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Camp Catch-A-Rainbow

Fresh air, new friends, and lots of camping fun!

YMCA Storer Camps offers Camp Catch-A-Rainbow (CCAR), free of charge, to enrich the lives of children between four and seventeen years old who are being treated for cancer or who are in remission from cancer. 

Camp Catch-A-Rainbow provides the opportunity for children to simply have a good time and enjoy the experience of exercise, recreation, and companionship through activities paced to meet the needs of kids with cancer.  Campers enjoy swimming, archery, horseback riding, high adventure ropes courses, arts and crafts, canoeing, and much more.  All campers are able to experience Camp Catch-A-Rainbow at no-cost through the generosity of donors and grants.  

Upcoming Dates


Overnight Camp 2025: Sunday, June 15 – Friday, June 20
Young Campers’ Day 2025: Sunday, June 15
Leader-in-Training 2025: Sunday, June 15 – Friday, June 20
Family Camp 2025: October (TBA)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Program Information

Overnight Camp – Ages 7-15*

A one-week program for children ages 7-15.  Volunteers and YMCA staff serve as counselors and program leaders; all volunteers and staff are at least 18 years old and background checked.  Along with traditional summer camp activities, campers will enjoy special programs such as an afternoon carnival, DJ dance party and visits by special guests.

 

A one-day program for children ages 4-8.  All the excitement of overnight camp trimmed down into one day.  Campers have the opportunity to do arts and crafts, ride a pony, go swimming and more.  At the end of the day, all campers are given a certificate of accomplishment and their entire family is invited to join the overnight campers for dinner.

An advanced program to give teens life skills to be used at camp and beyond.  LIT participants will have opportunities to interview camp staff and volunteers, have daily workshops and plan camp programming.  All interested individuals must complete an application and interview; application to the program does not guarantee acceptance.

Volunteers

Staffed by volunteers, Camp Catch-A-Rainbow offers campers 24 hour access to health care professionals to meet their cancer care needs. Camp Catch-A-Rainbow seeks volunteers to fill two primary roles:

Medical Volunteers: Help meet the medical needs of all participants. Supervise the administration of medication to all participants and tend to first-aid needs. Must have a medical license in the state of Michigan and be up-to-date on CPR/BLS.

General Volunteers: Assist in the implementation of camp programs. Duties may include serving as a cabin counselor, assignments with campers who need individualized attention and day-today logistics.

Preference is given to volunteers 21 year of age or older. Applicants 19 or older with at least 1 year of college or work experience post high school may be considered for overnight camp while 18 year olds are able to volunteer for Young Campers Day. 

Medical Care

A Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Physician and Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Nurse direct a well-equipped health center to ensure that each camper will have proper care in case of an accident or illness. Additionally, there are medical professionals (physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or registered nurse) assigned to each cabin, 24 hours a day, to meet the medical needs of each camper. The medical professionals will administer general medications, chemotherapy as needed, take blood counts and coordinate any special dietary needs. More complicated needs such as blood transfusions are coordinated between the Medical Director and Nursing Director and a camper’s “home” hematologist/oncologist and parents. Camp Catch-A-Rainbow partners with Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson, MI for these more complicated medical needs.

Donations

YMCA Storer Camps is able to provide Camp Catch-A-Rainbow free of charge to campers and their families because of the generous donations we receive. Help us keep building rainbows for children who need them by designating a donation to Camp Catch-A-Rainbow today. 

Affiliations

Camp Catch-A-Rainbow is a member of COCA-I (Children’s Oncology Camping Association| International) whose mission is to strengthen the international community of camps for children with cancer and their families through networking, advocacy, education and other resources.  As of 2023, Camp Catch-A-Rainbow is a Gold Ribbon Certified camp through COCA.

Camp Catch-A-Rainbow partners with many organizations to meet the needs of campers, families and volunteers.  These organizations include Care Camps Foundation.