On Saturday, May 12, the 3rd annual Woods-to-Waves Trek to raise money and awareness for St. Dorothy’s Hospital Camps met with beautiful spring weather and an enthusiastic group of hikers. With over 100 registrants, people began gathering at 9 a.m. to pack their lunches, stretch, and socialize before the 14-mile hike ahead. Each hiker was handed the name of a former health camper whom they hiked in honor of, and Bishop Marc and Sheila Andrus joined the group for a blessing. By 10 a.m. everyone was off through the woods.
Hikers included camp staff, AmeriCorp volunteers, diocesan staff, clergy, parishioners, and friends of St. Dorothy’s. In special attendance were four current hospital campers and the parents of Molly Rowe, walking for Team Molly. Sadly, Molly died last December after a second unsuccessful heart transplant. For 13 years, Molly was a camper and counselor at St. Dorothy’s. In 2010 she became a counselor-in-training and last summer she spent eight weeks as a fully-fledged camp counselor. Molly was full of faith, hope, and love, and for the health campers Molly — with deep understanding — indentified with each. For the staff Molly inspired all to cherish life and to cherish camp. She is greatly missed by everyone who knew her.
Camp St. Dorothy’s serves children from San Francisco Bay Area hospitals. One camp week is offered for cancer patients and the other for transplant patients, with a total cost of $100,000. The families of campers are not charged to attend camp. Funding for St. Dorothy’s Hospital Camps comes solely from outreach grants, individual donors, and fundraisers. To date, $18,000 has been raised from the 3rd annual Woods-to-Waves Trek. If you’d like to support the Camp St. Dorothy’s, click here.
The mission of St. Dorothy’s Hospital Camps is to care for the psychological and emotional needs of children with organ transplants and children with cancer, by offering them the opportunity to escape the daily stresses of hospitals and medical treatments and to experience the simple joy of being children. The camp provides a safe, nurturing environment in which children can experience nature, challenge themselves physically and emotionally, develop socially, and form relationships with peers who understand and share their challenges.