Camp Oasis: Your Chance to Brighten the Lives of Children with Crohn's Disease

I was giving some thought to my reasons for fundraising for a cure for Crohn's disease and decided to further focus my efforts. Going forward I will be training, running, and fundraising specifically for the children who have Crohn's disease.

Most forms of Crohn's set in between the ages of 15 and 20 years old, but flare ups can occur at a younger age as well. These symptoms can be devastating, especially to a young child who does not understand what is happening.

Look at children in the parks, look how they play. Now imagine the children that cannot be there along with the ones you see. They have severe stomach aches that keep them in bed, or diarrhea and bleeding throughout the day that prevents them from having a normal, fun, enjoyable childhood.

I thought about this today and decided I can't live complacently in a world where that is a reality. Children are tomorrow's leaders, but today they should at least be allowed to be children- without reservation or restriction. Without pain.

With the generous donations of people just like you, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) is able to provide millions of dollars a year in grants to funding research on groundbreaking treatments for Crohn's disease; bringing us one step closer to finding a cure.

In addition to that, the CCFA also uses money collected to fund Camp Oasis, a summer camp designed to enrich the lives of children suffering from Crohn's disease. Children and teens attending Camp Oasis develop friendships and support, and learn that they are not alone. The activities support them while providing them with a fun and adventurous camp getaway experience.

Their words speak for themselves: one camp member, Sarah, describes Camp Oasis as "a place where I could have a caring and understanding environment and I could have fun without worrying about others judging me.

Be a part of this great endeavor, won't you?

Click here and make your donation to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, through Team Challenge New York, so that camp will stay open and a cure will be found.

"The Test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there." ~James Buchanan

Watch this video about Camp Oasis and see for yourself what a difference Team Challenge is making in the lives of children with Crohn's Disease.