Camp Oasis: 20 Years of Community, Belonging, and Summer Fun for Kids and Teens Living with IBD
Published: January 31, 2025
“Camp Oasis is a place where understanding and acceptance meet. It’s a place meant for everyone with IBD to not feel alone in their battle and where you don’t need to explain yourself. You can just be you.” – Camp Oasis volunteer
Registration is open for Camp Oasis Summer 2025 sessions.
Home Away from Home
For more than 20 years, nearly 1,000 campers and hundreds of volunteers have gathered at one of 10 Camp Oasis locations for a magical sleepaway experience for kids living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
When Knox’s parents picked him up from his first Camp Oasis in August, they weren’t ready for the 11-year-old’s excitement. “He couldn’t stop sharing one incredible camp story after another,” remembered his mother, Ashley. “His Crohn’s diagnosis is still new, and it’s been overwhelming and scary. We’re beyond grateful for the friendships and experiences he gained at camp.”
With their medical needs fully accommodated and surrounded by people who live with IBD, too, kids can just be kids at Camp Oasis.
More Than 20 Years of Community and Belonging
This year marks 20 years since Camp Oasis became a national program of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation.
The journey of Camp Oasis began even before 2005, largely due to passionate volunteers. Committed parents, local Foundation staff, and healthcare professionals took decisive action, investing time and resources to create these specialized camp experiences with groups of 10–60 campers. The first summer camp for youth with IBD was established in Alabama in 1996 and was designed to fill a critical gap in pediatric IBD care and support resources.
Since then, Camp Oasis has grown into a national program operating at 10 locations plus a popular virtual CampOasis@Home session. This life-changing experience would never have existed without the dedication of so many who believe in the program’s impact for the pediatric IBD population.
Leave Empowered
An eight-year study on Camp Oasis by the Foundation proves that camp significantly improves kids’ self-confidence, independence, sense of belonging, and positive feelings about their future living with IBD. Even just one summer can bring lasting impact:
- 98% say Camp Oasis is a place where campers feel supported and where they belong
96% of campers and parents say Camp Oasis had a positive impact on their well-being
“Camp is very meaningful to me,” shared a Camp Oasis camper. “It’s given me a support system, friends I can rely on and who understand me on a deeper level than most, and confidence in myself about my disease.”
The support network created at Camp Oasis is more important than ever as the prevalence of pediatric IBD continues to rise in the U.S. “Pediatric IBD can be a very isolating disease,” noted Steven J. Steiner, MD, Medical Director, Camp Oasis of Michigan. “Camp Oasis has proven to be a mechanism for patients—and their families—to overcome this barrier and continue becoming young adults who can practice self-care more effectively.”
Lifelong bonds
For volunteers, camp’s impact is just as strong. A recent volunteer survey shows that:
- 99% felt inspired
- 98% met someone they will stay in touch with outside of camp
- 94% learned more about their IBD at Camp Oasis
This year, Camp Oasis also launched its Alumni Network, connecting former volunteers and campers as well as providing meaningful opportunities to support the camp and the Foundation’s mission. The Alumni Network ensures just one week of camp can become a lifetime connection to a special community.
“Through the years, we went to each other’s weddings, high school/college/medical school graduations, baby showers, and more,” said Camp Oasis alumna and Foundation employee Mary Esna-Ashari. “I met my two best friends at camp. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Camp Oasis!”
Join Us
Thank you to the volunteers, campers, donors, and staff who helped make 20 years of camp magic possible!
Join us this summer. Register for camp.
You can make an impact on IBD cures! Please consider making a donation to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation.
