Help Temple University secure this summer camp for kids of cancer patients

Every year, Camp Kesem, the nonprofit summer camp for children of cancer patients and victims, chooses a new batch of universities to house chapters through an online voting system.

Right now, it’s looking like Temple University will be one of those new chapters in Summer 2018: The North Philadelphia school is currently sitting at number three in the polls.

If Temple secures a Camp Kesem chapter, it will be the second camp of its kind in the city, which has the highest cancer rate of the top 10 cities in the country. (University of Pennsylvania also has a Camp Kasem chapter.)

The effort has been spearheaded by Temple students Erika Richardson and Gabby Marshall, with help from Mark Manning, a former program director at Camp Kesem National and on the board of the Penn chapter.

Manning said there’s a “huge need” in this area, and current chapters can’t currently keep pace with demand. Richardson agreed.

“Penn only has the capacity to serve 120 kids every summer,” she said, adding that there are approximately 800 kids in the city who currently have a parent with cancer — and that’s not counting children whose parents have died or are in remission.

Only nine of the 13 candidates will receive a chapter.

“I’m pretty sure we have it,” said Richardson. “Unless the other schools really step it up.”

Voting, which ends tonight, is taking place at the link below.