Dream comes true for Dream Day Sun Jan 04, 2009

Rich Eldred - Cape Codder Newspaper
BREWSTER -
Dream Day on Cape Cod is now the owner of 14 acres in Brewster, thanks to a donation from Cape Cod Camp Corporation.
“It’s important because we can make the long term investments we hoped we could in actual capital projects,” explained Dream Day’s executive director Kathleen Giorgio. “We’re thrilled to say to the wonderful families we serve, we’re here for you for the long haul.”
CCCC runs the 4-H Camp Farley in Mashpee and also has owned Camp Nan-Ke-Rafe behind Nickerson State Park on the shores of Rafe Pond since 1993. The Camp Fire girls built the camp in 1971 and eventually transferred the property to the corporation.
Dream Day on Cape Cod was founded in 1993 as well. It provides a haven for children and families with life threatening illnesses, giving them a respite from the grind of dealing with the disease.
“Our mission is to bring a ray of sunshine into the lives of families,” Giorgio said. “The prime way we do that is at Camp Nan-Ke-Rafe for six weeks in the summer. They spend so much time at doctors’ offices and hospitals this is an opportunity for families to get away and create long-lasting family memories.”
Dream Day was using a camp in Sandwich but switched to the Brewster locale in 1998.
“They have invested in physical improvements and become quite enamored of the facility,” said CCCC executive director Mike Campbell. “They approached us wanting to know if we could be persuaded to transfer the property and we decided it would be a good use for the campground because they have a wonderful mission.”
Dream Day had been leasing the camp for a nominal fee.
“It was tremendously generous of them,” Giorgio said of the donation. “This is the prize of a lot of people’s generosity and work.”
Children and families usually spend a week at the camp in one of the cabins. The camp is open through July and August but also ran a holiday weekend two weeks ago that was filled.
The 4-H camp had run a teen program at Camp Nan-Ke-Rafe before leasing it to Dream Day.
“They were looking for a place for respite camping and decided it would be a nice little spot,” Campbell said.
The youngsters and families can swim in the pond, hike Nickerson State Park or use the camp as a base for activities such as whale watches, fishing, going to the seashore, baseball games etc.
The campground is sufficiently specialized to handle the physical and medical condition of their tenants.
“It’s a cute little place,” said Campbell. “They’ve got a lodge, maybe eight cabins, at least one is used for offices. The rest are small little cabins that house individual families.”
Camp Farley also sold Dream Day 2.6 acres adjacent to the campground for the cost of $63,000, for which Dream Day received an anonymous donation of $62,000 to help cover that expense.
“We hope to continue serving the families we support and to welcome even more families,” said Giorgio. “We’ll update the buildings from a structural standpoint and update the grounds to be more accessible. It’s a special little parcel of land out there.”