Finding Connection at Camp Hertko Hollow

For children living with type 1 diabetes, feeling understood can make all the difference.

Thanks to support from a grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa, 33 campers were able to attend Camp Hertko Hollow in 2025 through campership support. The funding helped ensure that financial circumstances did not stand in the way of a week filled with connection, education, independence and fun.

Camp Hertko Hollow gives children and teens with type 1 diabetes the opportunity to spend time with peers who understand what it is like to live with the disease. Alongside traditional camp activities like rock climbing, canoeing and time in the ga-ga pit, campers took part in hands-on diabetes education designed to build confidence and independence in real-life situations.

Throughout the week, campers were encouraged to celebrate their own accomplishments - from independently managing their diabetes to trying a new pump site, making a new friend or simply being away from home for the first time.

For many families, the friendships created at camp continued long after the week ended. One parent shared that their daughter continued to text and FaceTime her new camp friends after returning home, laughing together about things only kids with diabetes would understand.

That sense of community is at the heart of Camp Hertko Hollow. Variety’s support helped provide camperships for families who could not afford the full camp fee and supported the medical staffing necessary to create a safe, therapeutic and empowering camp experience.

By helping remove financial barriers to camp, Variety is giving children with type 1 diabetes the opportunity to build confidence, develop greater independence and discover that they are not alone.

Because every child deserves the chance to belong, grow and thrive.