Okizu's Campers Find Strength, Community, and Joy

The nonprofit Okizu recently hosted its summer camp season, providing a crucial safe haven for children and families impacted by cancer. This year's camps were held at various locations across the Bay Area, including Walker Creek Ranch in Petaluma, as Okizu works to rebuild its permanent home in Calaveras County.

Okizu's original Berry Creek campus was destroyed in the 2020 wildfires. This loss significantly reduced the number of campers they could accommodate. Previously, the campus could host 120-130 children, but recent sites have accommodated around 86 campers.

The camp offers five distinct programs, including oncology and sibling camps, fostering a sense of unity and healing. Campers find a supportive community, escaping the challenges of their medical journeys to simply be children, engage in activities, and build lasting friendships.

Many counselors, like Evan Vieira and Ashley Barth, are former campers who return to give back. Vieira, who lost his brother to cancer, found Okizu to be a place of belonging. Barth, a cancer survivor, aims to provide that same influential support to current campers.

Okizu is actively fundraising for its new campus in Calaveras County, seeking to restore the capacity and magic of its programs for future generations of children and families facing cancer.