Newman's Own Gives $1 Million to Virtual Camp for Children with Serious Illnesses

WESTPORT, Conn., Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COVID-19 has disrupted many in-person camps and children living with serious illnesses who rely on these experiences to remain connected to friends and breakthrough the limits of their illness are particularly affected. To provide this transformative camp experience to children living with serious illnesses, SeriousFun Children's Network (SeriousFun), a network made up of camps and programs that serve children living with more than 50 medical conditions, has moved to innovative experiences and virtual platforms.

Newman's Own Foundation will provide SeriousFun with $1 million over and above their regular giving to help SeriousFun's 16 Member Camps provide virtual camp and family weekend programs, live-streamed programs, virtual discussion groups, at-home activity resources, and camp-inspired recipes to make at home, among many more. All programming and materials are provided to the campers free of charge.

"Paul Newman wanted his legacy to be helping these children and their families reach beyond the limitations of their illnesses to experience the joys of childhood, and we're happy to continue in that mission," said Miriam Nelson, Acting President and CEO of Newman's Own Foundation. 

Salad dressing is the key to this effort, with very bottle sold by Newman Own, Inc. this summer contributing additional profits to the cause. 

"With support from generous donors such as Newman's Own, SeriousFun Children's Network has helped children living with serious illnesses and their families discover joy, confidence and a new world of possibilities," said Blake Maher, CEO. "We are thankful for Newman's Own's continued support as we shift our efforts toward virtual programming, which allows us to connect with and support our campers and their families during this difficult time."

In 1988, Paul Newman founded a special camp for kids living with serious illnesses and named it The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp after the feisty gang of "outlaws" in his film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. With the initial help of profits from the sale of Newman's Own salad dressings and additional support of thousands of other donors annually, The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp became a beacon of hope for more than 20,000 children and their family members annually. Over the years, inspired by what was happening at The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Paul, along with like-minded and generous supporters, opened up similar camps all around the world, sparking a global movement and creating a very special community of camps and programs now known as SeriousFun Children's Network. 

About Newman's Own
Newman's Own Foundation continues Paul Newman's commitment to use all profits that it receives from the sale of Newman's Own, Inc. food for charitable purposes. Over $550 million has been given to thousands of charities since 1982. Newman's Own, Inc., founded by Paul Newman in 1982, offers great tasting, high quality food and beverage products for people and pets. Products include salad dressings, pasta sauces, frozen pizza, salsa, refrigerated drinks, cookies, barbecue sauce, and snacks as well as dog food and treats. To learn more about how Newman's Own is supporting SeriousFun's virtual programs and how to get involved, please visit www.newmansown.com/summer-salad. 

About SeriousFun Children's Network
SeriousFun Children's Network is a global community of 30 camps and programs serving children with serious illnesses and their families, always free of charge. Following the founding of The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp by Paul Newman in 1988, he and other like-hearted individuals opened similar camps around the world, ultimately joining together to form SeriousFun Children's Network. Thanks to a shared vision and collective contributions, the Network has evolved to become the leader in the field of medical specialty camps, delivering more than one million life-changing experiences to children and families from more than 50 countries. Each member camp is an independent, not-for-profit organization dependent upon private funding to serve all children at no cost to their families. To learn more about SeriousFun, visit www.seriousfunnetwork.org.