For over forty years, the Les Turner ALS Foundation has been Chicagoland’s leader in comprehensive ALS care. Our programs are designed to support people living with ALS and their families through their journey with the disease, providing a personalized approach to treatment and care and supporting people living with ALS every step of the way.
Today, we are excited to announce an of our services dedicated to the children who have a family member affected by ALS. In September 2019, through a new partnership with Hope Loves Company, Inc., we will co-host a weekend sleepover camp in the Chicagoland area specifically designed for children and young adults who have or had a loved one battling ALS, called Camp HLC.
Through our partnership with Hope Loves Company, Camp HLC will be offered free of charge and will give young people a safe space to receive emotional and educational support from experienced educators, social workers and specialists. Perhaps even more important is the opportunity it will provide to create lifelong friendships and connections with other young people in the Chicagoland area going through similar, painful situations.
“This camp will be a profound experience that will allow kids to feel ‘normal,’ and to connect with peers who truly understand what it’s like to have or to have lost a loved one to ALS. It will be both powerful and magical and I am thrilled to be a part of it,” said Laurie B. Fieldman, LCSW, Director of Social Services at the Les Turner ALS Foundation.
Camp HLC will include typical camp activities like hiking, water activities and crafting with the added benefit of counselors being available for campers who wish to seek support and therapeutic sessions where kids can talk about their feelings surrounding ALS.
Hope Loves Company, Inc. has run eighteen camp programs across the country over the last six years. Founder Jodi O’Donnell-Ames was inspired to create Hope Loves Company when she realized the lack of resources available to her three children, all of whom lost a parent to ALS at a young age. When her children reached college age, she put her dreams into action and created the first and only organization with the unique and specific mission to support children and young adults who have been affected by ALS.
“Hope Loves Company is excited and grateful to work with the Les Turner ALS Foundation to bring Camp HLC to Chicago families. This is the beginning of a wonderful partnership!” Jodi O’Donnell-Ames, Hope Loves Company Founder.
The Les Turner ALS Foundation knows the best way to provide care comes from working together. This new partnership allows us to expand our services and help some of the youngest members of the family who are greatly affected by ALS.
“I’m thrilled the Foundation will bring such a well-known, proven camp program to the Chicagoland area. I’ve known Jodi and her team for several years and have seen the great work Hope Loves Company does with children and young adults in other parts of the country. Kids in families living with ALS often don’t have the opportunity to be a child due to caring for or worrying about a parent or grandparent. We are excited to bring Camp HLC to Chicagoland and let these amazing kids just be kids for a weekend,” said Andrea Pauls Backman, Chief Executive Officer of the Les Turner ALS Foundation.
To learn more about how your child can reserve a spot, please contact Jodi O’Donnell-Ames at [email protected] or Hope Loves Company at [email protected]. You can also reach the HLC office at 609 730 1144. Campers ages 6-21 years old are welcome, as well as parents and chaperones.
