tent camping, we make sure to room campers with age-appropriate individuals. For winter programming, all housing has heat, and for summer programming, all housing has air conditioning or fans (unless tent camping, which means campers have fresh air all around them). Because housing differs so significantly based on the age of your child or the camp they’re attending, more details about housing can be provided in the lead up to camp!
Yes! As part of the application process, you will be prompted to share any names of campers that your child wants to room with. The planning team will do their best to grant those requests. If you forget to list roommate requests on the application or if your child has a request after you complete the application, you can always reach out to Camp One Step staff!
Camp is so much fun; who needs a phone?! Though Camp One Step does not have a no phones rule, we highly encourage that those devices stay at home or only be used for pictures. Phones could be confiscated if they are interrupting with programming or camper participation, and Camp One Step is not responsible for lost or broken devices.
There is so much fun packed into each camp, that yes, we ask for campers to attend for the full duration of camp. Some camps, mainly those that require far travels, require that campers attend the full camp, but we can make exceptions on an individual basis. Please contact the Camp One Step team if you have any questions about your child’s arrival to/departure from camp.
There will be a Camp One Step team member at each camp, and their contact information (email and cell phone number) will be shared with you before you drop off your child. The Camp One Step team member will be the best bet to get ahold of your child or share any relevant information during camp!
We’ve found that our community wants to participate in as much camp as possible, all year long, so we created Connected Digital Programs! Connected allows the camp community to jump on a video call, enjoy fun activities, and catch up with friends throughout the year! Connected is a great supplement to in-person camps while also providing campers the chance to stay in touch with camp if they cannot make it in person. Learn more about Connected HERE!
Diagnosed child only:
- Utah Ski Camp
- Summer Camp
- Dude Ranch Camp
- Winter Camp
- Sibling only
- Sibling Camp
- Diagnosed child & siblings:
- Day Camp
- Adventure Camp
- Connected Camper & Sibling Program
- Whole family:
- Washington D.C. Experience
- Connected Family Program
- Brain Tumor Family Camp
- Family Camp
- Local opportunities
Absolutely! We love expanding our network beyond the Chicago and Milwaukee areas, so we encourage everyone to apply. If attending in person won’t work for your family, we also encourage you to check out our Connected Digital Programs. To explore travel support, please contact dryan@camponestep.org.