The Inn Partners with Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BETHESDA, Md. — January 25, 2023 — The Children’s Inn at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) The Children’s Inn is proud to announce a partnership with The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to bring weekly programming and activities to The Inn as part of its expansion to the Maryland area.
Hole in the Wall was founded in Connecticut in 1988 by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman to provide opportunities for children with serious illnesses to experience the transformational spirit and friendships that go hand-in-hand with summer camp. For 35 years, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Ashford, Conn., has offered a summer program where seriously ill children participate in traditional camp activities while receiving care from a significant yet unobtrusive medical presence. Hole in the Wall also offers a summer session for siblings as well as Family Weekends in the fall and spring where the entire family can enjoy activities together. The organization is preparing to open its first location in Maryland on the Eastern Shore in the spring of 2024.
“We are very excited to be partnering with the Hole in the Wall Gang here in Maryland” said The Inn’s Family Programming Operations Manager Emily Johnson. “They have a tremendous reputation in Connecticut that we have heard about firsthand from Inn families who have had the opportunity to visit that location. This partnership will open up new energy and connections for more of our families here at The Inn and we look forward to a long partnership with them as their new campsite opens on the Eastern Shore.”
In addition to its residential locations, Hole in the Wall is in its 21st year offering its Hospital Outreach Program (HOP) that brings the spirit and activities of camp to hospitals and clinics. The D.C. Metro Area HOP team currently offers programming at Inova LJ Murphy Children’s Hospital in Annandale, Va., Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore, Md., and Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Each Friday, Hospital Outreach specialists from Hole in the Wall will visit The Children’s Inn to organize and lead engaging activities that are typically part of the daily agenda at camp. From arts and crafts to games and STEM projects, the wide-ranging options will ensure all Inn families can participate in this unique programming.
“The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s Hospital Outreach Program is thrilled to be expanding into the DC metro area,” said the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp’s Director of Hospital Outreach Michele “Gill” McKenna. “Through our partnership with The Children’s Inn, we look forward to sharing the hopeful, playful spirit of Camp with families experiencing times of stress and uncertainty. We are excited to continue growing our programming to bring ‘a different kind of healing’ to even more children and families who need it most.
The Children’s Inn at NIH is a private, nonprofit “Place Like Home” for children and their families participating in pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, the world’s premier biomedical research hospital. The Inn reduces the burden of illness through therapeutic, educational, and recreational programming – all at no cost to the families. Since opening in 1990, more than 15,500 families from around the world, and all 50 states, have considered The Inn their home. As a partner in discovery and care with the NIH, The Inn strives for the day when no family endures the heartbreak of a seriously ill child.
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For more information about The Children’s Inn at NIH, please visit childrensinn.org or call 301-529-9155.