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July 26, 2002/Av 17 5762, Vol. 54, No. 45
Resort rescue
Chaparral Suites hosts camp
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
Carole Silverman, director of food and beverage at Chaparral Suites Resort, assists Remington Vail in an art project at Camp Sunrise. Vail lost a sister to cancer and his family still attends the camp to give other families support.
Photo courtesy of Bay & Associates
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There was no need for bug spray this year for campers at the American Cancer Society's Sunrise Camp. Instead, the children, ages 3-7, and their families stayed at a Scottsdale resort.
Due to fire danger in northern Arizona, the camp for children with cancer wasn't able to meet at its regular location, the R-C Scout Ranch east of Payson.
Ten days before the camp was scheduled to take place, Chaparral Suites Resort Scottsdale stepped in to host the annual Camp Sunrise Family Overnight July 11-12, donating 20 rooms to the children and their families, as well as providing meeting areas, banquet facilities and pool access for camp programs. The resort also donated meals and snacks to the approximately 60-80 guests.
Campers swam, played games and worked on arts and crafts projects.
"I've never seen such polite, appreciative people from the little ones on up," says Carole Silverman, director of food and beverage. "It was a great experience and my staff all had a good time."
"It just made everybody feel good," says Tom Silverman, general manager of Chaparral Suites Resort. The resort also supplies free hotel rooms to cancer patients who can't afford rooms when coming to the Valley for treatment.
Camp Sunrise, for those in treatment and those in remission, is designed to give children "the opportunity to experience camp like any other child and to get away from hospitals and doctors and not necessarily be 'the kid with cancer,' " says Melissa Marshall, communications manager of the American Cancer Society. "Oftentimes, it's the highlight of their year."
Other American Cancer Society camp programs, including Sunrise Sidekicks, a camp for siblings of children with cancer, are being held at Northern Arizona University this year.
For more information, call (800) ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
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