Friday, August 6, 2004

Oncology Camp feted

Fundraising events benefit Rainbow Gold


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Camp Rainbow Gold revs up this week with a hair shaving extravaganza, two fundraisers and a motorcycle escort for the bus full of kids. Located 11 miles north of Ketchum at Cathedral Pines, Camp Rainbow Gold began in 1984 as one of the first chil-dren's oncology camps in the United States.

The camp is hosting 74 campers this year. Various activities keep the kids happily occupied, including dancing, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, rafting, and horseback riding, as well as a camp art studio and a talent show. Co-sponsored by the American Cancer Society and Moun-tain States Tumor Institute, the camp is free of charge to the campers.

The first benefit for the camp was Wednesday night at the Spud Back Alley Party.

On Sunday, Aug. 8, Rob Cronin, who is the camp?s director, and many other motorcyclists will throw a bar-becue at noon at the Timmerman Hill Rest Area at the intersection of Highway 75 and U.S. 20 south of Bellevue. The $5 barbecue also benefits the camp.

Then at approximately 2 p.m. the bus carrying all the campers arrives to be escorted by the motorcycle riders all the way through the Wood River Valley to the camp at Cathedral Pines.

Sunday evening, The Red Elephant Saloon hosts a party with the band Straight Up. Hailey biker Randy Miller will shave his head and beard for the third (and final, so he says) time, if he can raise $6,000 for Camp Rainbow Gold.

The Camp?s VIP Appreciation Day is Wednesday, Aug. 11, at 3 p.m. to meet the campers and have a look around at their projects and creations. There is a camper talent show and a Hawaiian luau barbecue. This is the only day that Camp Rainbow Gold is open to the public.

?Since camp is free to every child it?s funded solely on the generosity of individuals or organization,? said Kris Cronin Camp board member and counselor. ?The VIP day is for friends, families and sponsors to meet the kids and see where their money is going. It?s also a great time to reach out and hug the kids.?

Activities aside, the camp?s pri-mary objective is to give many of these children a place where they have a chance to be regular kids, for a change. Acceptance is the most im-portant aspect at the camp.




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