About
Okizu Residential Camp Programs provide free, medically supervised, residential camp programs for children and families affected by childhood cancer. The programs serve Northern California children with cancer and their families, free of charge. Okizu (oak-eye-zoo) comes from the Sioux language and means unity, to come together, to heal from a hurt, to make whole.
• Price: All of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families we serve.
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. These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and the pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California. Okizu is more than a summer camp and works with partners, from volunteers to national medical institutions, to reach and support those they serve year-round, and volunteers contribute thousands of hours each year.
Camp Okizu has been named as one of the Top 500 Summer Camps in the country by Newsweek Magazine and has received the Gold Ribbon Camp Award. Okizu was named a 2025 TOP-RATED NONPROFIT by GreatNonprofits. Co-founder John “Bassmaster” Bell was a national winner of the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service and was awarded the Excalibur Award by the American Cancer Society for his work at Okizu. Leadership roles referenced in Okizu’s materials include a Medical Director, a Camp Director, and an Executive Director, and until 2017 John also served as the Chairman of Okizu’s Board of Directors.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
• Price: All of Okizu’s programs are offered free of charge to the families we serve.
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. These programs are the result of a collaborative effort between Okizu and the pediatric oncology treatment centers in Northern California. Okizu is more than a summer camp and works with partners, from volunteers to national medical institutions, to reach and support those they serve year-round, and volunteers contribute thousands of hours each year.
Camp Okizu has been named as one of the Top 500 Summer Camps in the country by Newsweek Magazine and has received the Gold Ribbon Camp Award. Okizu was named a 2025 TOP-RATED NONPROFIT by GreatNonprofits. Co-founder John “Bassmaster” Bell was a national winner of the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service and was awarded the Excalibur Award by the American Cancer Society for his work at Okizu. Leadership roles referenced in Okizu’s materials include a Medical Director, a Camp Director, and an Executive Director, and until 2017 John also served as the Chairman of Okizu’s Board of Directors.
Last updated May 11, 2026.
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