Camp Sunshine Chosen by Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation for $10,000 Gift this Holiday Season

Harvard Pilgrim employees in Maine impressed by Camp Sunshine’s family-focused program helping children with life-threatening illnesses

CASCO, Maine (December 27, 2011) – The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation has provided a $10,000 gift this holiday season to Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.

Harvard Pilgrim selected Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org) as the result of a survey of its Maine employees who were asked which local charity meant the most to them. The $10,000 donation was presented at Camp Sunshine during a special ceremony Dec. 22.

“We sincerely thank all of our friends at Harvard Pilgrim for their generosity and overwhelming support of our mission,” said Matthew M. Hoidal, Esq., Executive Director of Camp Sunshine. “And special thanks to Camp Sunshine family member Steve Conley of Harvard Pilgrim in Maine for his support and endorsement of Camp Sunshine within Harvard Pilgrim.”

To commemorate its 30th anniversary in 2011, the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation surveyed employees in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire to identify a worthy charity organization in each state for a $10,000 gift. Camp Sunshine was the overwhelming choice in Maine, said Karen Voci, Executive Director of the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation.

The not-for-profit health plan’s Maine employees said they were impressed with Camp Sunshine’s unique family-focused program as well as the organization’s continued top ratings by Charity Navigator, the nation’s leading independent charity evaluator, for sound fiscal management.

"Our colleagues at Harvard Pilgrim are deeply invested in their communities,” Voci said. “As we celebrate our 30th anniversary as the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation in 2011, we are proud to support them to make a difference in the communities where they live and work – and we're thrilled that Camp Sunshine is once again their organization of choice.”

Besides raising funds for Camp Sunshine during the holidays, Harvard Pilgrim employees also take part in an annual spring clean up at the Casco camp. Community Service Days in Maine, Massachusetts and New Hampshire are part of Harvard Pilgrim’s corporate commitment to communities. In 2010, Harvard Pilgrim’s charitable giving and service in Maine totaled $250,000 and staff volunteered more than 125 hours within local communities.

Harvard Pilgrim employees and its Foundation also contribute through an annual Employee Fund Raising Campaign, collecting more than $14,000 this year for Camp Sunshine and through employee nominated mini-grants aside from employee service days. This marks the fourth year that Camp Sunshine has been the Maine employees’ selection for the Employee Fund Raising Campaign.

Located in Casco, Maine, along Sebago Lake, Camp Sunshine provides a welcome retreat for children and their families coping with such life-threatening illnesses as cancer, kidney disease and lupus. Since 1984, Camp Sunshine has offered recreational, medical and counseling services at no cost to more than 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds.

About Camp Sunshine
Camp Sunshine offers children with life-threatening illnesses and their families a place to relax together for a week, and to take a break from the extraordinary demands placed upon them on a daily basis. The year-round program is free of charge and staffed almost entirely by volunteers. It is the only program in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family — the ill child, the parents and the siblings. Since its inception in 1984, Camp Sunshine has provided a haven for more than 32,000 individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. In addition to providing 24-hour on-site medical and psychosocial support, the camp offers a variety of daily activities, including swimming, boating, archery and soccer, and special events such as bonfires and cookouts. To support Camp Sunshine, please call (207) 655-3800 or visit www.campsunshine.org.

About The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation
Created in 1980, The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation supports Harvard Pilgrim's mission to improve the health of the people it serves and the health of society. The Harvard Pilgrim Foundation provides the tools, training and leadership to help build healthy communities throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Maine. In 2010, the Foundation awarded more than $1.2 million in grants to almost 1,000 nonprofit organizations within the three states. For more information, please visit www.harvardpilgrim.org/foundation.

# # #

Photo cutline:
Edward Kane, Vice President in Maine at Harvard Pilgrim (right) presents a $10,000 donation for Camp Sunshine to Matthew Hoidal, Executive Director of Camp Sunshine at a ceremony Dec. 22 in Casco, Maine.

Here is more information about Camp Sunshine