JustBeKids is the promotional website for the Carol Jean Cancer Foundation. The foundation was established by the Eiserer family in 1986 in memory of Carol Jean Eiserer, a Maryland schoolteacher who died of a malignant brain tumor at age 43. Carol Jean was dedicated to teaching children that life offers opportunities for joy and hope even in the face of pain and illness.
The stated mission of JustBeKids is improve the quality of life, for children with cancer and their families throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia, by providing year round recreational and support programs free of charge.
Essentially the goal of the CJCF is to let kids with cancer just be kids. Camp Friendship, the premier program of the CJCF is designed to allow just that. Several sessions of Camp Friendship are held each summer at the permanent camping facilities of the Carol Jean Cancer Foundation, which is located on 43 acres of wooded Montgomery County farmland in Laytonsville, Maryland. Camp Friendship is a special, week-long residential camp for children with cancer - offered free — and is designed especially with their needs in mind.
“Not all camps have their own site, but having your own site definitely has its advantages,” says Cathy Linfoot of Camp Good Days & Special Times, New York, and a Camp Friendship mentor. “You can be there whenever you want to be there. You can do more, offer more and do it at the convenience of the kids and their families. There’s a certain spirit that you make at your camp that you don’t get at a rented facility. You build memories. Coming back to the same place is really good for the kids. It’s a home away from home.”
Right now, only kids from the metropolitan DC area have the opportunity to attend Camp Friendship, but that may change in the future.
