This article was featured in Farmingdale Observer, Plainview Old Bethpage Herald, The Westbury Times, Glen Cover Record pilot, Manhasset Press, Syosset Jericho Trubune:
OCEANSIDE, N.Y., July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — When a child has cancer, they fall behind their peers due to prolonged stays in the hospital and time away from school due to their compromised immune system. In 2006, Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island became the first day camp in the world for children with cancer and their siblings, free of charge. While Sunrise has brought back the magic of childhood, a new program introduced this summer — The Sunrise S.T.E.A.M. Shack –is helping build children’s futures beyond cancer.
The mission of the Sunrise Association is to bring back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings world-wide, through the creation of Day Camps, Year-Round Programs and In-Hospital Recreational Activities, all offered free of charge. (PRNewsfoto/Sunrise Association)
This program is the brainchild of 17-year-old Max Miller, a self-proclaimed “technology geek” entering his senior year in high school, who worked as a counselor at Sunrise last summer. He befriended a camper, who shared his enthusiasm for computers, and wished Sunrise had a tech facility. Since then, Max has been on a mission. With the assistance of his dad David, the program has taken off, with a permanent, cutting edge S.T.E.A.M. Shack structure being built for the 2018 camp season.
There has been much debate in the education arena about S.T.E.M. vs S.T.E.A.M. but for children with cancer, a well-rounded curriculum combining technology with the arts fuels their creativity while giving them the skills needed for their future.
Kano, an England-based company, has provided computer kits — where kids have the opportunity to build their own computers, learn to code and even Hack Minecraft. But, that’s just the start — campers are designing and 3D printing their own fidget spinners, playing robot soccer with robots they created, making their own inventions using Littlebits electronic building blocks, and creating an interactive art installation, inspired by 18-year-old artist Adam Jonah’s United Imagination project.
Corporate partners have been numerous including Bethpage Federal Credit Union, MakerBot, Verizon and Yahoo. This is just the beginning. The S.T.E.A.M. Shack will be expanding its programs to other Sunrise Association camps as well as Sunrise on Wheels, a unique program where camp is brought to children in the hospital and outpatient clinics. From there, an on-line community will be created, whereby kids can learn, share, play and connect with other kids facing the same challenges they are.
Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island is a proud member of the Sunrise Association, whose mission is to bring back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings world-wide, through the creation of Day Camps, Year-Round Programs and In-Hospital Recreational Activities, all offered free of charge.
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