Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival, Featuring 6,000 Lit Jack-o-Lanterns, to Benefit Children and Families in Need

L.L. Bean to host pumpkin-filled day of live music, children’s activities, costumes, contests and prizes Oct. 29 in Freeport

CASCO, Maine (October 6, 2011) – Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Casco for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, today announced that its ninth annual Pumpkin Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 29, in Freeport, Maine.

The day-long, family-friendly fall festival, presented by Hancock Lumber and Androscoggin Bank, will be held from noon to 8 p.m. at L.L. Bean’s flagship store in downtown Freeport. To date, Camp Sunshine’s Pumpkin Festivals have raised more than $1 million to help keep the Camp’s year-round medical and psychosocial support programs available to families year-round, free of charge.

The Pumpkin Festival will feature kid’s activities, entertainment, food, costume parade sponsored by Downeast Energy, corporate carving challenge, whoopie pie eating contest, pumpkins-on-wheels derby, and a spectacular display of 6,000 lit jack-o-lanterns.

Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org) has set a goal to raise $60,000 – enough to sponsor an entire week at Camp Sunshine for 40 families in need. Festival participants can help by sponsoring pumpkins for just $10 each.

In addition to the opportunity to help sick kids and their families, every donation and increment of $10 entitles donors to a chance to win two round-trip tickets on JetBlue, good for use anywhere the airline flies. By sponsoring 10 pumpkins with a donation of $100, for example, the odds of winning become “spooktacular”. But whether a trip is won or not, everyone who helps Camp Sunshine bring needed respite to more families is a winner.

To help jump start Camp Sunshine’s efforts, Hancock Lumber, along with Androscoggin Bank, Downeast Energy, and Spectrum Medical Group, have collectively donated $34,000 to sponsor 3,400 jack-o-lanterns, leaving 2,600 pumpkins left to be sponsored. (UPDATE: As of Oct. 19, Camp Sunshine is 1,542 pumpkins short of its goal of 6,000 sponsored pumpkins.) Meanwhile, L.L. Bean has generously committed to funding all event expenses, ensuring that all event income will go directly to helping families at Camp Sunshine.

To sponsor a pumpkin(s), visit www.campsunshine.org/pumpkinfestival or text CAMP to 20222.

“The Camp Sunshine Pumpkin Festival is an event we look forward to every year and one that is sure to bring joy to our current campers and their families, and everyone who participates,” said Matthew M. Hoidal, Esq., executive director at Camp Sunshine. “From face painting to meeting our mascot Pumpkin Pete to eating pumpkin pie – fun is the name of the game at the Pumpkin Festival. We’re excited to experience the day and bring a smile to the faces of so many while garnering support for our mission.”

Located in Maine’s scenic Sebago Lake region, Camp Sunshine features a 23-acre lakeside campus with private family suites, as well as a climbing wall, indoor swimming pool and computer learning center – all available free of charge to the families. To date, Camp Sunshine has welcomed families from 47 states and 17 countries.

Located in Maine’s scenic Sebago Lake region, Camp Sunshine features a 23-acre lakeside campus with private family suites, as well as a climbing wall, indoor swimming pool and computer learning center – all available free of charge to the families. To date, Camp Sunshine has welcomed families from 47 states and 17 countries.

For more information about Camp Sunshine’s programs and to learn more about volunteering or making a donation, visit the camp’s website at www.campsunshine.org, or call (207) 655-3800.

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.

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WHAT: Camp Sunshine’s ninth annual Pumpkin Festival, presented by Hancock Lumber and Androscoggin Bank.
WHEN: Saturday, Oct. 29, noon-8p.m.
WHERE: L.L. Bean store in downtown Freeport, Maine
WHO: Camp Sunshine, a one-of-a-kind national retreat in Casco, Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families.
WHY: Proceeds will provide 40 families and their sick children with support and a week-long reprieve.
MORE INFO: Event to feature kid’s activities, entertainment, food, a costume parade sponsored by Downeast Energy, corporate carving challenge, whoopie pie eating contest, a pumpkins-on-wheels derby, and a spectacular display of 6,000 lit jack-o-lanterns.
WEBSITE: www.campsunshine.org/pumpkinfestival





Here is more information about Camp Sunshine