Kesem is the leading national nonprofit supporting children facing a parent’s cancer. Founded in 2000, Kesem’s community consists of more than 4,000 volunteer college student leaders at over 130 college chapters across the country, providing year-round programs and services for these children ages 6-18 at no cost to families. Our flagship program, Camp Kesem, is a week-long, sleep-away summer camp. Beyond camp, Kesem provides a continuum of touchpoints for campers and their families. Kesem is funded entirely by generous donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. For more information, visit kesem.org, Facebook.com/CampKesem, and @CampKesem on Twitter & Instagram.
Kesem is the leading national nonprofit that supports children impacted by a parent’s cancer, serving children ages 6-18 annually through year-round programming, at no cost to their families. Founded in 2000, we support families impacted by any type of cancer, and anywhere in their cancer journey, from diagnosis through treatment, and then through survivorship or loss. Kesem provides this support through more than 4,000 college student volunteers at over 130 colleges and universities across the country. Our flagship program Camp Kesem is a week-long, sleep-away summer camp. Beyond camp, our free programs and services provide children impacted by a parent's cancer a continuum of touchpoints throughout the year. These touchpoints help build social connections, develop positive coping skills, and foster resilience while supporting families as a whole.
Children can return to Kesem year after year until they graduate high school, and many of them purposely attend colleges where they can continue their time at Kesem as a volunteer. Since our founding, we have provided more than 60,000 children with free, supportive, year-round services.
Kesem’s Core Values
At Kesem, a set of shared values guide our work and how we conduct ourselves every day.
- Continuous Learning
- Accountability
- Resilience
- Empathy
Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Kesem’s mission of supporting children through and beyond a parent’s cancer, and our vision of ensuring that every child impacted by a parent’s cancer is never alone, can only be realized through an ongoing, steadfast commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in every part of our organization. For the full list of Kesem’s commitments please visit our website.