In The Spirit Of The Holidays Children With Cancer Participate In International Hour Of Code Thanks To A High School Senior

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Dec 19, 2017, 14:41 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 19, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Children at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NYC) are learning to build their own computers and learning to code while they are undergoing treatment for cancer, thanks to an idea by a 17-year-old peer. When a child has cancer, they miss a tremendous amount of school due to their compromised immune system and they often fall behind their peers.

In 2006, Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island became the first day camp in the world for children with cancer and their siblings, free of charge. While Sunrise has brought back the magic of childhood, a new program was introduced this summer by 17-year-old Max Miller — The Sunrise S.T.E.A.M. Shack -- to help build children's futures beyond cancer. S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) provides a well-rounded curriculum combining technology with the arts.

As a participant in the Hour of Code -- a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries -- the Sunrise Association is beginning to roll S.T.E.A.M. Shack activities into NY metropolitan hospitals through its innovative Sunrise on Wheels program that provides a day filled with Sunrise camp fun to children awaiting treatment in pediatric oncology units of participating hospitals. Volunteers wheel a rainbow trunk bursting with toys, games and activities right into many of our affiliated hospitals and change what could have been a bleak and depressing day into a day of camp fun!

Now, children can keep up with their peers and and will have the opportunity to build their own computers and learn to code on Kano computer kits. Inspired by a challenge from a six-year-old, Kano creates computer and coding kits for all ages, all over the world. Its mission is to make technology as simple and fun to create as it is to consume. Joanna Bersin, Kano's Head of Education, said, "Kano is excited to support the Sunrise on Wheels program and empower these children with creative computing."

Sunrise on Wheels is currently in 15 hospitals around the world including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Cohen Children's Medical Center, Northwell Health; Johns Hopkins Medicine/The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center and more! "We have had excellent response to coding activities with our patients and look forward to expanding STEM/STEAM activities through our Sunrise on Wheels Program, said Rachel Corke, Program Manager of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering. "These activities engage patients and their siblings in multiple ways, providing skills that are educational, engaging and fun."

Sunrise Day Camp-Long Island is a proud member of the Sunrise Association, whose mission is to bring back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings world-wide, through the creation of Day Camps, Year-Round Programs and In-Hospital Recreational Activities, all offered free of charge.

Website: http://www.STEAMShack.org

http://sunrisedaycamp-longisland.org/

http://sunriseassociation.org

SOURCE Sunrise Association