The Heart Of Camp
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is dedicated to providing “a different kind of healing”® to children with serious illnesses and their families, free of charge. We are a community that celebrates the spirit of childhood, the sound of laughter and the feeling of endless possibility.
who we are
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was founded in 1988 by Paul Newman to give children with serious illnesses the chance to “raise a little hell.” Through a variety of year-round programs offered onsite, in hospitals and clinics, and right in camper homes and communities, we serve thousands of children and family members each year.
Our Mission
The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp provides “a different kind of healing”® to children with serious illnesses and their families through year-round programs celebrating the fun, friendship and spirit of childhood.
To create ongoing Camp connections that build a joy-filled, inclusive community where children – and families in all the forms they come in – are not alone in their challenges and more than a diagnosis. All programming is intentionally designed to meet every individual’s unique needs and offered at no cost to families thanks to the generosity of others.
Through overnight camp experiences supported by a significant, yet unobtrusive medical presence as well as off-site Family and Hospital Outreach programming, Hole in the Wall provides more than 40,000 healing experiences to children and family members annually throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
In keeping with Camp’s Core Values, Hole in the Wall fosters a community of purposeful inclusion through a commitment to diversity and equity.
Making It Count
There’s no way to measure smiles, but our research and evaluation team works to ensure the safety and happiness of our campers, the smartest use of our funding, and positive outcomes from our programs.
Inclusive to our Core
Our Founder Paul Newman’s dream was to create joy-filled Camp experiences where children marginalized and isolated because of serious illnesses could feel the healing embrace of acceptance and belonging. That same commitment extends to every single person in our community as we live by our Core Value of inclusion. That’s why we continue to be committed to purposeful inclusion through diversity and equity.
As part of our ongoing commitment, Hole in the Wall works toward our Core Values by:
- Performing regular surveys of staff, volunteers and participants to gather recommendations, feedback and opportunities to improve
- Intentionally recruit staff and volunteers who reflect the participants we serve
- Partner with organizations that serve underrepresented communities
- Deepen our cultural understanding of program participants
- Develop more culturally responsive and inclusive programming
- Implement additional internal and external feedback loops
- Reduce barriers to participation in programming
- Provide training to staff to foster multi-cultural competence and inclusivity
