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Who We Are
Woman-founded & woman-led.
Grief and love at the core.
Our History
In February, 1989, Becky Loy made a phone call to her husband Marty. He was a wrestling coach and was at a tournament in a city an hour away. She left a message for him to hurry home and meet her at the hospital. At nine months pregnant, Becky just had it confirmed by her doctor that their baby had died. After eight hours of labor and tears, they left the hospital without their beautiful 9 lb., brown haired little girl.
They named her Sara; they were devastated.
Weeks in a fog went by until Becky discovered a camp in another state for grieving children. After a minute of thinking about it, she was on a mission - to start her own camp in Wisconsin. And it would be in memory of her daughter.
Sara was going to touch lives.
In September of that same year, Becky opened the doors of Camp HOPE in memory of her daughter. She was absolutely in awe when fifty children signed up. Children whose grieving families were willing to have faith that they would be safe, loved, and supported at Camp HOPE, even during its very first weekend. Camp HOPE became the first camp for grieving children in Wisconsin and one of the few in existence across the nation.
35 years later, Becky has passed the torch to her oldest daughter Maria. The two of them continue to welcome campers, three times a year, to a place full of love, joy, and hope.
And it remains in the family
Founder
Becky Kraemer Loy
Camp HOPE was founded by Becky Kraemer Loy in September 1989 in memory of her daughter, Sara Margaret. For 30 years, Becky ran Camp HOPE, each spring, fall and winter, serving thousands of children and families through some of the most painful times of their lives.
Becky is married to Marty Loy and, in addition to Sara, they have four children; Maria, John, Ted, and Emma.
Connect with Becky
Executive Director
Maria Loy Carson
In July 2023 we welcomed Maria Loy Carson as Camp HOPE's Executive Director. Maria is the oldest daughter of Becky. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Madison with degrees in Art and Psychology and then went on to receive her Masters in Social Work from the University of Denver. From there, she found her footing in K-12 education, discovering the power of schools to influence real-world change. After a decade working as a school social worker focusing on equity and social justice, she made her move Camp HOPE. In addition to Camp she works as a Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point.
Maria's passion for Camp HOPE started at an early age and she likes to tell people that "she grew up talking about grief at the kitchen table." She started volunteering as a junior counselor as soon as her mom would let her, and the rest is history.
When not putting together camps, outreaching to communities experiencing grief and loss, or teaching, you can often find Maria hitting up some good hole-in-the-wall restaurants with her partner, Will, hiking with their rescue dog, or cooking and dancing in the kitchen with her daughter, Ameena.
Connect with Maria
