The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp has been blessed with many friends over the years, but one of the very first and finest was A.E. Hotchner, who passed away at age 102 on February 15, 2020. While his friendship with Paul Newman and many accomplishments as a writer are well known, at Hole in the Wall the man known affectionately as “Hotch” left behind a legacy that lives on in the hearts of thousands of seriously ill children and family members who are the true beneficiaries of his friendship.

One of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s original founding board members, Hotch’s compassion and creativity were driving forces from the very beginning. He played a crucial role in many of the meetings and negotiations that helped get The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp started, including the pivotal recruitment of Camp’s Founding Medical Director Dr. Howard Pearson. Hotch was also instrumental in the building of the Camp theater, which not only created an ideal setting for Stage Night and Awards Night for the campers, but also became the perfect home for Hole in the Wall’s signature fundraising event, the Fandango Benefit Gala. Hotch set the tone for the annual fundraiser that paired famous friends with campers in a performance filled with memorable moments of inspiration, humor and heart. Hotch was the director of the Gala for its first 15 years, and for 20 years he wrote hilarious sketches that invited the improvisation of celebrity friends. The audience never knew what would happen next.

When spending time at Hole in the Wall, Hotch delighted in sitting on the Infirmary porch in the heart of downtown Camp. “When I go to Camp,” he said, “I am uplifted by the children.” So many of those children have reached out to recognize the touching and inspiring friendship they shared with Hotch.
As someone who has been privileged to be involved with Camp since its very first summer, it is hard to imagine a Hole in the Wall without Hotch and his unwavering loyalty, enthusiasm and dedication. I will always be grateful for the faith he had in me and for his ardent support for Camp staff, which he often expressed by opening his home to a gaggle of summer counselors for dinners of Cornish game hens and countless stories of his adventures with Camp’s Founder. Those dinners lifted our spirits and brought all of us who attended closer as community.

A.E. Hotchner and Paul Newman Hotch’s friendship with Paul Newman led to many schemes to make the world a better place, which went on to benefit millions of people in need. How fortunate we at Hole in the Wall have been to know Hotch, not only as a man of letters and philanthropic vision, but as a friend whose compassion, drive and creativity were repeatedly unleased for the benefit of our children, their families and the Camp staff. Our hearts are filled with gratitude for all that Hotch did to nurture The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp community and our thoughts go out to his family, including his son Timothy, whose love for our campers is the best reflection of his father’s heart. Hotch will be deeply missed, and his spirit will live on at Camp thanks to all the ways that he shaped our mission. Happy trails to you, Hotch. Until we meet again.

Even with all the trips I’d taken from Queens, New York on the bus with 30 plus other kids heading to Ashford, Connecticut, I never would have thought The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp would fill my heart so much for so many years to come.

I wish I had all the details to share – all of my counselors’ names, all the names of my fellow campers, all the Stage Night performances. I wish I could go back in time and relive the excitement and energy of “Bouncing Around the Room!”

I wish all these things, but the truth is a lot of it is a blur – a blur of laughs, awards and compliments; a blur of learning ‘the cup song’ in the dining hall with the rest of my cabin; a blur of riding a horse for the first time; a blur of spending every possible afternoon program in arts and crafts; a blur of throwing clay on the wheel; and, of course, a blur of the magic that is Carnivarty!

It’s all a blur now because I lost touch after moving from New York to Florida. Years flew by, and in 2017, I was preparing to graduate from college. I was terrified of what post-college life would look like and not sure what was in store. But after a conversation with a good friend of mine, I knew in my gut that I needed to go back to Camp! It had been nine years, but I sent my application in to be on summer staff in – you guessed it – arts & crafts!

Even though I had been gone for so long, I was still filled with excitement approaching Camp and looking out for the sign with the bandit as I’d done so many times before. I finally arrived on Camp and was right at home! The cabins smelled the same, and arts & crafts was just how I remembered it. Summer 2017 was a whirlwind of new relationships in such a familiar space. One of the best parts of that summer was reconnecting with a camper friend who I hadn’t seen in almost a decade who was volunteering Session one. We instantly recognized each other and promptly caught up and exchanged numbers!

Fast forward to 2019, and I submitted another application to be part of the summer staff leadership team. This time I would be working in a new capacity in the volunteer world where I saw yet another side of Hole in the Wall. Returning to Camp was the best thing I could’ve done. The genuine smiles and love that this place brings is so beautiful. After being a camper, summer staff member and volunteer, I knew there was more for me to do with this organization…

So, earlier this year, and without a second thought, I packed up everything in Florida and drove 1,035 miles to join the Hospital Outreach team in Philadelphia! And I write this with two whole months of full time Hole in the Wall employment under my belt! This transition has been a time of learning and growing, and I’m happy to work with such a supportive group of people. Even though I’m not in Ashford, the spirit of Camp is felt throughout the hospital floors, and I’m proud to be part of a team that gets to bring it there!

Eight-year-old me riding the bus to Camp for the very first time never could have dreamed of this. I’m so grateful my parents took that enormous leap of faith and sent me to Hole in the Wall all those years ago. If it weren’t for them, I’m not sure I’d have Camp in my life today. Thank you Paul for this Hole in the Wall, this Camp continues to be good to me!

Sad eyes, Sad eyes…everywhere you go, people’s sad eyes looking at me. That’s why I love Camp. Happy, happy eyes! Oh and I caught and kissed a fish.” – Sophie, in treatment for Leukemia, as we drove away from our first Family Weekend at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

When we first drove through The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp gate for a spring Family Weekend, I almost burst into tears. It was emotional coming to terms with the idea that we were a family with a child with cancer and that we were visiting a camp for children facing serious illnesses.

Our daughter Sophie had been diagnosed with Leukemia a few months before, and this was one of our first trips away from home and the hospital. Over the two and a half years of Sophie’s active treatment, we spent over 159 days in patient, had 29 procedures under sedation, 3,000 plus doses of chemotherapy and spent up to three days per week in the out-patient clinic. Our Shumba (Sophie’s nickname meaning Lion Cub) led the way boldly, but it felt like a marathon.

Over the course of that first Family Weekend at Camp and many times to come, our family found strength, courage, support, laughter, fun, friendship, family and hope. The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp has brought healing to every member of our family over the last eight years, whether it’s been at Family Weekends, camper and sibling sessions, Parent and Caregiver Retreats or most recently the Hero’s Journey® program. Every single session each of us has attended has been a unique experience, and we have encountered helpful hands, warm embraces, laughter, love and smiling faces at every turn. Every need is always met, whether we are able to articulate it or not. It is simply the best medicine and the greatest gift for patients, siblings and families both during and post treatment. Camp has built incredible character in my kids – the magic of Camp is part of who they are.

“When I am a big girl and I come back, I am going to climb the ladder and sleep on the top bunk!”
Sophie announced boldly on that first Family Weekend. She had spent the majority of that weekend in the large dress up closet and even sang a solo at Stage Night! Over the years Sophie has gone to many Camp sessions, made some of her best friends, and developed her passion for singing with the most supportive audience in the world.

“I had the best week of my life! Promise me I’ll come again!”

Ava, Sophie’s big sister, exclaimed as we drove away from Camp after her first sibling session. We would come to hear those words after every visit over the years. Ava always had the time of her life during the action packed and fun Camp sessions – swimming, games, group activities, fishing, Stage Night, games and so much more. But what she appreciated most was being with other children who shared her experience of having a sibling with a serious illness. The sibling journey is a difficult one and Camp understands that, as is reflected in all of their programming.

As parents, Camp has given us a safe haven to talk about our experience with other parents who understand firsthand what it means to have a child with a serious illness and the impact on the whole family. The Parent and Caregiver Retreat was one of the best weekends we had had in years…and in true Camp style, we danced like it was 1993!!! I now volunteer at the Parent and Caregiver Retreat Weekends and love serving and sharing our experiences with families newer to the journey.

We are forever grateful and look forward to a lifetime with our Camp family – both as participants and most importantly as volunteers. It’s a gift we want to keep passing on!

My Camp story began thirteen years ago in 2006, when my family attended a Family Weekend after my brother Austin was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After that first weekend I was hooked. I attended sibling sessions, was a Hero’s Journey participant, and participated in the LIT 1 & LIT 2 programs. When I was a camper, my counselors were my biggest role models and the people I looked up to. I was somewhat of a shy kid, and aspired to one day work at Camp, like them, and be that person for kids like my brother and me.

In 2015, I was lucky enough to join summer staff, and this will be my fifth summer working at Camp. Last summer I had the privilege of being the Unit Leader in yellow, where the theme was Ohana. Ohana is the Hawaiian word for family, and it means no one gets left behind or forgotten. In the yellow unit, I wanted to create a place where campers, volunteers and staff just simply belonged, and everyone was there to support one and another.

Camp for our campers, is a place where they can finally make a friend (or 8); where they might meet another kid who’s “just like them” with the same or similar diagnosis. This is so power for all the campers and families that we serve at Camp, including the siblings. When my brother was going through treatment, my friends at school didn’t understand why I couldn’t do certain things like have sleepovers or why I was “always at the hospital.” When I came to Camp, there was a full cabin of people who just got it and I found a life-long friendship. The best friend I made in the blue unit in 2008 is still my best friend today, and a counselor with me.

This summer, I’ll be back in yellow as the unit leader, and our unit theme is “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story. My goal for the summer is to help foster friendships, just like the ones I made at Camp. It’s my hope and goal that every single one of the campers in yellow leaves Camp with at least one new friend this summer. If they can make a friend at Camp, hopefully that will give them the confidence that they can make friends outside of Camp as well.”