Roundup River Ranch, The Healing Power of Place

Photos courtesy of Roundup River Ranch

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Roundup River Ranch is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing children with life-altering diagnoses and their families opportunities to embrace joy, create connections, foster independence, and build hope through free, medically-supported camp programs.

Located in a canyon along the Colorado River, Roundup River Ranch spans 125 acres at an elevation of 6,300 feet in Gypsum, Colorado. This serene setting in the heart of the Rocky Mountains offers a respite from doctors’ offices and worries. It is a place where children discover their courage, independence, and resilience through a variety of traditional camp activities such as ziplining, archery, boating, fishing, horseback riding, art, and stage nights. Surrounded by peers with similar experiences, campers find a sense of belonging and acceptance.

Cailin, a camper, shared, “I don’t really tell anyone about my illness back at home, because I don’t want them to think of me as being different. At Roundup River Ranch, nobody looks at me differently. You can just let yourself be you, and I love that. You come to camp and leave a whole new person. Honestly, it’s life changing.”

Roundup River Ranch serves children aged 5-17 from Colorado and the surrounding Rocky Mountain region who have been diagnosed with serious illnesses, including GI and kidney conditions, heart conditions, cancer, blood disorders, neurological conditions, and other serious health conditions. The camp provides comprehensive, individualized medical care in a state-of-the-art facility equipped to handle urgent, emergent, and routine pediatric care. A diverse group of medical professionals, who leave their lab coats and scrubs behind, deliver care at camp.

Inspired by the late actor Paul Newman’s vision for the SeriousFun Children’s Network, it was with the idea that each camp would be a place for kids living with serious medical conditions to “raise a little hell” while spending time in a worry-free, zero price tag environment.

Roundup River Ranch offers a positive, long-lasting, and life-enhancing experience for campers, their families, volunteers, staff, and the broader community. More information about the camp and its free programs is available at RoundupRiverRanch.org.

Jennifer Clark is the Chief Marketing Officer of Roundup River Ranch. RoundupRiverRanch.org