Your monthly snack of stories about what's happening at North Star Reach! | |
Community Tickets Thanks to the Detroit Pistons | |
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North Star Reach is excited to celebrate the return of the Detroit Pistons and the first game of their 2024-25 National Basketball Association season on Wednesday, October 23 against the Indiana Pacers at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit.
Thanks to a donation from the Pistons through the Community Ticket Program, we have a limited number of tickets for camper families interested in attending the game. To reserve tickets, please reach out to Patrick Smith, Chief Program Officer, with the number of tickets you are interested in. Tickets will be distributed on a first come first served basis. Tip off against the Pistons' Central Division rival is scheduled for 7:00 pm; doors open at 5:30 pm.
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Fall Work Weekend
Friday, October 11 - Sunday, October 13
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Fall Work Weekend is just 10 days away; scheduled for Friday, October 11 through Sunday, October 13! We've had great success welcoming members of our camp community to come spend the weekend helping build, clean, fix, and/or maintain stuff all around our amazing site.
Show up Friday night and nestle into a cabin with old friends or even maybe some new ones. Hang out, play games, enjoy a campfire and just be here at camp. Saturday morning, get up, have breakfast and be ready to join a team of folks assigned to tasks around camp. We will keep you fed, have fun Saturday night with some No Hands Spaghetti dinner and a campfire, then get up and do it again on Sunday morning before getting you on the road around noon.
Individuals, families, friends, and corporate groups are all welcome to join our campily and love the mooseness. Please RSVP by Monday, October 7.
|  | Special thanks to our friends at MAD Creative Concepts, Meijer, Midwest Pavement Contracting, and Our Family Foods for joining our campily as Work Weekend sponsors! | |
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The Kroger Family of Companies is committed to community engagement, positive social impact and charitable giving at the national and local levels. Every community is unique, but their common goal is to partner with the neighborhoods they serve and help the people there live healthier lives.
North Star Reach is grateful to be part of the Kroger Community Rewards program. This program makes fundraising easy by donating to local organizations based on the shopping you do every day. Once you link your card to an organization like North Star Reach, all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Shopper’s Card. If you are already a Kroger shopper supporting North Star Reach, thank you! If not, click the button below and sign up.
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Find Your Campfire
Volunteer Profile | The Cohen Family
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Campily means something special to Kim, Jeff, and Alexis Cohen, and their family. You might say they are the inspiration for the word. The Cohens came to North Star Reach in 2016 when their 16-year-old daughter and sister, Amanda, spent a week at cardiology camp. She found a special place of belonging surrounded by friends who understood what it was like to have a chronic health condition. She built a tight knit group of friends that felt like family. In 2021, after six years as a camper and volunteer, Amanda passed away after an 8-year battle with pulmonary hypertension. She left a legacy of kindness, optimism, friendship, and service with all who knew her.
Knowing the importance of camp in Amanda's life and the lives of other children with serious health challenges, the Cohens have continued to keep North Star Reach as a special place for their family and friends. Through volunteering at family workdays, work weekends (like the one coming up), special events, and fundraising, mooseness abounds throughout the entire Cohen crew. Kim shared, "To say that Amanda loved camp is an understatement -- camp was a part of who she was. Amanda gained so much from camp -- confidence, friendship and purpose. Giving back to camp allows us to feel closer to her and we can't wait to see campers back at North Star Reach enjoying themselves."
The campily that Amanda found and connection to North Star Reach has extended beyond the camp gate through acts of service that honor her memory. "The Cohens are such a great example of the community that exists at North Star Reach. Our campers, families, and volunteers are the threads that bind our campily together," noted J.J. Lewis, NSR CEO.
(Pictured above: members of the Cohen Family pausing for a quick family photo at the Tree House while volunteering at their recent Cohen Family Work Day on Sunday, September 8.)
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Lasting Impact
In Our Own Words | The Calveneau Family
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Emily received a heart transplant at 12 weeks of age. In 2017, during an appointment, her Nurse Practitioner mentioned camp at North Star Reach. We weren't sure she was ready for an endeavor like that, but the Nurse assured us that this camp was the place for Emily.
Dropping her off at camp was one of the hardest things I've done because I wasn't aware of just how prepared North Star Reach is for kids like Emily. A medical team on site to handle medicines and any issues that may arise. An amazing group of counselors who somehow match Emily's boundless energy. Not an easy task. Camp gave Emily an opportunity to gain independence. So much so that when we came to pick her up, she asked when she could go back. She is so excited when camp comes around that mom and dad don't even get a goodbye. She's out of the car and already searching for favorite staff and friends. She is looking forward to coming back soon.
(Pictured above: Emily and her father, John, Moose, and Patrick enjoying our recent Tigers Charity of the Game experience on Thursday, September 26, made possible thanks to the generosity of Kalitta Air!)
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North Star Reach In the News:
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Upcoming Events:
- Friday, October 4 - Sunday, October 6: Camp Skywild Family Camp Weekend
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Friday, October 11 - Sunday, October 13: Fall Work Weekend
- Friday, October 18 - Sunday, October 20: Hemophilia Foundation of Michigan Retreat Weekend
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Wednesday, October 23: Detroit Pistons Community Game
- Thursday, October 24: C.S. Mott Children's Hospital Paws4Patients Retreat
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North Star Reach is Michigan’s only barrier-free, fully accessible medical camp serving children with significant health challenges and their families, entirely free-of-charge. Our programs are more than just fun. They’re purposely designed to foster independence, resilience, and personal growth, helping children and their families to see beyond the limits of their medical conditions and experience all that life can offer.
As a member of SeriousFun Children’s Network, we are part of a trusted global network of camps and programs for children with serious illnesses.
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