TOPP Foundation Opens Type One Diabetes Camp Scholarship Applications

TOPP’s Camp Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to families wishing to send their child with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to specialized diabetes summer camps. Scholarships are available for Camp Freedom, located at Camp Kweebec in Schwenksville, PA, or Camp Nejeda, located in Newton, NJ. Because the daily management of T1D is complex, children and teens with T1D are often unable to attend traditional overnight camps. These camps provide the necessary 24-hour medical attention that living with T1D requires and offer a unique opportunity for children to spend time with peers and staff who understand and share the unique challenges of living with T1D.

TOPP understands that the medical costs of T1D can be daunting, and a specialized diabetic camp can be an additional financial hardship for families. To help defray the cost of tuition, TOPP will be awarding $500 scholarships for Camp Freedom and Camp Nejeda to children and teens from Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County, PA. This is a lottery scholarship. Eligible applicants will be entered into a lottery drawing and have an equal chance of winning. The application period begins on 2/15/2024. Interested families should apply by 4/30/2024.

TOPP Foundation also has lottery-based scholarships available for Camp Nejeda's Family Camp Program. Family Camps are fun mini-vacations for the whole family and are a great introduction to the camp experience for young children and newly diagnosed children. This program recognizes that managing diabetes can be challenging for the entire family. Families enjoy fun camp activities and parents, kids, and siblings have opportunities to meet and talk with other families living with T1D. Please visit toppfoundation.org for more information about these programs and to access the scholarship applications.

Camp Freedom, run by the American Diabetes Association, and Camp Nejeda, owned and operated by the Camp Nejeda Foundation, provide the fun of overnight summer camp in a medically safe environment. Campers make lifelong friendships and develop skills to help them live long, healthy, and successful lives. Also, since experts are onsite 24 hours a day to provide medical attention, parents can feel confident letting their children go away to camp. This is often the first time parents feel comfortable leaving their child and have a much-needed respite from diabetes-related worries.

Unlike the more common type 2 Diabetes, T1D is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. There is currently no cure, and its causes are not fully known. People with T1D are dependent on injected or pumped insulin and need to carefully regulate their blood sugar to stay alive. Living with T1D is a full-time balancing act requiring constant attention and meticulous planning to avoid acute, life-threatening hypoglycemia or the long-term damage done by hyperglycemia.

TOPP Foundation is a local nonprofit founded in 2016 by three mothers who each have a son with T1D. TOPP’s mission is to support T1D families and to raise awareness and funds for cure research. Along with these camp scholarships, TOPP also provides college scholarships to high school seniors. TOPP Foundation is 100% funded by donations. For more information about the TOPP Foundation and to donate, visit www.toppfoundation.org.