Every Little Thing They Do is Magic

When faced with a parent’s cancer, children often carry a quiet burden on their shoulders that impacts how they grow up. By creating joyful spaces where kids can be kids, Kesem leans into the magic of play and friendship to help them build resilience and hope.

There are over 5 million children in the United States facing a parent’s cancer, and that number is expected to reach 6 million by the end of 2028. People are being diagnosed earlier in life when they’re more likely to have children in that 6 to 18 range, and while there are significant resources available for patients, there are very few organizations providing support for their children.

While working at Hillel at Stanford University, Iris Ravé Wedeking developed the first Camp Kesem program to bring the transformative magic of summer camp to families coping with cancer. (Kesem is the Hebrew word for magic.) They served 37 campers that first summer in 2001. This year they’ll serve about 11,000, with ambitions to reach 50% more kids over the next three years.

And no parent or family will pay a cent.

Regardless of cancer’s outcome, its emotional impact on families endures. Kesem’s programming spans ages 6 to 18, supporting children through their critical developmental years. All of their programming is tailored to meet children where they are developmentally and emotionally.

Jay Stilwell first came to Kesem as a camper parent. “My wife passed away at the end of our daughter’s kindergarten year after a nine-month battle with cancer, and I suddenly found myself
a solo parent to a 7-year-old who had just gone through enormous uncertainty and loss and trauma,” he told Reboot.

“That summer I enrolled her in Camp Kesem at UC-Berkeley but didn’t know fully what to expect. Her experience there was really remarkable as I watched her be surrounded by other kids and counselors who really understood her and made her feel included. And I saw her laugh freely again. It seemed like color was returning to her world.”

That same year, Stilwell crossed paths with Wedeking, who invited him to join the board. His career experience as a marketing and branding leader for some of the most recognizable brands in the world was the kind of magic Kesem needed, and in 2024 he became CEO.

“As someone thinking about scale and strategy, I felt called to step in and help lead Kesem’s future growth. In 2025 we served over 10,400 children and families, which is the most in our history. The single greatest barrier to serving more of that unmet need is awareness. If families simply know that we exist, then we can serve them. That’s why I came in,” he explained.

Camp Kesem, the organization’s flagship program, is an overnight sleepaway summer camp. Their year-round offerings include Club Kesem, a nationwide virtual monthly program for children and parents in addition to in-person Friends and Family Days which happen in the fall and spring at each chapter.

For youngsters whose parents are receiving treatment in a medical setting, Kesem Together hosts on-site gatherings, partnering with hospitals, cancer treatment centers, and cancer support networks in local communities. “This is a really great way to ensure that we’re reaching as wide a population with as many backgrounds as possible,” Stilwell said.

Children aren’t immune to the anxiety and stress in the family system when a parent has cancer. “They’re learning and growing and developing. At every life stage they’ll re-experience it as their brains are developing, and that’s something to be aware of,” he noted.

“Kids are also aware of their role in the family system. They try not to burden their families with their own emotions. That might mean that they keep things to themselves and don’t want to add stress, don’t want to ask for things. They might feel guilty about their needs, about laughing or having a good time or a friendship or might feel pressure to show up in a certain way to be strong.”

Kesem understands that a kid’s job is to be a kid. “Joy, play, and connection are not luxuries — they are vital for children. When a child is surrounded by friends and counselors or peers who understand their situation, they feel less alone and are a part of something and that’s really important. When they’re encouraged to laugh, play, and be goofy, it provides an incredible and powerful counterbalance to the chronic stress.”

Now what Kesem families have known for 25 years is clinically proven. Researchers from Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have analyzed the data from Kesem surveys of parents and of children and published a peer-reviewed study in Supportive Care in Cancer that demonstrates how Kesem measurably improves well-being and builds resilience and coping skills in children.

The magic of student leadership

Kesem’s chapters are based in college and university settings, each of them run by thoroughly trained volunteers. The mission attracts and develops student leaders. “Ours is a more applicable leadership training than you would ever get in an internship while you’re studying in college. Our leaders learn the practical skills of everything from budgeting, time management, fundraising, leading other people, project planning, and also the really important soft skills of empathy and how to make someone feel connected, safe, and included,” Stilwell said.

Kesem’s student leaders lead local fundraising, manage program logistics, recruit families, and deliver the programming to children. Stilwell estimates that nearly 70% of the students have the lived experience of having a parent facing cancer.

Technology is central to how Kesem operates, and that reliance will grow as the organization does.

Kesem is currently undergoing comprehensive technology transformation with the pro bono leadership of Encora, developers of AIVA^TM one of the industry’s first composable agentic AI platforms. Encora provides engineering services to AI-native Fortune 1000 companies, and has deep partnerships with AWS, Microsoft, Google, and Snowflake.

“They are doing an incredible job of envisioning how technology can enable our growth,” Stilwell said. “The scope of this project includes modernizing, and it’s really soup to nuts, including our data information, infrastructure, improving integration between systems and enhancing our reporting and analytics, strengthening cybersecurity, and creating a more seamless experience for families and our volunteers.

“We depend entirely on philanthropic support, and wanting to grow the number of children we serve by 50% means that we need to invest in our programs even more. Expanding and strengthening college chapters, volunteer recruitment and training, technology, infrastructure, national awareness, and outreach are priorities that will help Kesem achieve these goals. And what that requires is donations.”

This year is Kesem’s 25th anniversary, and we can think of no better way to celebrate their work than to help the magic happen. Visit kesem.org to find out more or pitch in.