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| A Message from Our President
My name is Sheri Mark. I am President of the Board of North Star Reach. I am so thrilled to be a part of this amazing camp. As we head into spring, it's time to start thinking about summer activities for our children. There are endless opportunities for healthy kids, including camps, workshops, athletic programs, travel and playing with friends. For kids with serious illnesses, these opportunities are limited or non-existent. Their days are filled with doctors, hospitals, caregivers, treatments, and not much social interaction with friends. North Star Reach will change all that by providing seriously ill children with a life-changing camp experience. North Star Reach campers will attend camp - free of charge - thanks to generous contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations. They will get to experience the joys of camp - swimming, boating, archery, arts and crafts, theatre and more. They will be in a safe environment where the needs and demands of their illness, while being taken care of, is not their main focus. They will meet new friends in a setting that allows them to be just kids.
I am very lucky. I have four healthy children and five healthy grandchildren. My kids went to camp and were camp counselors. I take my grandkids to grandparent's camp. So I know how wonderful the camp experience can be. I am also a nurse and have worked with seriously ill children. I know that North Star Reach will provide these kids with an experience they will never forget.
The excitement mounts as we progress with the building of North Star Reach. The North Star Reach community is growing by leaps and bounds. Everyone who learns about North Star Reach wants to get involved. We will keep you updated and informed through our newsletter, website, facebook and other social media sites. I encourage you to share the information you receive with others to increase awareness about North Star Reach. I also invite you to join me in helping make North Star Reach a reality. Please send in your donation. There are endless volunteer opportunities, including fundraising, helping at events, volunteering at camp and more. Volunteering with North Star Reach will not only change a child's life. It will also change yours.
--Sheri Mark |
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Welcome Patrick Smith - new Director of Operations!
Greetings! I wanted to take a moment to say hello and introduce myself. My name is Patrick Smith and I have recently joined the North Star Reach team as the Director of Operations. This is a truly an exhilarating time in the history of North Star Reach with so many exciting opportunities on the horizon.
Camp can be life-changing as I discovered some 20 years ago when I spent a week volunteering as a cabin counselor at a summer camp for children with cancer. Little did I know during that first week, what was ahead for me both personally and professionally. I guess you could say I found my fire, my camp fire, you know that thing that burns deep inside and fuels your enthusiasm.
Through the power of camp, I found a passion, a profession and a partner in my wife Jennifer who has her own camp story as well. Camp is so many things; it is magical, it is transforming and of course it is fun. Camp can be a catalyst for change in campers, families, volunteers and even donors who help make it all happen. Camp is a place where once in a lifetime happens every day.
I am looking forward to meeting and working with you to help make our mission real and provide life-changing camp experiences for children with serious health challenges. Come along for the adventure and perhaps you will find your camp fire too.
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Medical Advisory Board meets for first time
Prospective members of the North Star Reach Medical Advisory Board met for the first time on March 24th to engage and excite representatives from all the medical systems who serve children with serious medical challenges in the Great Lakes region. Supporters from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital of Detroit, Beaumont Children's Hospital and the Oakwood Health System attended and representatives from Bronson Hospital in Kalamazoo attended via Web. Sparrow Hospital, St. Joseph Mercy Hospital and Marquette General responded with support but were unable to attend the meeting.
All were very enthusiastic about the site plan and schematic drawings of the camper cabins and health center. Thoughts about populations that might be served were also shared. Memoranda of Understanding between their health systems and the camp are being drafted and the next meeting will be scheduled in late summer. |
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Thank You
On April 14th, Closet NV included North Star Reach in their 1st anniversary celebration. Customers shopped and learned about our great camp! A portion of the sales from that day was generously donated to our camp. Thank You!
Click here to see pictures and more... |
Calling All Kroger Shoppers
Want an easy way to support North Star Reach? Link your Kroger Plus Card online to Kroger's Community Rewards Program. It only takes a few minutes and then everytime you shop at Kroger with your plus card, North Star Reach will receive points toward a donation from Kroger each quarter.
Click here to find out how you can join the program
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North Star Reach will be located at:
1200 University Camp Drive
Pinckney, MI 48169 North Star Reach staff offices are located at:
300 North Ingalls Street, Rm NI4C01
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5475
Phone: (734) 936-1712 To learn more or sign up to volunteer, contact us here. northstarreach.org |
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