Trisomy 13 and 18 Weekend at Camp for Courageous Kids

We are so excited for our second annual Trisomy 13 and 18 Week at Center for Courageous Kids in Scottsville, KY! The Stella Effect is sending 32 Trisomy 13 and 18 families from all over the world to camp! This will be a week to remember where our families will come together to make precious memories while enjoying medically safe and accessible camping with their whole family. Our 2024 camp registration is full!

We would love your support as we raise funds to make this dream come true. Sponsorship opportunities can be found below, and you can also “meet” our campers below if you would like to donate to an individual camper. Donate without fees to our PayPal Giving Fund here.

Thank you for helping make this a life-changing experience for our families.

MEET OUR Campers

 BECOME A SPONSOR

We warmly invite you to consider becoming a sponsor for this year’s Trisomy 13 and 18 Week at Camp for Courageous Kids. The Stella Effect is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible. Whether you are donating personally or as an organization, we’ve listed multiple sponsorship options below. Thank you for making this magical weekend possible. These memories together will last our families a lifetime and we couldn’t do it without YOU!

  • $500+

    This is the average cost of helping families travel to camp from all over the world. We want camp to be accessible to all families regardless of finances. Our families face so many financial difficulties because being a medical family often means making career sacrifices as well as life being expensive! We want to provide travel vouchers to anyone who needs them.

    TRAVEL SPONSOR BENEFITS:

    You will receive a shirt.

    You will receive a group picture of families at camp.

    You will be recognized as a Travel Sponsor donor on materials printed at camp, on our website and on social platforms.

    If you are donating in honor of an Angel baby, another living child, or you have a connection to our community, we would love to share your story in our printed materials at camp. We will follow up to learn more and coordinate.

    You can email hello@thestellaeffect.org or click the button below to become a Travel Sponsor, and we will contact you within two business days to coordinate your next steps! If donating online works best for you, you can donate here in order to avoid large fees.

    BECOME A TRAVEL SPONSOR

  • $1,000+

    You will receive a shirt and tumbler.

    This is the cost of sending one family to Camp for Courageous Kids which includes the cost of accommodations, food and all camping activities, regardless of family size.

    FUND-A-FAMILY SPONSOR BENEFITS:

    You will receive a picture of the family you sponsored at camp.

    You will be recognized as a Fund-A-Family level donor on materials printed at camp, on our website, and on social platforms.

    If you are donating in honor of an Angel baby, another living child, or you have a connection to our community, we would love to share your story in our printed materials at camp. We will follow up to learn more and coordinate.

    You can email hello@thestellaeffect.org or click the button below to become a Fund-A-Family Sponsor, and we will contact you within two business days to coordinate your next steps! If donating online works best for you, you can donate here in order to avoid large fees.

    BECOME A FUND-A-FAMILY SPONSOR

  • $2,500+

    This level covers the costs of adding details to the weekend like swag bag items for each family, hiring a photographer/videographer to capture special memories, or allowing us to create a beautiful and meaningful “in loving memory” wall for our Angel babies. This sponsorship level is where the magic happens. This level may be an in-kind donation. 

    SPECIAL MOMENTS SPONSOR BENEFITS:

    You will receive a shirt and tumbler. 

    You will receive a picture of the “special moment” and the impact you had on our families.

    You will be recognized as a Special Moments level donor on materials printed at camp, on our website, and on social platforms.

    You will have access to professional photos and videos to use as you’d like for your business.

    If you are donating in honor of an Angel baby, another living child, or you have a connection to our community, we would love to share your story in our printed materials at camp. We will follow up to learn more and coordinate.

    You can email hello@thestellaeffect.org or click the button below to become a Special Moments Sponsor, and we will contact you within two business days to coordinate your next steps! If donating online works best for you, you can donate here in order to avoid large fees.

    BECOME A SPECIAL MOMENTS SPONSOR

  • $5,000

    Whether you’re an individual, a corporation or a trisomy 13/18 friendly hospital or physician, we understand the magnitude of advocates like you. We are bringing together 32 families from all over the World, and we know this will not only be impactful to the families joining, but it will show the world that our kids not only live, but enjoy beautiful lives with their loved ones. With your donation, you would help us send 5 families to camp for this life-changing experience.

    ADVOCATES FOR TRISOMY 13/18 SPONSOR BENEFITS:

    You will receive TSE stickers, tumbler and shirt/sweatshirt.

    You will have first right of refusal to join us for camp as a healthcare partner guest at our upcoming camps (if we are blessed enough to be invited back). This is based on availability and guests will be invited in the order of donations received.

    You will receive a picture of the whole group of campers and stories about the impact you had on our families.

    You will be recognized as an Advocates for Trisomy 13/18 level donor on every platform (socials, emails, website) and all printed materials at camp.

    You will have access to professional photos and videos to use as you’d like for your business.

    If you are donating in honor of an Angel baby, another living child, or you have a connection to our community, we would love to share your story in our printed materials at camp. We will follow up to learn more and coordinate. 

    Physicians/Hospitals in this category: In addition to the above, you will also have the opportunity to…

    Virtually speak in front of our camper families to show your support for this community at future camps.

    Be included in communications featuring trisomy-friendly organizations. Channels may include email, blogs, posts, stories, printed materials, pictures, and any stories or meaningful information to promote that you are trisomy 13/18 advocates. 

    Do you have an inclusivity program or need something from TSE to help elevate your messaging around the trisomy 13/18 community? We would love to be a part of that in any way that is helpful. Reach out and let’s discuss benefits that would be advantageous to you.

    You can email hello@thestellaeffect.org or click the button below to become a Trisomy 13 and 18 Advocate Sponsor, and we will contact you within two business days to coordinate your next steps! If donating online works best for you, you can donate here in order to avoid large fees.

    BECOME A TRISOMY13/18 ADVOCATE SPONSOR

Center For Courageous Kids 2024

Commonly Asked Questions

  • CCK builds the itinerary around the specific families who are coming. Activities such as horseback riding, fishing, swimming, woodworking, mini golf, bowling, archery, music, therapy, arts and crafts, and others are all options. CCK builds the itinerary for our kids and accommodates as many activities as possible. For example, for swimming, CCK has a lift that lifts our kids into the pool when needed and a lifeguard gets them in and out of the pool. Another example, there are special harnesses for horseback riding that make this possible for our kids.

  • Families provide medical care for their campers; however, they may bring their own nurse to assist with medical care if needed. These nurses can stay in the room with the family. CCK will also have a medical staff member present 24/7 in case of emergency. The camp is located 1.2 miles from the local emergency department and 3 miles from the local ambulance service. Additionally, CCK has a helipad if air transport to a hospital is needed. CCK has a program and medical staff who are trained and experienced in all aspects of medical camping. If you need medical care during your stay, our Medical Center is the place to be! The medical facility is equipped to be very supportive in a “behind the scenes” way. Medical care is provided by volunteer physicians and nurses coordinated by our full-time Medical Director, Hannah Reckart. Please contact her with any of your medical questions. hreckart@courageouskids.org 270-618-2900 ext. 224.

  • Yes! Many families in the past have brought their nurses. The nurse will need to register as a family member and will lodge with the family. This person will not count as the other guardian spot.

  • Absolutely! CCK volunteers are always supervising the families and if there are any issues, the CCK staff will take care of all problems. There are lifeguards located around the pool, there is a lift to help get children in and out of the pool. For Equestrian riding, there is someone there holding the children as they ride around. Medical staff are located around the camp. The camp takes precautions based on the children who are attending.

  • CCK loves to have medical staff at camp who have experience with that specific diagnosis. It is a wonderful benefit for the campers and their families. It can also connect CCK with medical professionals and we can learn more about the diagnosis as well. If you have a doctor or nurse in your life who is experienced with T13 or 18 who might be interested in joining as a medical staff volunteer, please contact the medical director, Hannah Reckart, hreckart@courageouskids.org 270-618-2900 ext. 224.

    Here is the application for your nurse or doctor to apply to be a medical volunteer:

    https://www.courageouskids.org/medical-volunteer-application/

  • Each family will have their own room and bathroom unless families choose to room together.

  • There are microwaves available in the dining center.

  • Yes! Every room and cabin has electricity.

  • There are 3 ways to keep food or medicine refrigerated. The first is the refrigerator in the dining hall. The second is to ask Yvonne (Dining Director) to store the items in the walk in cooler in the back of the dining hall. And lastly, families can bring a cooler to keep in their lodge. CCK has an ice machine that can be used to keep it full and cool. If your child needs food or medicine through the night, a volunteer or medical staff can bring it to you from the large refrigerator.

  • Yes! Here is the volunteer form if you are interested in being a volunteer!

    https://www.courageouskids.org/volunteer-application/

  • The goal is that by applying, you are committing to doing your best to come. The sooner your application is completed, the higher on the list of accepted campers you will be, so please apply asap.

  • Absolutely! The CCK staff fully understand that emergency medical reasons happen. The closer to camp that you cancel, the less likely, CCK will be able to fill your spot, so we only ask that you do your best to come and cancel early if you need to.

  • Service dogs are allowed to attend with the families.

  • CCK understands that a healthy, nutritional, and kid friendly menu is an important part of the camp experience. Each summer, we strive to meet our campers’ dietary needs and restrictions.

  • Please read the Q&A in full for any answers to your questions. If you still have questions, please contact the following CCK staff. 

    For questions about your application or general questions, please contact the Admissions Officer, Joanie Ford, jford@courageouskids.org 270-618-2900 ext. 277.

    For medical questions, please contact the Medical Director, Hannah Reckart., hreckart@courageouskids.org 270-618-2900 ext. 224.

  • The Center for Courageous Kids is a not-for-profit medical camp facility founded by the late Ms. Elizabeth Turner Campbell and opened in 2008. She was inspired to create a place where children living with life threatening illnesses and their families could come free of charge and have fun, find respite, and forget about their everyday struggles. Now in its 12th year, CCK has served over 35,000 medically fragile campers and their families. Campers have come from 45 different U.S. States and 13 foreign countries. CCK continues to change the lives of thousands of children and families every year.

  • "The Center for Courageous Kids INSPIRES, EMPOWERS, ENHANCES children with serious illnesses"

  • CCK is located in Scottsville, Kentucky.

    Address:

    The Center for Courageous Kids

    1501 Burnley Rd, Scottsville, KY 42164

  • July 10th-13th, 2024.

  • Here is the link to apply:

    https://cck.campin1.com

  • If your family applied for CCK in 2023, you won’t need to create a new account and re-register. You will only need to log-in to your existing account and update any information as needed and select Trisomy 13 and 18 Week as your camp.

    If you have never applied for camp, go to the link to register above, create an account, and go through the registration process.

    *For all to read*

    • You will need to choose Trisomy 13 and 18 Week as your camp for 2024.

    • Make sure to select The Stella Effect as the organization when applying for your application to be at the top of applicants.

    • Please add your child with Trisomy 13 or 18 as the camper.

    • Your application is not complete until it says 100%.

    • Once everyone is at 100%, an invitation will be sent via email from Joanie Ford if you're one of the first 32 families. Please monitor your spam/junk folder for communications. These invitations do expire after 72 hours. If you do not respond to that invitation, then the invite goes to the next family in line.

    • The Stella Effect has no part in selecting camper families.

    • If you have any questions regarding your application, please contact the Admissions Officer, Joanie Ford, jford@courageouskids.org 270-618-2900 ext. 277.

  • Campers and their families come to CCK at no cost. The Stella Effect and CCK cover these costs together.

  • The Stella Effect will help with the costs of travel if we can. This all depends on the funds we have to help between now and then and whether travel companies are willing to donate. We will communicate with you throughout the process. Once you apply, we will be sending out a Google form to learn more about your travel needs and contact you from there. The earlier you finish your application, the higher on the list you will be for us to see if we can help. If we cannot cover the costs and you therefore can’t attend, the next applicant in line will be accepted to camp. We were able to help every family who needed travel assistance in 2023 and hope to be able to again. We would love your support fundraising to make this dream a reality for all our families.

  • No! Families from everywhere are invited to CCK weekend. We invite all Trisomy 13 or 18 families from all over the World.

  • Yes! Two guardians and siblings are invited to join in on the fun!

  • Absolutely. CCK wants every family member to get the full CCK experience. Siblings in our 2023 camp had the time of their lives. There’s plenty to do for everyone!

  • Yes! Families have brought newborns to CCK weekend!

  • CCK offers a great mix of indoor and outdoor activity options for every child to choose something they will enjoy doing. There are many opportunities to freely choose activities within the planned program schedule so that every child can try something new!

  • CCK will make sure the itinerary is created perfectly for our families. CCK has perfected making activities as accessible as possible for all.