Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital

There are many special events and fun activities to benefit children living with cancer and other serious illnesses. Below, you'll find further details about these support services, including dates, downloadable applications and more.

Camp Boggy Creek

Camp Boggy Creek is Florida's Hole in the Wall Camp for children with serious illnesses. The well-developed camp programs are supervised by a pediatrician and nurse director. Both individuals are on the premises full-time. For the campers, this is a chance to be with other children who are going through similar experiences. For parents, the camp provides a needed break, as well as peace of mind knowing their child is receiving outstanding care.

From September through April, Camp Boggy Creek hosts 20 disease-specific family retreat weekends where campers are joined by their families. These special sessions provide opportunities for siblings to join in on the fun and for parents to talk to other parents who are dealing with the challenges of having a child with a life-threatening illness.

Winter/Spring Boggy Creek Family Retreat 2013 Schedule During weekends in the spring and fall Boggy Creek welcome 32 campers and their whole families to camp where parents can relax and find needed support among other families dealing with similar emotional and financial challenges. Brothers and sisters get to participate in the same fun-filled activities since every family member is considered a camper during family weekends.

Oncology dates: February 15-17th

Sickle Cell: April 19-21st

To download an application, please visit boggycreek.org

Summer Camp Boggy Creek in Partnership with R.O.C.K. Camp

The mission of Camp Boggy Creek is to enrich the lives of seriously ill children and their families by creating a life-enhancing camp experience that is exciting, empowering, memorable, safe, and medically sound, at no cost to them.

2013 Dates

Oncology patients: June 26th-July 2nd
Deadline is April 1st

Sickle Cell patients: August 12-17th
Deadline is May 1st

Gilda's Club South Florida

The mission of Gilda's Club is to provide a meeting place where men, women, children and teens living with cancer can join with others to build a personal network of emotional and social support. This support is an integral part of cancer treatment. At Gilda's Club, families and friends are always invited to attend meetings.

2013 Dates

For more information about Gilda's Club, including a current calendar of events, visit gildasclubsouthflorida.org

For more information about Gilda's Club and the many free services they provide, call 954-763-6776.

Make a Wish Foundation

Make-A-Wish

Since 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® has enriched the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. The Foundation's mission reflects the life-changing impact a Make-A-Wish® experience has on children, families, referral sources, donors, sponsors and entire communities.

Step 1: Referral

Make-A-Wish relies on medical professionals for referrals. Children who have reached the age of 2½ and are under the age of 18 at the time of referral who have not received a wish from another wish-granting organization may be eligible for a wish.

Step 2: Medical eligibility

We determine a child's medical eligibility with the help of the treating physician. To receive a wish, the child must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition (i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed the child's life in jeopardy).

Step 3: Finding the true wish

We send one of our enthusiastic wish teams to learn the child's one true wish. These passionate volunteers connect with wish children and help explore their imaginations for the experience that will delight and inspire them.

Step 4: Creating joy

Our wish granters create an unforgettable experience driven by the child's creativity. It's an incredible experience that enriches not just the lives of the children and their families, but often an entire community.

If you would like to apply for Make-A-Wish, please speak with the child life specialist or pediatric social worker for more information and to obtain an application.

For more information about the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program, contact us at 866-532-4362.

Deliver the Dream

Deliver the Dream helps families suffering from a serious illness or crisis. Deliver the Dream organizes monthly three day retreats for the patient and family members. Our program invites up to 15 families, free of charge, to one of the retreat locations. The Deliver the Dream retreats allow families to relax, enjoy time together, forge new friendships and create support groups with the other families suffering from the same disease. When one person in a family is sick, the entire family is impacted and there are very few organizations nationwide that focus on the whole family unit like Deliver the Dream. For more information about Deliver the Dream call 954-564-3512 or visit deliverthedream.org

May 17-19 — Families who have a child with a blood disorder
July 26-28 — Families who have a child with cancer

To apply for a retreat, please contact our office –954-265-2234.