Founded in 1995, Camp del Corazon was the first medically supervised free camp specifically for children with heart disease in the Western United States.  We remain the largest camp of our kind on the West Coast.

Since its inception, camp has grown from one weekend session of 49 campers to three 5-day sessions now accommodating approximately 400 campers each year.

Camp del Corazon is fully accredited by the American Camping Association.

The cost to send one child to camp is approximately $1,500, and to this day, Camp del Corazon has not charged a single camper to attend.

Camp del Corazon is a 501 (c) non-profit organization funded entirely by grants, fundraisers and private donations.

All programs are staffed entirely by volunteer doctors, nurses and counselors.

The camp features a fully-equipped infirmary and sick campers can be transported by boat or airlifted to the mainland quickly and safely while at Catalina Island, and all local authorities are on medical alert standby while camp is at the Malibu site.

Camp del Corazon has created additional programs which offer new and exciting opportunities for children living with heart disease such as a Tall Ships Program and a Mammoth Mountain Snow Weekend.

Camp del Corazon has created a PACE Program for young adults ages 18-25 who are going thru transitional changes into adulthood.

The PACE Program consists of weekend retreats with peers and mentors to address the issues of living as an adult with congenital heart disease.

The American Heart Association funds a yearly Family Symposium which provides an opportunity for families to learn from experts in the field of Pediatric and Congenital Cardiology.

Our Family Symposium also creates an environment for families to network and share stories and seek advice from others dealing with similar issues and for the siblings to share in our programs.

Catalina Location

Camp del Corazon is held at Catalina Island Camps located at Howland’s Landing, a private cove on the leeward side of beautiful Catalina Island.  Just 22 miles off the coast of Southern California, Howland’s Landing is surrounded by magnificent ocean views and breezes. Our cove is approximately three miles, by boat, west of Two Harbors, a small boating community located at the Isthmus of Catalina Island. We are approximately 20 miles west of Avalon, the main "city" on the Island.

Within our sheltered cove, our pier extends into the bay providing the focal point for swimming, boating and other water activities. On shore, our main lodge contains the camp food service center which faces the shaded Dining Terrace. Rustic bunkhouses and open-sided chalets are located on each side of the Dining Terrace and along the shore. Complete bathroom and shower facilities are adjacent to each living area. Tennis courts, basketball courts, sand volleyball courts, tetherballs and playing fields are located between the Dining Terrace and the beach.

Malibu Location

Our Mailbu camp is held at Cottontail Ranch in Calabasas, California, nestled in the mountains just above Malibu.  The camp has a rustic, western theme complete with a horse arena and western town front.  This location is unique to our programs…horseback riding, beautiful swimming pool, state-of-the-art climbing wall, basketball courts, archery and fields for games of the imagination.

The cabins at Cottontail are rustic wooden structures with tiled floors, screened windows, electricity and heaters for the colder evenings.

The original idea for Camp del Corazon came one afternoon when Lisa Knight came to my office to politely remind me of some paperwork I was delinquent with, and saw a brochure for a camp called "Camp Bon Coeur". She asked me what it was, and I explained that it was some information that I had requested for one of my patients.

I went on to explain how this young man had undergone a wonderful operation that had dramatically improved the function of his heart, put him back in school, back in little league baseball and into rollerblades for the first time. Yet, despite all that I had thought the surgery had done for him, I was troubled to find that he was extremely self-conscious about the scar on his chest, and took great pains not to let anyone see it.

I thought he might be less self conscious if he knew other children with heart disease, and so I requested this information about a program in Louisiana, Unfortunately, this young man’s mother had just gotten used to the idea that her formerly invalid son went to school for 6 hours a day, and she was not especially interested in sending him to Louisiana. Upon hearing this, Lisa said simply "We can do that" and the next thing I knew, we did.

The first year, Camp del Corazon was a two person show (actually, it was mostly Lisa, but people kept insisting on giving me equal credit). All of the fund raising, invitation application forms, mailing labels, luggage tags, and nametags etc, were generated after hours, and during lunch on my office computer. We were fortunate to have the help of Dr. Jerry Buckberg with fund raising. He raised nearly half the money we needed by calling in some favors with some pharmaceutical companies. Even so, we wound up spending more than we raised, generating a deficit that was graciously covered by the division of pediatric cardiology for several months.

That year, 49 children spent three days on Catalina. It seemed we had hardly left when it was time to return I am still quite convinced I spent more time moving luggage than anything else. Yet, when we returned, it seemed every child had a wonderful time, and couldn't wait to tell their parents. And that is how Camp Del Corazon started!