Hollywood Heart - Camp Pacific Heartland

Relay races, wilderness adventures, dances and whispered secrets under the stars. Water balloon fights, face painting, computer games and making a new best friend. Summer camp is one of childhood’s most cherished events. But for children living with AIDS, this fundamental experience is often out of reach. Their health crisis is a burdensome and often painfully held secret. Children who are not infected, but affected by a family member living with AIDS also have needs and fears that should not be forgotten or dismissed.

Camp Pacific Heartland (CPH) is a full-service summer camp for children and adolescents infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. At camp they have the opportunity to learn, play and discover while receiving full medical, emotional and psychological support. While there are other camps offering programs for Southern California HIV-positive children, CPH is the only program that includes the children and adolescents affected by HIV/AIDS through family members who have also dealt with the disease.

Hollywood HEART originally began as Camp Pacific Heartland in 1995. David Gale, Executive Vice President of MTV Films, founded the camp to address the social and recreational needs of Southern California children affected by HIV and AIDS. After extensive research, Gale and the CPH board of directors chose Wisconsin-based Camp Heartland’s dedicated team of counselors, doctors, nurses, social workers and administrative staff to provide the optimum environment for campers to stay healthy and enjoy summer camp life.

Recreational opportunities include typical camp activities such as hiking, water sports, baseball, arts and crafts, nature programs and creative writing. Hollywood HEART’s Movie Team program also offers its unique filmmaking workshop at each session of camp for children to write, direct, produce and star in their own short films. In addition to the financial contribution to Camp Heartland’s Malibu sessions, Hollywood HEART also sponsors an MTV Dance Night at each session of camp, complete with a professional DJ spinning the latest hits, MTV-themed decorations and a “Glamour Booth” where kids can take a break from dancing to be decked out in colored hairspray, fake tattoos and face paint. Hollywood HEART volunteers also run a photo booth at the camp’s annual Carnival Night complete with costumes, wigs and props for campers to take memorable souvenir Polaroids.

While camp allows children to take a small vacation from the stress and stigma of living with AIDS, the CPH medical staff guarantees that they fulfill their medical protocol. Under this supervision and support, children often gain weight and return home healthier than when they left for camp. Psychological support also addresses many non-medical issues children at CPH may face. Many campers have lost parents to the AIDS epidemic, and half of them are living in guardian relations with someone other than a biological parent. Eleven percent have a brother or sister with HIV/AIDS and over thirty percent have a parent who is also living with the disease. Emotional tensions brought on by these painful circumstances are met with calm understanding and professional counsel.

Since 1995, CPH has welcomed more than 1000 campers infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS to Camp Hilltop in Malibu. CPH serves as an important resource for the growing number of affected children whose needs are often not met by other AIDS social service agencies. The camp has also increased its emphasis on life skills and leadership development because children with this disease are living longer due to medical breakthroughs. For these reasons, campers may also join a “Journey of Hope” AIDS awareness presentation team or become one of the camp’s counselors-in-training. Hollywood HEART also provides year-round field trip opportunities for local campers to visit Southern California attractions including Disneyland and Dodger’s Stadium.