Woven throughout camp are a variety of opportunities to learn more about “doing good” in the community. Through our Coin for Kids program, campers are encouraged to collect loose change for UNC Children’s throughout the year and bring the coins back to camp the following summer. Many of our campers find other ways to give back by rolling up their sleeves and taking part in additional philanthropic projects in their own communities. At the end of our 25th year, we were made aware of so many campers dreaming up their own philanthropic projects, we just had to feature these stories on the website.
Read on to learn about our young philanthropists’ initiatives.
June 2024: Laney McCrossin
My name is Laney McCrossin and I am a sophomore from Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. I attended the Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp for just one year when I was 11, but those three days impacted me tremendously.
Prior to camp, I had never picked up a basketball, never attempted a layup, and never heard about the cause of childhood cancer. Aside from instilling a passion for the game that is still reflected in what I do as a youth basketball coach and recreational player, Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp introduced me to learning about childhood cancer and how I could assist the cause, something that I have carried with me and continued to act upon.
Right when I got home from camp, I had a lemonade/book sale where I was determined to put money in my jar and bring it back to camp the next year. Unfortunately, that year’s camp was canceled due to the pandemic, but my brothers brought the money the following year.
In eighth grade, we had to conduct a service project about a cause that we were passionate about. For me, choosing this cause was a no-brainer, and a friend and I were able to raise over $1,400 for a local children’s hospital, the Tomorrow’s Children Hospital, which specializes in treating children who suffer from cancer and other rare blood diseases.
This past year, I joined the New Jersey cohort of St. Jude Leadership Society, a group of high school and collegiate students who fundraise for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Since opening in 1962, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis Tennessee has treated children from all 50 states in the U.S as well as children from 17 other countries, helping to push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% up to over 80% and won’t stop until no child dies of cancer. Aside from providing treatment to children being treated, St. Jude helps cover additional travel and living costs to alleviate the stress that families face.
The SJLS cohort meets monthly to attend leadership development sessions and discuss fundraising successes and goals. So far, I have raised over $4,000 through various fundraisers and hope to meet my fundraising goal of $5,000 by June 1, 2024.
I plan on extending my collaboration with the St. Jude Leadership Society throughout high school by continuing to fundraise and as a peer mentor and continuing to donate and advocate for the cause well after college.
The lessons I learned from Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp have set me on a lifelong path of realizing my potential and using it to give back to those who need it the most.
September 2020: Caroline Vanke
I am a sophomore in high school from Atlanta, Georgia. I play both high school and club volleyball, and I recently took up painting as a quarantine hobby. UNC Children’s has a special place in my heart because of all the amazing work Eric Montross Father’s Day Basketball Camp has done for them. I was a camper there for four years, and those are some of my favorite memories. My first year as a volunteer in 2019 was also super special because I was able to help with the behind-the-scenes running of camp.
When I found out camp was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, I decided to start selling paintings that I had made to raise money for the hospital instead. My hope is that I can raise enough to be able to donate at least $1,000 to the hospital through the Montross Fund.
Please help Caroline reach her goal and visit her website Paint4Good, where she is displaying her artwork for sale.
