Our History
It all began in the late 1980s with a brilliant idea coupled with a little bit of luck and a whole lot of laughter. After years of giving money to different charities, actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman decided to create one of his own – a whimsical camp for children with cancer. He envisioned the camps as places where children could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back and “raise a little hell.” This idea has since flourished and today the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps is the world’s largest family of camps for children with serious and life-threatening medical conditions.
While Paul Newman was a Hollywood star of extraordinary celebrity and a person recognized for exceptional commitment to and leadership of philanthropy, he lived his life as an ordinary person, which is how he saw himself. He was a man of abundant good humor, generosity and humility. He used his influence, gave of his financial resources and personally volunteered to advance humanitarian and social causes around the world.
When asked why he started the Hole in the Wall Camps, Paul spoke of luck, “I wanted to acknowledge luck; the chance of it, the benevolence of it in my life and the brutality of it in the lives of others, made especially savage for children because they may not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.” Since the first camp opened, over 200,000 children have attended a Hole in the Wall Camp, always free of charge.
Though Paul was always the motivating factor behind the camps, he took special pride that these camps were not about him. They are about the children. Thanks to the wonderful leadership that exists among the family of camps and because of the thousands of donors and volunteers that support the camps each year, the awe-inspiring innocence of childhood continues to happen. When Paul Newman died in 2008, he left behind his legacy in the camps and programs of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. We remain unwaveringly committed to Paul’s vision.
Read stories about what camp means to children and families.
Hear Paul talk about camp.
Learn more about our camps and programs.