Day Camp and Programs

Aurora Day Camp

Summer 2025 Camp Dates: Coming Soon!

Aurora is a summer day camp for children with cancer and their siblings—100% free of charge. Aurora campers are welcome to come for the entire summer or as little as one day. Every day, our campers return home filled with stories and experiences that will last a lifetime.

Days at Aurora are filled with friends, games, songs and fun—the perfect antidote to long, lonely days at home and in the hospital. Aurora campers are given what every child deserves—the opportunity to be a kid.

At Aurora children can come to camp and continue treatment with their home doctors and return home to the comfort of their own beds at the end of each day.

The Aurora Day Camp staff team includes a medical director, on-site nurses, and a dedicated camp staff specially trained to meet the unique needs of our children, while also providing a fun and memorable summer.

Who is Eligible? • Ages 3½ to 16 • Within five years of active or follow-up treatment for cancer • Siblings ages 3½ to 16 of eligible campers • If child with cancer is unable to attend, siblings are still welcome

Aurora Fun-days

Our kids love camp so much that we just had to extend the fun beyond the summer!

During the school year, we host Aurora Fun-days – special activity days for our campers and families – along with many of the same staff who helped to make their summers so wonderful.

Our Aurora Fun-days make it possible for our campers to see their friends through the year. These camp-like activity days include sports, arts & crafts, special shows and programs. Don’t miss out at our annual Trunk or Treat held in partnership with the Rally Foundation for Childhood Cancer Research every October.

Some of our Aurora Fun-days are family events where family members can join the fun-filled festivities.

Just let us know if you are interested in starting your Aurora Day Camp experience during the school year and we will work with you to make it happen.

Aurora on Wheels

“When my daughter was diagnosed, Wheels was there to comfort her. She built a relationship with the Wheels volunteers, she was so comforted by you all that she forgot all her pain. I am so grateful to Wheels for caring.”

Can you imagine a child not wanting to leave a hospital because they’re having so much fun?  At Aurora on Wheels, we see this every day!

Aurora on Wheels is an in-hospital initiative that provides children with fun-filled excitement while awaiting and undergoing treatment in pediatric oncology units at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  Siblings and family members are always welcome to participate!

Our Aurora on Wheels program first launched in 2018 at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. It engages close to 1,000 children annually ranging from toddlers to young adults through 200 play sessions.  Younger kids can be found giggling as they are creating huge towers with Legos and Magnatiles, coloring their favorite superheroes and cartoon characters, arranging action figures or making fun shapes with Play-Doh. Older children rush in to join a laughter-filled game of UNO with their favorite friends and volunteers, or may instead choose to delve into an intricate art project. And of course, everyone’s day may include “whipping up” some gooey slime!!

Aurora Anytime Bags

“Kids of all ages absolutely LOVE receiving the bags! These bags bring such joy to our patients and provide a much-needed distraction from the boredom that can come with a lengthy hospital visit for chemotherapy, infusions, or waiting to speak with a doctor. It is so nice when we can make the hospital setting fun and non-threatening with things like Aurora Anytime Bags.”

– Jessica Westbrooks, MS, CCLS, Child Life Specialist II, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Egleston

When Aurora on Wheels is not in session, Aurora Anytime Bags are readily available to be distributed to children. Aurora Anytime Bags provide young patients with a source of comfort and distraction during their treatment. These bags are filled with fun and engaging activities that are tailored to each child’s age and gender, helping to keep their minds off their treatments and provide a sense of normalcy during their hospital stay.

Key features of the Aurora Anytime Bags:

  • Gender and age-appropriate: Each bag is carefully curated to include items that are appropriate for the child’s age and gender, ensuring that they are receiving items that they will enjoy and use.
  • Variety of items: The bags include a variety of items such as books, games, puzzles, coloring books, and craft supplies, providing a range of options for kids to choose from and keeping them engaged during their stay.

Smiles from Aurora

If your child is hospitalized for any reason, we’re here for you. Aurora’s staff and counselors are available to bring smiles to your child’s day with an in-person visit, or a Facetime call.

Allison (Lavelle) Messerly
Operations Manager & Family Liaison
allison@auroradaycamp.org
470-632-0909 ext 3

Sunrise VX – Virtual Camp!

Sunrise VX provides children the camp experience through live and interactive sessions. Children who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend an in-person camp can now make friends, sing songs and choose from a wide variety of activities all summer long.

Check Out Our Camp Brochures

FAQs for Summer 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians,
For the summer of 2024, we have designed a summer camp program to meet the varied needs of our campers, whether they prefer attending camp in-person or want to experience camp fun from their home or – if necessary – even from a hospital bed. Both programs offer the same wondrous, magical camp experiences that have come to define Aurora. To help you decide which program is best for your needs, we have put together some answers to frequently asked questions about this year’s upcoming programs:

Please select the one you prefer for most or all of the summer. This will allow us to plan for properly for both our camp programs. If you change your mind at any time, just call your camp registrar and they will make the switch for you.

To plan a medically safe camp, we have been working with a Medical Task Force made up of a select group of pediatric oncologists and infectious disease specialists and developed protocols designed to protect your children and the camp community.

Aurora Day Camp has a private, air-conditioned Wellness Center and is supported by a medical director, on-site pediatric oncology nurses and physicians on call.  Most medications can be easily administered and ample indoor areas are provided for children to just “cool down.” In the unlikely event of an emergency during the camp day, rapid transportation by ambulance is provided.

Aurora Day Camps are within driving distance of its local communities and surrounding areas. We encourage parents to drive their children to and from camp, in order to keep them in the most comfortable environment. We do offer bus transportation from hub locations should personal transport not be possible.

One of the great advantages of day camps is that children can bring their own yummy lunches from home, so they never have to wonder about what’s on the menu for that day (of course, we’ll refrigerate it). But that’s all they need to bring, since we provide several snacks during the day as well as juice and other drinks whenever needed. Need something special? No problem! Just let us know and we’ll get it. In our commitment to provide a safe environment for all children, our camps are nut-aware facilities, meaning that we will not knowingly serve any foods with nuts and we request that all parents do the same.

Aurora Day Camp is staffed by counselors, specialists, assistants, and volunteers, ages 16+ specially trained prior to the camp’s opening. Our camps’ on-site Directors have extensive experience with children and camping, and our staff-to-camper ratio often exceeds 1:4, assuring that every need of our campers are accommodated. All of our staff comes from many different backgrounds, with one common goal: to make their time with our children the happiest it can be. After their experience at our camps, many of our counselors choose a new or decide to change their career goals to health-related fields.

We want you to be partners with us in the care of your child. As always, we will offer a parent orientation, which this year may be virtual.  We will review the general camp program, and both our longstanding and new protocols for Summer We will also provide this to you in writing.

It’s important for you and your child(ren) to be comfortable at our campgrounds.  Depending on the individual camp and facility availability, we will either be offering individual in person tours or a guided virtual visit to our facility.