Camp Oasis Provides Fun, Friends, and Support for Kids with IBD

Ask adults who have been to summer camp as a child and many will just beam as they tell you it was one of the best experiences of their childhood. Summer camp can broaden horizons, giving kids the chance to grow, make new friends – some of them lifelong – learn new skills, have fun, and become more independent.

For kids who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), summer camp may not seem like a possibility. Camp Oasis Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation makes it possible.

A Life Changing Experience for Campers

The Foundation founded Camp Oasis over 25 years ago so that children living with IBD could attend a sleepaway summer camp and feel comfortable, accepted, and safe. Camp Oasis is exclusively for children with IBD, so kids feel that they are not alone and meet a welcoming community of other kids and adults dealing with many of the same issues.

Registration for summer 2023 is now open at our 11 Camp Oasis locations. Enrollment is on a “first come first served basis,” assuming applicants have medical clearance to attend. No child is turned away based on ability to pay.

Camp Oasis is staffed by a dedicated team of medical volunteers including physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who are available to provide care 24/7 if necessary and work to ensure that campers follow the regimen provided by their doctors from home. This helps give campers and their parents the peace of mind to fully enjoy the camp experience.

Learn more about Camp Oasis here.

A Life Changing Experience for Volunteers Too

It’s not just kids who have a fantastic time at camp. Many staff tell us that the experience of volunteering at Camp Oasis has been life changing for them as well.

Dr. Abdul Elkadri, a pediatric gastroenterologist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has been the Medical Director of Camp Oasis in Wisconsin for seven years and is looking forward to coming back this summer. 

Dr. Elkadri recently shared more about his role at Camp Oasis and why he finds it so rewarding.  

I became involved in Camp Oasis when I first moved to Milwaukee in 2016. I had heard great things about the camp and wanted to be part of the experience. Over the years, I met a group of wonderful organizers and volunteers at the camp. I enjoy seeing people return each year and especially seeing former campers who return as camp counselors when they’re grown.

I love seeing the kids go to camp and just be kids, even when things aren’t medically perfect. Everyone ends up having a great time and making tons of friends. For the rest of the year, it’s one of the most talked about things during clinic visits – camp and their new friends who they keep in touch with throughout the year.

This is why specialized camps like Camp Oasis are so important to me. The impact I have on children’s lives most of the time is unfortunately limited to clinic visits and during inpatient stays. As doctors, we frequently see the kids when things are at their worst for them. After seeing the impact Camp Oasis makes on children who attend, I see how I’ve helped them develop over time and become in charge of their therapy and disease management. That is so powerful and I can’t recommend the opportunity more highly.

Camp Oasis welcomes new staff volunteers. Learn more here.