VACC Camp, An Exceptional Volunteer Opportunity

Miami Children's Hospital welcomes community volunteers' participation in its annual VACC camp session.

VACC camp is a free, week-long, community-based camp program providing recreation and social support for families with children dependent on oxygen, tracheostomies and/or ventilators. Several families from up-state and from out-of-state sleep over every year. Many local families participate as day campers each year.

The ventilation assisted children served are medically stable, cognitively normal, living at home, and many attending public school. But their opportunities for recreation and socializing are limited compared to children unencumbered by dependency on medical technology.

VACC camp supports the transition to home care by focusing on wellness rather than illness. Families experience a revitalizing sense of normalcy and community, freedom, capacity and acceptance. Rx: Hometown Hospitality.

Our campsite is the Leisure Access at A.D. Barnes Park, S.W. 72nd Avenue, just north of Bird Road. VACC camp takes place every year during public school's spring break.

Before VACC Camp starts, set-up volunteers (8:30 a.m. - finish) ready the camp for occupancy, cleaning, making beds, stocking the frig, storing other supplies, and decorating with welcome signs and balloons.

Once camps is over, Break-down volunteers (7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.), help staff pack, pick up & return supplies and equipment to storage.

During the camp session, volunteers are needed all hours from 7:30 a.m.-10:00 p.m. They are needed to be our campers companions on a daily basis, to help with meal preparation, serving and cleaning, keeping the campsite tidy, picking up supplies and donations, and generally standing by to help wherever an extra hand is needed.

Special volunteers are also needed to facilitate special activities - swim sessions, the beach field trip, the night of parents' dinner out, or carnival night.

If you're interested and have some time to give, there's a place for you at VACC Camp.

To become a volunteer, or for more information:

VACC program coordinator:
Bela Florentin
phone: 305-662-8222
Cell: 786-390-4067