
About Us

Our Mission
Sunrise Day Camp-Chicago, a program of JCC Chicago, is a proud member of the Sunrise Association, whose mission is to bring back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings worldwide. Sunrise accomplishes this through the creation and oversight of welcoming, inclusive summer day camps, year-round programs and in-hospital recreational activities, all offered free of charge. View the Sunrise Association Day Camp Brochure.

Our Vision
We work towards a world where cancer will not be the defining factor in a child’s life; where children and families navigating the difficult world of pediatric cancer can find hope, love, and an extra ray of sunshine; where cultural diversity is embraced and every child is celebrated for who they are and for the unique gifts they bring into the world.

Our Values
Fun Is Mandatory: Sunrise is children just being children – having fun playing and laughing together. We want every child, even if they can attend for only a day, to have the best day ever!
Inclusivity and Diversity: Sunrise is a worldwide organization made up of people from every walk of life who recognize and embrace the unique journey of each child. Sunrise actively seeks to create inclusive communities – whether at camp or in the hospitals – that celebrate diversity and equity among all children and staff while respecting both the differences and the commonalities that bind us together as a human family.
Hope & Healing: While we may not be able to cure cancer, Sunrise can provide the healing of the heart as well as the hope that each child can experience the true meaning of childhood.

The Dream Becomes Reality
Sunrise Association Day Camps began as a “dream” of Arnie Preminger, President & CEO of the Sunrise Association. After attending a benefit concert for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (a sleep-away camp for children with life-threatening illnesses), the dreaming began. Having built and operated summer day camps for more than 30 years at the Friedberg JCC, Arnie researched the existence of summer-long day camps for children with cancer, but to his surprise, found none.

Opened in 2006
The first Sunrise Day Camp opened its doors in 2006 on Long Island as the world’s first full-summer day camp for children with cancer and their siblings. Sunrise Day Camp-Chicago is excited for its’ first summer in 2023. It will serve the entire Chicagoland area and is a project of JCC Chicago in partnership with Sunrise Association.
But Sunrise is more than just a camp. It’s a place that allows children with cancer and their siblings to be just kids. It is a creative, safe, healthy, supportive and fun-filled community where peers who have a similar and shared experience are supervised by a dedicated and trained staff who are keenly aware of their unique needs. And our year- round and in-hospital programs ensure that our kids are cared for all throughout the year, and while they are being treated in-hospital.