Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Camp Holiday Trails, a nonprofit organization based here in Charlottesville, has been providing life-changing summer camp experiences for children with medical needs for 50 years. Dave Ogens, President of the Board, recently spoke about the camp’s mission and milestones on WINA Morning News.  

“Our mission is to provide a sleep-away camp opportunity for kids with medical needs and these are kids that just would never have a chance to fish, to ride a horse, to climb a climbing wall, to swim without the sort of environment that we create for them,” said Ogens. He highlighted the camp’s impact on families, stating that it not only builds confidence in the children but also offers peace of mind to parents and encouragement for siblings.  

The camp operates entirely through donor support and a dedicated team of volunteers, including a clinical staff that donates its time. “We don’t get any funds from UVA. We don’t get any funds from the government. We are totally funded by our donors and our individuals,” Ogens explained. The organization recently launched a $100 camper fee initiative, making the camp more accessible to families while relying on donations to cover the actual $2,000 per week cost per child.  

The camp marked its golden anniversary with a weekend of celebrations in November, bringing together former campers, staff, and volunteers. The event also highlighted a nearly completed $2.4 million campaign to build a new medical facility. “It was a fabulous weekend and really just showed you sort of how much this camp is meant to not only the campers, but to the people that were counselors and that worked there,” Ogens said. 

For more information or to support the camp’s mission, visit campholidaytrails.org. Listen here for the full conversation: