Hancock Lumber and Hancock Family Members Pledge $100,000 to Camp Sunshine

Camp Sunshine in Casco one of only camps in U.S. that serves entire family of seriously ill children

Casco, Maine – Camp Sunshine announced today that Hancock Lumber, The Carol J. and K. David Hancock Charitable Trust, Carol Hancock, and Alison and Kevin Hancock, have each pledged $25,000 for a combined commitment of $100,000 to the non-profit organization to help expand its program assisting families of seriously ill children on a year-round basis.

Kevin Hancock, Chairman, President & CEO of Hancock Lumber, one of America’s oldest and most distinguished family-owned lumber companies, said his company has long been a strong supporter of Camp Sunshine’s mission.

“This is a very important organization – to Maine and to the country,” said Hancock, who also chairs Camp Sunshine’s Maine Endowment Committee. “We are honored to be part of the campaign and hope our contribution and the pledges of other Maine companies help Camp Sunshine achieve its goal of touching the lives of even more families.”

Hancock Lumber is a sixth generation family business that began doing business in Maine in 1848. With just over 600 employees, the company presently operates three Eastern White pine sawmills and 11 retail locations in Maine, including a discount specialty store and a Marvin Window location.

“It truly is a pleasure to help Camp Sunshine’s endowment fund grow, allowing more and more families the opportunity to rest, to laugh, to network, to learn, and to be a family in such a unique and beautiful environment,” said Carol Hancock, past Board Member of Camp Sunshine.

Camp Sunshine, located in Maine’s Sebago Lake region, provides a camp vacation at no charge to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. The camp offers one of the only programs in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a life-threatening illness on every member of the immediate family. While attending the various week-long camps, families are able to rebuild relationships together and meet other families facing similar challenges.

Camp Sunshine has attracted families from 44 states and 15 countries over the years, and provided a camp experience for more than 20,500 family members.

Camp Sunshine’s Board of Directors recently embarked upon a $14.5 million endowment campaign. Combined with other commitments received to date, the donation from Hancock Lumber and the Hancock Family brings the total raised by Camp Sunshine to $5.2 million. Other contributors to date include the New Balance Foundation and the TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation.

“The endowment campaign is off to a great start,” said Matt Hoidal, Executive Director of Camp Sunshine. “This gift from the Hancock Family and Hancock Lumber means a lot to us. Since our inception back in the early 80’s, the Hancocks have been great supporters of our mission. Their support today will help secure the future of our program.”

Founded in 1984, Camp Sunshine was the first and remains one of the only camps in the nation whose sole focus is on serving the entire family, and not just the sick child. The program is free of charge to all families, and includes 24-hour onsite medical and psychosocial support. Bereavement groups also are offered for families who have lost a child to an illness.

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.

More about Hancock Lumber
Hancock Lumber began operation in 1848 as a small logging operation in Casco, Maine. Its first sawmill went into operation in the 1880s. Today, Hancock Lumber operates three sawmills in Maine (Casco, Pittsfield and Bethel) and is the largest producer of Eastern White Pine in the U.S. Hancock "Made in Maine" pine products are shipped nationwide.

Hancock Lumber entered the retail business in 1954 and today is Maine's largest lumberyard with retail yards in Casco, Windham, Yarmouth, and Kennebunk. Retail stores are located in Bridgton, Windham, Sanford, Kennebunk, Yarmouth, Portland, Pittsfield, Bethel, Wiscasset, Brunswick and Damariscotta.

# # #