TOPP Opens Applications for Type One Diabetes Camp Scholarships

TOPP Foundation’s Type One Diabetes Camp Scholarship Program

TOPP’s Camp Scholarship Program provides financial assistance to families wishing to send children with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to specialized diabetes summer camps. TOPP will be providing camp scholarships to 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 specialized camps provide the necessary 24-hour medical attention that living with T1D requires.

TOPP understands that the medical costs of T1D can be daunting, and a specialized diabetic camp can be an additional financial hardship for families. TOPP will be awarding a limited number of aid scholarships for Camp Freedom and Camp Nejeda to T1D youth from Bucks County, Montgomery County, and Philadelphia County, PA. The application period begins on 2/15/2022. Interested families should apply by 4/30/2022 (application deadline). For more information about this program and to access the scholarship application, visit http://toppfund.org/.

About Camp Freedom and Camp Nejeda, Specialized Diabetes Summer Camps

Camp Freedom, run by the American Diabetes Association, and Camp Nejeda, owned and operated by the Camp Nejeda Foundation, provide the necessary medical attention and offers children and teens with T1D the unique opportunity to attend camp with other kids who share the same daily challenges. These camps can be the best medicine for kids with T1D. They experience the fun of overnight summer camp in a medically safe environment while finding lifelong friendships and developing 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 one of the few times parents can have a much-needed respite from diabetes-related worries.

About Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)

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.

About TOPP Foundation (Type One Parent Project)

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 to accelerate research that leads to a cure. TOPP supports the local community by offering monthly T1D parent meetups, hosting family-friendly social events for families living with T1D, and providing camp scholarships. TOPP Foundation is 100% funded by donations and relies on the support of generous individuals and businesses in our community. If you would like to donate to this program to help more local T1D youth experience the joy of summer camp, please contact Christine at christine@toppfund.org or donate directly from the TOPP website (please indicate in the note section the donation is for the camp scholarship program). For more information about TOPP Foundation, please visit http://toppfund.org/.