A parent once emailed Athena Levesque after a low-key March Madness game night on Zoom to say it was the first time she'd seen her son smile in a long time. That moment, not the celebrity guests or the Hollywood cameos, is what Athena points to when she explains why SunriseVX matters. As Director of SunriseVX, she runs a virtual camp that reaches kids from their homes, their cars on the way to treatment, and their hospital beds, sometimes from across the world. In this episode, she takes us inside a day at virtual camp, from age-specific programming to the all-camp ”hullabaloo,” and shares how real friendships form in a space these children may never share in person. She also pulls back the curtain on Wheels Up, the travel-adventure series now reaching tens of thousands of kids in over 200 hospitals across seven countries, and the careful, intentional work that goes into making every minute of it feel like a true escape. 

Topics Covered: 

• How SunriseVX grew into a year-round virtual camp launched in 2022 

• Where campers join from: home, hospital beds, the car on the way to treatment, and countries including Canada, Ireland, and the Dominican Republic 

• What a day at virtual camp actually looks like, broken down by littles, elementary, and teens 

• ”Hullabaloo,” the all-ages daily gathering, plus virtual twists on camp traditions like golden spoons 

• How genuine friendships and counselor connections give kids a space to just be kids 

• The March Madness game night that became Athena's defining memory of why this work matters 

• Special guests who've joined VX, from Ryan Reynolds and Lucasfilm to a card-guessing magician and K-pop Demon Hunters cast 

• How VX serves all Sunrise campers and creates community across every camp 

• The flexibility that lets kids drop in for ten minutes or every single day, and move between virtual and in-person as their needs change 

• Wheels Up: the American Airlines-sponsored travel series now in 200+ hospitals and seven countries, with translations into Spanish and Hebrew with Arabic subtitles 

• The intentional scriptwriting choices that keep content accessible and comfortable for kids in treatment 

Links & Resources: 

• Learn more about Sunrise VX and virtual programs → https://sunrisedaycamp.org/vx/ 

About Sunrise Association The Sunrise Association brings back the joys of childhood to children with cancer and their siblings worldwide through the creation of inclusive day camps, year-round programs, and in-hospital recreational activities, all completely free of charge. We serve nearly 77,000 children annually across 14 summer day camps, 85+ weekly in-hospital programs, and virtual platforms. 

Learn more at Sunrise Association – https://www.sunriseassociation.org/