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06/23/2017 12:00 AMBranford, CT- (June 23, 2017): Camp Rising Sun will host their 16th Annual Night Out on Wednesday, July 12, 6 - 10 p.m. at the Owenego Inn and Beach Club, 40 Linden Avenue in Branford. The Annual Night Out is the camp's largest fundraising event of the year; raising funds for children with cancer who wish to experience summer camp.
Sponsored by the Camp Rising Sun Charitable Foundation and organized by staff and the families of campers, the Annual Night Out will feature will feature a cook-out buffet, live music from Vivid Rock, many kids' activities, and a silent auction and raffle.
As youngsters, event co-chairs Jordan Mann and Melissa Pandolfi from Branford were both diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma, a type of bone cancer in 1998. They both attended Camp Rising Sun as campers, and have now been volunteering for over 10 years as camp counselors. They urge supporters to come out for the night, join the fun, and help raise funds to send more children who are coping with cancer to camp.
"This event is a community effort, where area businesses donate, residents from local communities attend and campers come to celebrate with their families," said Pandolfi.
Tickets to the Annual Night Out are $25 for adults and $10 for children (ages of 3-15) are available here . Campers attend for free.
Money raised during the Annual Night Out directly benefits Camp Rising Sun. Camp Rising Sunallows its campers, ages 5-17, to build lifelong friendships and see that they are not along in their cancer journey. This year, camp will be held during the week of August 20-25 with summer activities of swimming, fireworks, barbecues, board games, hiking, horseback riding, boating, and much more.
"Being a camper at Camp Rising Sun made me forget about my treatments and forget what I was going through. The counselors made me feel like a normal kid enjoying a week at Camp. The money raised on July 12 will allow 120 campers to experience the same excitement and feeling I did when I was a camper," said Mann.
About Camp Rising Sun: Camp Rising Sun welcomes any child aged 5-17 who has faced a diagnosis of cancer to a week of fun and friendship. Campers can be in treatment, in remission, or anywhere in between. Camp is held in the beautiful hills of Colebrook, CT at the facilities of Camp Jewell, a YMCA campground. Campers stay in heated cabins with other children in their age group along with a dedicated staff. Thanks to our generous supporters there is no cost to attend camp. Camp Rising Sun's staff members come from a variety of backgrounds in "the real world", but all share a passion for helping to make Camp Week the best week of the year for our campers. Cabin counselors, activities leaders, directors, even the medical staff all volunteer their time, talents, and energy to make Camp Rising Sun the special place that our campers can come back home to year after year.
Annual Night Out tickets, Camp Rising Sun information available here