Sleep-away
Camp Information

The Edward J. Madden Open Hearts Camp supports the brave children who have undergone the rigors of open heart surgery or received a heart transplant. We connect them in an emotionally supportive, enriching, colorful, and empowering environment that helps them relate to other children, grow individually, and have a tremendous experience.

Our Goals:

Self-confidence: Knowing our own strengths, ability to face challenges, and seeing oneself as a valuable member of their communities.

Personal Image: A deepening pride and appreciation for uniqueness of self.

Joy: Joy through community and shared living experiences in an enriching and fun atmosphere.

Acceptance and Resilience: Ability to face challenges together, find strength in community of unique campers, and reduce feelings of isolation in the world. We want our campers to know how strong they are and grow through a sense of accomplishment.

Maturity and Leadership: Growth through experiences, willingness to try new things, and a growing sense of self-accomplishment, ability, and leadership.

The Rights and Dignity of all individuals in our Open Hearts Camp Community:

The Open Hearts Camp expects that all people within our community (campers, staff, parents, community members) are treated with kindness, respect, and dignity. Our community is comprised of individuals from many cultures, races and ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations, and so on. Every individual in our community contributes greatly to the success of our program. We value each individual and their contributions, and celebrate our differences while acknowledging our common mission to support the children who have undergone cardiac surgeries, procedures, transplants, and device implantations.

Children ages 8-16 are eligible for our camp.

Campers must have had an open heart surgery at some point in their life, some of our campers have had many!

Summer 2026 Camp Dates:
The Open Hearts Camp Sleep-Away sessions are blended age groups. To accommodate for family summer plans we accept campers in either session, and generally try to group younger and older campers together. If you’re not sure which group is right for your camper, please reach out.

Sleep-Away camp drop off is on a Sunday and begins at 12:00.

• Sleep-away Session 1: (Typically a Younger Session 8yo - 12yo)

  • July 5 - July 17

• Sleep-Away Session 2: (Typically an Older Session 12yo - 16yo)

  • July 19 - July 31

Sleep-Away camp ends on a Friday and our family barbecue / Pick up starts at 10:00a. Families are allowed to arrive earlier on Pick Up Barbecue Day.

Yes!

The Open Hearts Camp is 100% Free for every child and family.

We ask for a donation to the camp which is optional.

Camp sessions are divided by age range:

All dates / Sessions are preliminary and subject to change as we organize our 2024 Summer Camp Season.

Family Camp (Parents and Siblings invited)

Session A: June 30 - July 3

Availability for 4-5 families.

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11 and 12 years old

Session b: July 7 - July 19 (12 nights)

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13 and 16 years old

Session C: July 21 to August 2 (12 nights)

Depending on the age of your camper, and your summer scheduling we can often enroll a camper in a session that best fits your family.

All of our campers have cardiac histories. Some campers have more complex care needs, including medication, limitations, mental health challenges, and/or recent procedures or surgeries.

In order to assess whether our camp can meet the needs of your camper we will ask for detailed medical history as part of our application process. Some things we will ask for include:

• Cardiac History, and most recent Cardiologist history chart note

• Approval by the Camper’s Cardiologist for camp activities

• A recent EKG

• Medication List provided by medical professional

• Vaccination history, including Covid-19

• Additional information is required if the camper has a history with psychological hospitalization, or mental health treatment. A history of receiving support for mental health challenges is not a barrier to a camper attending the Open Hearts Camp.

Our camp can serve a wide range of medical and psycho-social needs. At the end of the day our main focus is on camper safety. A detailed application helps us to have an open conversation with each family about our camp’s ability to take care of their camper.

All staff, volunteers, and adult family members (during family camp) sleeping over and participating in camp programing will have a completed National and Massachusetts Criminal Offense Report and Sexual Offence Report (Background check) on file and available to parents upon request.

In addition, our camp must comply with regulations of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and licensed by the local Board of Health.

We go above and beyond regulations and requirements to try and provide a safe and enjoyable time for our campers.

Depending on the age of your camper you may be able to select, on a first come-first serve basis, the session your family would prefer. You will be able to indicate this on our application.

The Edward J. Madden Open Hearts Camp is home in the beautiful Berkshires region of Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

The camp is 130 miles (2 hours) from Boston at the western edge of MA.

Close your eyes and imagine summer camp, surrounded by mountains, woods, and sun.

While our campers may have limitations, we don’t hold back on the fun.
Some of our campers favorite activities include: Hiking, Swimming, Campfires, Cooking Lessons (cakes, pizzas, and more!), Movie Nights, Camp Carnival, Arts and Crafts, Lawn Games, Spa Night, and SOOO much more.

The Berkshires is also home to an amazing variety of off-camp adventures. Campers enjoy: Movies, Botanical Gardens, Local Hikes, Ice Cream Shops, Museums, Baseball Games, and so much more depending on the session.

Every activity is designed to be accessible by all. No camper is left behind or excluded.

Yes! Our nurses are on site 24/7. Nurses participate in every activity, adventure, and campfire.

Our Camp Nurse administers all medication on the schedule appropriate for the campers, communicate with families when bumps happen, and monitor camper well being at all times. Many of our nurses are cardiac nurses, and some even know the campers from their time in the hospital.

Campers are encouraged to visit the nurse whenever they feel ‘off’ and are never discouraged from resting when needed.

At Open Hearts Camp we have six counselors (3 male, and 3 female). Counselors sleep in the bunks with the campers, and have walky-talky communication with the Director and Nurse at all times. Our Camper to Staff ratio is often 2:1 or 3:1.

Counselors are sometimes former Open Hearts Campers, and sometimes not. The camp aims to hire staff with experience working with children, and folks interested in medical and youth focused professional fields.

We also have a full-time chef! Our chef is a former Open Hearts Camper, and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

Yes.

We never discourage a child from calling home when needed. For many of our campers it is the first time away from their family for a significant amount of time. Many campers call home for a goodnight call, or to update about fun things they have been up to.
The camp director carries the camp cell phone at all times. Family is allowed to call or text whenever needed.

You’re not alone. For many of our campers it is their first experience sleeping away from their family. We are especially sensitive to this, and take great care helping campers feel safe and supported. A goodnight face-time never hurts either.

Let us know if you’d like to speak with a Madden Family about their first experience with our sleep away camp.

No worries at all. Our camp chef makes camper favorites. Chicken Nuggets, Macaroni and Cheese, and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches are camp staples.

Our chef also takes advantage of the wonderful variety of food and access to farms around The Berkshires. Every meal has a vegetable and greens option, and many of the recipes are home-made with vegetarian and other options.

While we can’t promise, we do notice that many “picky eaters” try new things at camp when the pressure is off. Most meals are served family-style, and staff and campers enjoy meal time together. Staff monitor whether campers are eating, and meals can be supplemented on an individual basis when a camper is just not feeling the menu.

At Open Hearts Camp we serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well as two snack times in between. Snacks options always include a protein and a fruit as well as the occasional treat.

It will be important to tell us if your camper has a special diet, whether cardiac related or not, so we can accommodate them.

Nope. Don’t worry, they’ll be so busy they won’t even miss it. I know it’s hard to believe… but it’s true!

Campers can bring a kindle, or their favorite books. They won’t have access to wi-fi or internet (GASP!) while they’re at camp.

Yes, we require the standard pediatric series of vaccinations for campers, per MA law. We also strongly suggest campers and staff to be up to date on Covid-19 vaccination.

We have designed this policy in line with other major medical camps throughout the United States, as well as with input from our medical advisors.

We can’t wait to meet them.

Share what you are comfortable sharing during the application and subsequent conversations so we can support and help your camper feel right at home, like everyone else.