The Painted Turtle
Encyclopedia
The Painted Turtle is a camp located near Lake Elizabeth in Lake Hughes, California
. The camp is for children who are faced with life threatening and chronic illnesses, Many of these children would not have the opportunity to have a camping experience due to their illness.
and Page
and Lou Adler
. The camp was conceptualized by Adler and soon was able to get Newman to sponsor it as a part of his Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
s. The camp got its name from the painted turtle
, a wide-spread species found in most of the United States (but not native to California). Adler says, "It's an animal that has a tough exterior and a soft interior, very much like these kids that we're serving." The camp opened its doors in the Fall of 2003.
Many different groups come through the camp every year and stay for about a week. These groups include:
Several family weekends are also held in the spring and fall where families of children can get a taste of the camp experience. The facility also offers a program that takes the camp experience to children who are hospitalized and too ill to attend the camp.
(now part of UnitedHealth Group
) provided funds to build the camps "Well Shell" building. This building is staffed by a team of medical professionals during camp sessions treating campers requiring routine treatment for their illnesses like infusions
and Dialysis
along with the normal scrapes, cuts and bruises suffered during their time at the camp. Rooms throughout the facility are decorated to resemble a tiki hut.
The Los Angeles Lakers
provided the floor for the camp's gymnasium and Sea World
provided funding for the camp's swimming pool which is shaped like Shamu
.
, partnered with The Painted Turtle. Given this partnership the camp became a part of the sorority's national philanthropy program.
Lake Hughes, California
Lake Hughes is an unincorporated community northwest of Palmdale and the Santa Clarita Valley in the Angeles National Forest on the sag pond waters of Hughes Lake and Elizabeth Lake . The community is agricultural in character, with a population of 649 at the 2010 census, but also has a strong...
. The camp is for children who are faced with life threatening and chronic illnesses, Many of these children would not have the opportunity to have a camping experience due to their illness.
History
The Painted Turtle was founded in 1999 by Paul NewmanPaul Newman
Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast...
and Page
Page Hannah
Page Hannah is an American television and film actress. She is married to Lou Adler and the couple have four sons, Manny, Ike, Pablo, and Oscar. She is the sister of actress Daryl Hannah...
and Lou Adler
Lou Adler
Lou Adler is an American record producer, manager, and director.-Life and career:Adler was born in Chicago, Illinois in December 1933, and raised in East Los Angeles. In 1964, Adler founded and co-owned Dunhill Records. He was President of the label as well as the chief record producer from 1964...
. The camp was conceptualized by Adler and soon was able to get Newman to sponsor it as a part of his Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Connecticut is a non-profit, residential summer camp and year-round center serving children and their families coping with cancer and other serious illnesses and conditions.-History:...
s. The camp got its name from the painted turtle
Painted Turtle
The painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to Louisiana and northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The turtle is the only species of the genus Chrysemys, which is part of the pond turtle...
, a wide-spread species found in most of the United States (but not native to California). Adler says, "It's an animal that has a tough exterior and a soft interior, very much like these kids that we're serving." The camp opened its doors in the Fall of 2003.
Mission statement
The Painted Turtle seeks to reach beyond illness, to inspire children with life-threatening diseases to become their greater selves. It is our mission to provide a year-round, life-changing environment for these children and their families - one that allows children to participate in an authentic camp experience by supporting their medical needs, and offers their families care, education, and respite.Camp experiences
Activities include horseback riding, ropes course, arts and crafts, woodshop, archery, team building experiences, fishing,boating, singing and dancing. Campers stay in small dormitory type housing units called bales.Many different groups come through the camp every year and stay for about a week. These groups include:
- Crohn's DiseaseCrohn's diseaseCrohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
and Ulcerative ColitisUlcerative colitisUlcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
(Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseInflammatory bowel diseaseIn medicine, inflammatory bowel disease is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine. The major types of IBD are Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.-Classification:...
) - Skeletal Dysplasia (DwarfismDwarfismDwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
) - AsthmaAsthmaAsthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
- Kidney TransplantKidney transplantationKidney transplantation or renal transplantation is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage renal disease. Kidney transplantation is typically classified as deceased-donor or living-donor transplantation depending on the source of the donor organ...
- Diabetes
- ArthritisArthritisArthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
- Liver TransplantLiver transplantationLiver transplantation or hepatic transplantation is the replacement of a diseased liver with a healthy liver allograft. The most commonly used technique is orthotopic transplantation, in which the native liver is removed and replaced by the donor organ in the same anatomic location as the original...
- Spina BifidaSpina bifidaSpina bifida is a developmental congenital disorder caused by the incomplete closing of the embryonic neural tube. Some vertebrae overlying the spinal cord are not fully formed and remain unfused and open. If the opening is large enough, this allows a portion of the spinal cord to protrude through...
- Hemophilia
- Muscular DystrophyMuscular dystrophyMuscular dystrophy is a group of muscle diseases that weaken the musculoskeletal system and hamper locomotion. Muscular dystrophies are characterized by progressive skeletal muscle weakness, defects in muscle proteins, and the death of muscle cells and tissue.In the 1860s, descriptions of boys who...
Several family weekends are also held in the spring and fall where families of children can get a taste of the camp experience. The facility also offers a program that takes the camp experience to children who are hospitalized and too ill to attend the camp.
Corporate Contributions
Several companies have made substantial contributions in order to help the foundation build the facilities at the camp. PacifiCare Health SystemsPacifiCare Health Systems
PacifiCare Health Systems was a Fortune 500 healthcare company based in Cypress, California. It was acquired by UnitedHealth Group in late 2005, which continues to market health plans under the PacifiCare name....
(now part of UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated is a diversified health and "well-being" company. Headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, UnitedHealth Group offers a spectrum of products and services through two operating businesses: United Healthcare and Optum. Through its family of subsidiaries and divisions,...
) provided funds to build the camps "Well Shell" building. This building is staffed by a team of medical professionals during camp sessions treating campers requiring routine treatment for their illnesses like infusions
Route of administration
A route of administration in pharmacology and toxicology is the path by which a drug, fluid, poison, or other substance is taken into the body.-Classification:Routes of administration are usually classified by application location...
and Dialysis
Dialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
along with the normal scrapes, cuts and bruises suffered during their time at the camp. Rooms throughout the facility are decorated to resemble a tiki hut.
The Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
provided the floor for the camp's gymnasium and Sea World
SeaWorld San Diego
SeaWorld San Diego is an animal theme park, oceanarium, and marine mammal park, located in San Diego, California, United States. The park is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, a division of The Blackstone Group....
provided funding for the camp's swimming pool which is shaped like Shamu
Shamu
Shamu was the fourth killer whale ever captured and was the third orca ever displayed in a public exhibit. She was the first orca to survive more than 13 months in captivity and was the star of a very popular killer whale show at SeaWorld San Diego in the mid - late 1960s...
.
Volunteers
The Painted Turtle is run with the help of volunteers. In June 2006 a national collegiate sorority, Delta ZetaDelta Zeta
Delta Zeta is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Today, Delta Zeta has 158 collegiate chapters in the United States and over 200 alumnae chapters in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada...
, partnered with The Painted Turtle. Given this partnership the camp became a part of the sorority's national philanthropy program.
External links
- The Painted Turtle
- Newsmaker: The Painted Turtle (30-min. TV interview, free online viewing)