About
Camp Okizu offers in-person sleep-away summer sessions, Family Camp weekends, a Bereaved Teen Program, Teens-N-Twenties weekends, and family one-day picnic events. The organization provides medically supervised, residential camp programs for children and families affected by childhood cancer, and all programs are offered free of charge. Okizu provides children and families affected by childhood cancer with peer support, respite, and community through camp experiences and programs.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
• Schedule: In-person sleep-away summer sessions for kids 7–17 run on set date ranges in June and July, with additional Family Camp weekends, Bereaved Teen Program weekends, Teens-N-Twenties weekends, and one-day family picnic events throughout the year.
• Price: All of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families they serve.
For more than 40 years, Camp Okizu has offered support programs to families who have a child diagnosed with cancer and has been committed to the continuing support of Oncology, Siblings, Family, Bereavement, and Teens-N-Twenties programs. The specific purpose of Okizu is to operate peer support programs for children and families affected by childhood cancer based on the community-forming nature of a residential camp experience, with a vision that no child or family member walks the childhood cancer journey alone. Okizu began with the belief that a residential camp can be an ideal setting for children struggling with cancer to explore and enjoy a normal life experience while interacting with others who understand their illness, and it has become a second family and a home away from home for thousands of kids affected by cancer, their siblings, and their parents.
Family Camp is a chance for the patient, siblings, and parents to come together with other families who are coping with the challenges of navigating the pediatric cancer world, and each Family Camp session includes some family activity time as well as designated times for parents and kids to meet separately for targeted peer support. The bereaved teen program provides teens and young adults, ages 13–25, the opportunity to bond with a group in their own age range who share the experience of losing a brother or sister to cancer, and the Teens-N-Twenties (TNT) program is a weekend-long program for older teen and young adult patients and siblings ages 18–25 who are too old to attend summer camp. Family one-day picnic events invite families to pack a lunch and spend time together at a picnic space with Okizu.
These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California, and volunteers contribute thousands of hours each year. The Taylor Family Foundation sponsors sessions of Camp Okizu, and its mission is to preserve the wellness and enhance the quality of life for children in Northern California with life-threatening and chronic illnesses, disabilities, and youth at risk through therapeutic experiences and support. Okizu is dedicated to serving every child and family in Northern California affected by childhood cancer who wishes to attend, regardless of physical condition, geographic location, economic background, age, ethnicity, race, nation of origin, languages spoken, culture, religion, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, opinions, and beliefs. The name Okizu (oak-eye-zoo) comes from the Sioux language and means unity, to come together, to heal from a hurt, to make whole, and Okizu works with partners, from volunteers to national medical institutions, to reach and support those they serve year-round.
Last updated April 23, 2026.
• Ages: 7–18 years old
• Schedule: In-person sleep-away summer sessions for kids 7–17 run on set date ranges in June and July, with additional Family Camp weekends, Bereaved Teen Program weekends, Teens-N-Twenties weekends, and one-day family picnic events throughout the year.
• Price: All of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families they serve.
For more than 40 years, Camp Okizu has offered support programs to families who have a child diagnosed with cancer and has been committed to the continuing support of Oncology, Siblings, Family, Bereavement, and Teens-N-Twenties programs. The specific purpose of Okizu is to operate peer support programs for children and families affected by childhood cancer based on the community-forming nature of a residential camp experience, with a vision that no child or family member walks the childhood cancer journey alone. Okizu began with the belief that a residential camp can be an ideal setting for children struggling with cancer to explore and enjoy a normal life experience while interacting with others who understand their illness, and it has become a second family and a home away from home for thousands of kids affected by cancer, their siblings, and their parents.
Family Camp is a chance for the patient, siblings, and parents to come together with other families who are coping with the challenges of navigating the pediatric cancer world, and each Family Camp session includes some family activity time as well as designated times for parents and kids to meet separately for targeted peer support. The bereaved teen program provides teens and young adults, ages 13–25, the opportunity to bond with a group in their own age range who share the experience of losing a brother or sister to cancer, and the Teens-N-Twenties (TNT) program is a weekend-long program for older teen and young adult patients and siblings ages 18–25 who are too old to attend summer camp. Family one-day picnic events invite families to pack a lunch and spend time together at a picnic space with Okizu.
These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California, and volunteers contribute thousands of hours each year. The Taylor Family Foundation sponsors sessions of Camp Okizu, and its mission is to preserve the wellness and enhance the quality of life for children in Northern California with life-threatening and chronic illnesses, disabilities, and youth at risk through therapeutic experiences and support. Okizu is dedicated to serving every child and family in Northern California affected by childhood cancer who wishes to attend, regardless of physical condition, geographic location, economic background, age, ethnicity, race, nation of origin, languages spoken, culture, religion, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, opinions, and beliefs. The name Okizu (oak-eye-zoo) comes from the Sioux language and means unity, to come together, to heal from a hurt, to make whole, and Okizu works with partners, from volunteers to national medical institutions, to reach and support those they serve year-round.
Last updated April 23, 2026.
Is this your business? There is no cost, but you will be asked to sign up or log in.