Camp del Corazon [ Programs and Activities ]
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.
Our Malibu 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.
Camp Del Corazon provides a variety of fun and exciting activities for campers of all ages. All of the activities are lead by trained Activity Counselors and supervised by one of our Med Nurses. Our on site physicians not only oversee all medical needs of our campers but are known to jump in and play and/or teach some of the activities as well. At Camp Del Corazon Malibu all volunteer staff members attend staff training prior to working with our children. Each day the campers attend 5 to 6 activity periods accompanied by their cabin counselors.
The goal of this unique program is to provide an opportunity for children living with heart disease the experience of participating in various mountain activities, which they thought they could never do because of the altitutde while under the medical supervision of our professional staff.
The activities include skiing, ice skating, sledding, pottery making, and dog sledding provided by Mammoth Dog Team, and don’t forget about the snowmen! Ski lessons are provided through Disabled Sports Eastern Sierra, a team of specialized instructors who have previously worked with our Leadership group.
Learn more about ski camp here . . .
PACE, Progressive Adult Congenital Experience, is a Camp Del Corazon program that has been designed specifically for young adults, ages 18 to 25, as they transition from teen years into adulthood. This program is designed and lead by mentors who have participated in and graduated from the PACE program.
The program was founded in 2004, and our leaders have had the opportunity to attend Camp in both Malibu and Los Angeles, CA, ski retreats at Mammoth Mountain, and assist with various other camp events including our summer camp and the family weekend held at Universal Studios Hollywood.