Sun Outdoors Hosts Camp Quality, A Non-Profit Organization Which Serves Children With Cancer

Each year from May through this fall, vacationers are drawn to the beauty and serenity of Sun Outdoors Petoskey Bay Harbor, nestled along the northeastern shores of Lake Michigan, and one of the final stops in Michigan before crossing the Mackinac Bridge into the Upper Peninsula.  Guests can enjoy the plethora of amenities at the resort as well as everything the area has to offer.

This fall, the resort hosted a group of visitors who were not there to vacation but instead were a part of Camp Quality USA, a non-profit organization which serves children with cancer and their families by providing year-round programs, experiences, and companionship at no cost.  Twenty campers and their families were on-site for the three day program, which is designed to foster the building of new friendships, emotional strength, and life skills in a stress-free environment.

It was one of four Sun properties that hosted such events through Camp Quality USA and Camp Quality Canada this fall. The other sites consisted of Sun Retreats Seashore (Cape May, N.J.), Sun Retreats Geneva on the Lake (Ohio), and Sun Retreats Sherkston Shores (Ontario). Together they hosted more than 200 campers and family members.

“This program is extremely important in that it allows them to have needed family time without having gone through the planning or expense,” said Susan Olstad, Regional Director for Camp Quality USA. “Being able to have space to just be themselves and forget about everything but their family is amazing.”

For the campers and the families, it’s very beneficial for them to be around others who are facing similar adversity. Not only does the program allow them to share ways to get through the difficult times, it also makes them realize they are not alone.

“It's nice for them to be with other families that have kids with cancer,” Olstad said. “It gives kids a chance to be around other kids like them and gives parents a chance to be around other parents who can truly relate to what they have been through.”

Hayden Lawrence, a 10-year-old who was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just two, has benefitted tremendously from Camp Quality and its program.

“I was able to connect with a lot of them and talk with them and got to know that I wasn’t the only one,” said Lawrence of Howell Township, N.J., who attended the weekend at Sun Retreats Seashore and is now five years cancer-free. “When you know that you’re not alone and that there are people going through what you had to go through, you can listen to their stories, and it can help you believe that can also do that."

“There are not a lot of kids going through all that and it makes you stronger than you ever thought you could ever be.”

Sun’s partnership with Camp Quality began in 2021, as Geneva on the Lake was the first Sun property to host such an event.  This year, it was expanded to four sites, as the campers experienced a wide-range of activities, including mini-golf, fishing, tie-dying, painting, tennis, campfires, group games, and much more. 

“The many amenities and opportunities for families to have fun fishing or playing mini-golf, as well as space to gather kids and families together for activities, made all of these locations special places,” Olstad said. “The Sun Outdoors team works beside the Camp Quality team to create a very special weekend for these families.”

The partnership forged between Camp Quality and Sun supports important causes from both organizations, creating a perfect fit.  If it were not for this program, many of these families would not have the time or resources for a weekend getaway such as this.

“Sun’s partnership with Camp Quality aligns with one of our key goals, which is to make the outdoors as accessible for as many people as possible,” said, Mindy Kirtley, Divisional Vice President with Sun Outdoors.  “When we can do that while also providing the facilities and activities for a group of children who really need it and can reap the benefits of this great program, it makes that relationship even more special.”