About
Okizu Camp Programs offers a weeklong sleep-away camp on Lake Vera where campers take part in activities such as campfire songs and skits, reading bedtime stories, and fishing. The programs also include Family Camp and SIBS Camp, with additional activities like serving meals, driving golf carts, leading discussion groups, and braving white water rapids.
• Schedule: a weeklong sleep-away camp
• Price: all of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families we serve
In 1982, 28 kids from five participating hospitals went to a weeklong sleep-away camp on Lake Vera, and for more than 40 years Okizu has been committed to the continuing support of the 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. Okizu Camp Programs provide free, medically supervised, residential camp programs that include peer support, respite, mentoring, and recreation for Northern California children with cancer and their families, and all programs and camp experiences have been offered free of charge for more than 40 years. The programs are 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. These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and the pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California, and Okizu works with partners ranging from volunteers to national medical institutions to reach and support those served year-round. John “Bassmaster” Bell, co-founder of Okizu and former Chairman of Okizu’s Board of Directors, contributed more than 42 years of dedication to building these programs. Okizu has been named a 2025 TOP-RATED NONPROFIT by GreatNonprofits, Camp Okizu has been named one of the Top 500 Summer Camps in the country by Newsweek Magazine, and John Bell has been a national winner of the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service and received the Excalibur Award from the American Cancer Society.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
• Schedule: a weeklong sleep-away camp
• Price: all of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families we serve
In 1982, 28 kids from five participating hospitals went to a weeklong sleep-away camp on Lake Vera, and for more than 40 years Okizu has been committed to the continuing support of the 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. Okizu Camp Programs provide free, medically supervised, residential camp programs that include peer support, respite, mentoring, and recreation for Northern California children with cancer and their families, and all programs and camp experiences have been offered free of charge for more than 40 years. The programs are 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. These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and the pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California, and Okizu works with partners ranging from volunteers to national medical institutions to reach and support those served year-round. John “Bassmaster” Bell, co-founder of Okizu and former Chairman of Okizu’s Board of Directors, contributed more than 42 years of dedication to building these programs. Okizu has been named a 2025 TOP-RATED NONPROFIT by GreatNonprofits, Camp Okizu has been named one of the Top 500 Summer Camps in the country by Newsweek Magazine, and John Bell has been a national winner of the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service and received the Excalibur Award from the American Cancer Society.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
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