Our bleeding disorders camp program provides a unique and meaningful experience for bleeding disorder patients and their families.
Family Camp weekend provides an opportunity for kids 0-10 and their families to connect and bond in a safe and supportive environment.
Our bleeding disorders educational program for 11-17 year olds provides age appropriate education over google classroom and zoom and a financial incentive that can be used towards a summer camp program of their choice, helping to develop independence and confidence.
Finally, our many community events throughout the year are open to all community members, providing an opportunity for families to come together and build meaningful connections.
Our bleeding disorders camp program is designed to provide families with a unique, meaningful, and enjoyable experience.
Family Camp
We are returning to our roots and the original intention of Camp I-Vy. Camp I-Vy will now be an annual family camp focused on ages birth through 10! The weekend event will focus on the original intentions of camp: education, connection, and building trust.
This program will be able to grow and shift with the community's needs. Our goal is to meet the educational and support needs of parents and children. No matter the advancements in treatments, the early years of having a child with a bleeding disorder are overwhelming. The BDFW is committed to ensuring families are supported during this impactful time.
To enhance the connection and support for these families, we are launching our young families' breakfast. This will be once a quarter throughout western Washington. This breakfast will be for the whole family. It is a time to build relationships and confidence in being a family caring for a little one with a bleeding disorder. Learn more about Family Camp!
Teens: Camp I-Vy's Family Camp weekend and breakfasts allow our teens a chance to give back by providing leadership to our young families. These volunteer hours can go towards the youth earning college scholarships through our I-Vy Leaders program. This volunteer time is a manageable expectation of our youth and community members, especially as many are working, playing sports, and building their own lives.
Camp Roots
Camp for 11-17 Year Olds
We realize that some of our services require community members to come to us. Data shows that we are more likely to stick to our routines, flourish and grow if we stay near our support systems. This is why we are adjusting the services for children with bleeding disorders ages 11-17.
The goal is that every child in Washington will be educated when it comes to their bleeding disorder, and that children and their families will be rewarded with new and life-expanding opportunities. As the resources of BDFW shift, we are changing our programs to operate on an income basis to dictate how our services will be provided.
We look forward to reaching the Board of Directors goal of having the most educated and empowered bleeding disorder youth in the country.
Education
The Camp Roots education modules are built to resemble the education systems and tools that our youth are receiving in their classrooms. All of the Camp Roots education is designed in collaboration with BDFW staff, certified Washington educators, and licensed medical staff. The program will be hosted on Google Classroom and Zoom and will be broken down into the following age ranges: 11/12 year olds, 13/14 year olds and 15-17 year olds. Each age range will have Videos, Quizzes and a workbook to watch and complete on Google Classroom and will be expected to attend at least one Camp Roots Self-Advocacy Zoom meeting with the BDFW Staff, a Bleeding Disorder nurse and their peers. Each age range will have multiple days and times for the virtual meeting to increase opportunities for each child to find a meeting that works within their schedule.
At the end of the education, your child will have materials that they can take to their camp counselor, camp nurse, babysitter, friend's house, grandparents, or coaches that highlights the steps to take in the case of a bleed, how to notice the signs of a bleed, and other crucial reminders that pertain to self-advocacy, especially in the case of an emergency. This provides reminders of the significance of a child's bleeding disorder without over medicalizing their needs and makes it so the child only needs to memorize a few key details, which is easier on their memory and increases the likelihood of retention for the most important details, while still providing the resources they need in the case of a bleed.
Financial Support
As an incentive to participate in the education and to provide an opportunity to practice independent living with a bleeding disorder, the child will receive financial support on a sliding scale from the BDFW to attend a class, summer day camp, or summer overnight camp that works best for the child. For teens in the 15 to 17 age range we will also accept life transition skills such as driver's education for the class they choose to attend. This will allow more kids to expand their interests, build independence and practice advocacy outside the classroom. Because we know that many summer camps require sign ups before our program Education becomes live, we will have a contract that your family can sign to commit to completing the program, and the BDFW will provide the financial support directly to the camp program with the stipulation that if the child does not complete the Camp Roots education and join the Self-Advocacy Education the family will be responsible for reimbursing the BDFW for their related expenses.
*Financial Support can be used on 1 Summer Camp Program or Class, including drivers education for our teens, there is no rollover financial support for a second class or camp.
You can also choose to complete the education and donate back the summer camp scholarship to help provide for more kids with bleeding disorders.
The Sliding Scale for financial Support Uses guidance that has already been established for insurance access as shown below.
Base Level Support $250 once per module
All children who complete the age-specific module.
Mid-Level Support $500 once per module
For children whose families are 400% above the poverty level as established,
to receive subsidies on the Washington Healthcare Exchange.
High-Levels Support $750 once per module
For children who are on standard Medicaid of 138% above the poverty level.
*Financial Support can be used on 1 Summer Camp Program or Class, there is no rollover financial support for a second class or camp.
*While all are invited to participate in the camp roots education, financial support is only available to patients that live in/have their bleeding disorders hematologist in Washington State.
Living with a bleeding disorder has drastically changed over the past 10 years, from the passage of health care reform which increased access to care and drastically removed the financial burden on families to medical advances. The community members have also changed, many have had families of their own, feel they are ready to hang up their camp shoes and are eager for campers to find new interests without the barrier of their treatments.
These medical advances have removed the need to teach self-infusion in large group settings. The BDFW will continue to work with the medical providers to support self-infusion to meet and capitalize on a patient's need to learn self-infusion. This support will be for children, parents, and adults. This update allows the BDFW and the medical team to support more patients throughout their lives and throughout the state.
For those that would like to attend a bleeding disorder summer camp, we will work with our local states to support getting you there. (This will still require the BDFW education.) The health of our patients is rapidly improving, but if there is a child that needs a full medical camp, we will work with Camp Korey. Camp Korey is currently offering a week for blood disorders in August of 2023.
For those that love an overnight camp, our camp partner prior to the pandemic, Camp Huston, has a week long and four-day camp for those that are interested. This would allow campers to attend with a friend or sibling to continue their connection to Camp Huston.
Get contacted when the Camp Roots contract and when the Camp Roots education go live by filling out the form below.
Understanding how we got here: The History of Camp I-Vy
1976: Camp I-Vy was established. Camp I-Vy in the 1970’s was a place for families with children with a bleeding disorder to come together and meet other families and learn from each other. In the early years, those with hemophilia made their own camp. At the time, hemophilia was too complicated to be cared for by others. Hemophilia patients had to bring in their own families and doctors to create an environment that allowed kids a chance to play and have a camp experience. They were able to do this because the children's medical teams volunteered their time and came to camp to provide care.
1980’s: Camp I-Vy’s First Major Evolution. In the 1980’s camp I-Vy morphed drastically due to the change in landscape for community members. In the 1980’s tainted blood used to create the medication for Hemophilia caused an HIV crisis in the community. At this time camp took on its own role, it became a place to mourn passed friends and learn about life and dying with HIV and a bleeding disorder, and it was a place where campers and families were not seen as different.The lessons of this time period should be captured for it was tremendously unique to the HIV and hemophilia story as a whole.
2000’s: Another Camp Evolution. By the early 2000’s camp changed again as new kids were born with bleeding disorders and medication no longer contained tainted blood products. Camp became a place for families to come together to have fun, make friends and connect within the bleeding disorder community. As factor products became available, hemophilia camp became a place to begin the process of teaching children with bleeding disorders how to take their medication intravenously. Traditions such as the "Big Stick" were born. Camp leaders quickly saw the value of campers developing relationships with their medical providers outside of the clinic setting.
2010: A Major Camp Evolution. By 2010 camp changed again due to shifts in medical equipment and access, and the evolving needs of the community. At this time camp moved from a family camp for all ages to a split camp model. The split model was formatted so kids with bleeding disorders over age 7 and their siblings participated in camp programming without their parents, while kids 6 and under and their families had their own programming, all hosted at one big camp. The transition to not having parents present at camp for older children was based on the goal of building independence for older kids.
2013: Another Major Evolution. Camp I-Vy and Jr. Camp separate. Until 2013, campers over age 7 and families with a child under age 7 would come together at the same camp, with young families having a shorter camp week. In 2013 a change was made so that each group had their own specialized camp program focusing on their age group and their needs. During this evolution another group was created, the I-Vy Leaders group, where a limited number of I-Vy leaders could volunteer at each camp, and anyone in the age range of I-Vy Leaders could participate in a unique program that focused on life with a bleeding disorder after you age out of traditional camp.
2016/2017: Another Evolution: In 2016 and 2017 another new medical product led to another change at camp. Many kids coming to camp no longer needed to receive medication while at camp and were receiving their medication through sub q shots rather than intravenously. This reduced the need to learn how to poke at camp, meaning at Camp I-Vy most kids did not go to the medical hut to learn how to poke. Without learning how to poke, camp was a place for coming together with other kids with the same condition. At this time siblings without a bleeding disorder were no longer able to attend camp with few exceptions. Treatment was advancing so rapidly that campers were now able to go to non-bleeding disorder camps safely and successfully. With the role of Hemlibra, including self-infusion education as a key role of camp was no longer medically necessary.
2019: Camp was forced to evolve. From 2019-2022 the covid pandemic stopped camp from being a possibility. The potential for spreading covid was too high for camp to run and the BDFW began to offer adjusted opportunities for children through the try something new initiative. Communities found ways to come together outside of the camp setting. Many leaders of the camp community began reaching their late 40s and 50s, which prompted them to think realistically about how many years they wanted to spend their summer volunteering at camp. At the same time, camp leaders in their late 20s and early 30s began to marry and have children.
2023: Camp has the opportunity for another change. The landscape of life with a bleeding disorder due to advances in the medical field for bleeding disorders, as well as life as a kid following 3 years of hybrid schooling during a pandemic leads to a possibility for a change in camp I-Vy that can be based on children’s current needs to gain independence at a level that fits their ability, to learn about their bleeding disorder, and prepare for life without 24/7 medical supervision.
Share a photo and message about your time at camp!
Send an email with a photo and message about your time at camp to general@bdfwa.org to be included in the History of Camp I-Vy! Please include the year or general timeframe for when the photo and story are from. We look forward to building out more as we hear from you!