Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A community fundraiser is underway for a local camp that provides free transformative experiences for children battling serious heath challenges and their families.

North Star Reach, the ninth U.S. residential camp in the SeriousFun Children’s Network, was founded by actor and philanthropist Paul Newman.

The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation has pledged a $600,000 matching grant to the camp. That contribution will be matched dollar-for-dollar and allow North Star Reach to expand its programming - enabling even more children to experience the magic of camp.

“We are deeply grateful to and The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation for their incredible generosity and ongoing support of North Star Reach,” said Sheri Mark, Board Chair of North Star Reach. “Their trust, friendship, and commitment to our mission are truly inspiring. On behalf of the entire Board and all the families we serve, we thank them for their partnership. This matching grant will make a lasting impact on so many children and families, and we are honored to have such dedicated supporters as part of our community.”

The Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation, Gwen Haggerty-Bearden and Steven Bearden, are long-time supporters of the camp. They expressed their continued belief in the vision and leadership at North Star Reach - noting the organization’s inspiring progress, particularly in the last two years. They said “Seeing the camp’s growth and the impact it has had on families over the years has been an absolute joy for us. We know the magic that happens at North Star Reach and are thrilled to extend this matching gift opportunity to the community. For every dollar donated, we will match it up to $600,000, ensuring the camp can continue to grow and serve even more families in 2025 and beyond.”

North Star Reach CEO J.J. Lewis told WHMI the non-profit’s mission is to provide life-changing, year-round programs for children with serious health challenges and their families, so they can actually experience the joy of camp. He noted they have a robust medical center and the camp is set up to take care of kids should the need arise - with doctors and nurses on-site during programming.

The camp sits on 105-acres located off Patterson Lake Road, just past Hell in Putnam Township – with Lewis calling it “the best kept secret in Livingston County” and it’s going on ten years of operation. He said the location just past Hell is actually somewhat fitting as Newman used to say these camps were an opportunity for “kids to kick back and raise a little hell”.

The SeriousFun Children’s Network has camps and programs across the country and United States but North Star Reach is the only one in Michigan and everything is offered for free.

Lewis said they work to make sure camp is as barrier free and accessible as possible - and one way of doing that is ensuring it is completely free of charge and it’s powered from there by philanthropy. He said it’s free because they have amazing members of the community – individuals, corporations, and foundations - that provide annual support to keep the camp open and serve children.

Lewis noted the Ted and Jane Von Voigtlander Foundation was actually one of their lead founding donors when the camp was being built back prior to 2016 and they are extremely generous supporters. He said it’s a significant transformational gift for North Star Reach and truly, for all of the children and families they serve and those they’ll be able to serve to make sure they are able to experience the magic, joy and transformation of camp.

The matching grant will allow the camp to offer more programs and services in the years ahead to “create life-long memories, lasting friendships, and an unparalleled sense of belonging.”

In addition to donating, Lewis said there are many ways to get involved and be a part of their important work that is fueled and powered by philanthropy – adding “there’s a place here for everyone and we invite you to get involved with our campily”.

Donation information and more about the camp are available in the provided link.

Separately, North Star Reach is one of the 2025 beneficiaries from Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club’s premier annual charity gala - Midnight in the Tropics. That’s taking place this Saturday. The sell-out event has raised nearly $850,000 for local non-profits over the past decade.