NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Being at the hospital isn't always fun.
This month, however, has given kids and their families a little extra reason to smile.
Sunrise H Camp set up a camp experience on the sixth floor of the Doctor's Office Tower at Monroe Carell Junior Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, bringing games, arts and crafts, and other activities to children who might not be able to go to camp this summer. The camp is completely free for families.
"Sunrise's mission is to bring back the joys of childhood," said one of the organizers.
The sixth floor already participates in Sunrise on Wheels, a weekly program where a volunteer roams the floor with games, crafts, and other activities. The program was so successful that the Sunrise Association implemented the six-day camp.
"Coming to the hospital is stressful and hard and scary," said Sarah Stark, whose daughter, Ivy, has been receiving treatment at the hospital.
Ivy has been among the children benefiting from the program. Stark said her family is at the hospital for an extended stretch of treatment.
"We are here for 12 days in a row to receive transfusions for half the day, and then we head home and come back the next day, 7:30 in the morning," Stark said.
Despite that demanding schedule, Stark said Ivy has said something a child doesn't often say in a hospital.
"Yesterday and today she has asked not to leave," she said. "She came in and was excited to be here instead of being fearful and afraid."
Stark said the program has made a meaningful difference for her daughter during a difficult time.
"This is her joy right now," she said. "And in a time when it's really hard and stressful and new, this is then exactly what we need."
The impact of the camp has been felt beyond just the activities themselves.
"I saw peace and comfort," Stark said.
Sunrise H Camp didn't cost a penny to any of the patients.
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