12/16/2025
Volunteering at Santa’s Workshop is such a special way to bring joy to these children and give back to these families. Kindness and generosity, especially at this time of year, means a lot to so many.
24th Annual Santa’s Workshop Weekend Recap
A Magical Weekend Made Possible by Hundreds of Caring Hearts
Our hearts are full after another unforgettable Santa’s Workshop Weekend Cancer Camp, celebrating the 24th year of bringing joy, laughter, and holiday magic to children ages 2–12 diagnosed with cancer or blood disorders.
This weekend would not be possible without the hundreds of volunteers who generously shared their time, talents, energy, and love to ensure every child felt safe, celebrated, and truly special. From start to finish, your compassion created moments our families will never forget.
We want to give a very special and heartfelt thank you to our Overnight Counselors, who worked tirelessly around the clock all weekend long. You wrangled excited campers, soothed homesick moments, ensured campers got to the nurses for their medications, kept children safe, and somehow still found the energy to laugh, play, and spread joy. Camp simply could not happen without you.
We also extend our deepest appreciation to the volunteers who worked in the kitchen, preparing hundreds of meals from scratch and with love throughout the weekend. Your long hours, teamwork, and care nourished not only bodies but spirits.
Our deepest gratitude goes to our incredible medical team, who made camper safety their top priority. You ensured that every child received their medications on time, monitored health needs throughout the weekend, and were always there to tend to those inevitable little camp boo-boos with kindness, patience, and reassurance. Your calm presence gave parents peace of mind and allowed our campers to fully enjoy the magic of camp.
We extend our deepest gratitude to our Title Sponsor, Tampa Carrollwood Rotary, whose unwavering support continues to make this camp possible year after year. A heartfelt thank you as well to our Yellow Ribbon Sponsor, 1Voice Foundation / 1Voice Academy, for going above and beyond by providing face painting, a bounce house, a gaming truck, the silent disco, and camp T-shirts that filled the weekend with nonstop smiles and laughter.
To our Faces of Courage Board of Directors, thank you for your steady leadership and belief in our mission. Your guidance and commitment help ensure these programs continue to grow and serve families when they need it most.
Special recognition to our extraordinary Team Leaders, whose dedication keeps camp running smoothly:
Mike Knowles – Storage Move & Food Shopper Lead
Chef Elliot Cazes – Kitchen Lead
Yvonne Scalise – Head Gift Elf
Jennifer Lime – Santa’s Shop Lead
Pam Knowles & Lisa Bond – Photo Co-Chairmen
Dr. Cazes – Medical Director
Nurses Estrella Lopez Lara & Joanne Mayers – Camp Nurse Co-Chairmen
Waterfront Team – Frank Lacatena, HTS 94 Foundation
We are deeply grateful to the many organizations and individuals who brought unique experiences and special touches that made the weekend truly magical:
The Rough Riders for beads and teddy bears
American Legion Women’s Auxiliary #152 for handmade quilts
Lois Cato & Mike Knowles for hosting the Welcome Party
Royal Neighbors for the Painting Party
Sprinkles for the Dessert Party
Golden Retriever Rescue, Mid Florida for their support and engagement
Kona Ice, courtesy of Larry Brooks
Tampa Carrollwood Rotary & Westchase Rotary Clubs for the Cookie Decorating Party
Chris Sherry for Cardboard Boat Racing
Lo**ta with Sugar Lees Gourmet Coffee Service for the Hot Chocolate Bar
Michele Ancora for the Pickleball Demonstration
A very special thank you to our cash donors whose generosity helped fund activities, supplies, and unforgettable moments throughout the weekend: Libby Gerry of The Gerry Corbett Foundation, Jeff Haidet, Mike & Pam Knowles, Scott Kudinski, Tiffany Dodge, Debbie Fogg, the Mabel and Elworth Simmons Foundation, and Susan Rosenblatt. Your support made a direct and meaningful impact on every child who attended.
We also want to recognize the many individuals who collected donations for Santa’s Shop, helping ensure every child experienced the joy of choosing special gifts for themselves and their families.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the groups that collected gifts for Santa’s Shop: Krewe of Agustina, The ACT Foundation, and Rockwell Construction. Your efforts filled Santa’s Shop with generosity, kindness, and holiday spirit.
Every activity, every laugh, every late night, every warm meal, and every carefully given dose of medicine happened because of you. Together, you turned a weekend at camp into lifelong memories for children and families navigating cancer.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making our 24th Annual Santa’s Workshop Weekend truly magical.
Check out the pictures - https://photos.atapnow.com/Faces-of-Courage/FOC-2025-Kids-Santa-Camp
Cancer is serious—but camp is serious FUN—and you made that possible.
With gratitude,
Peggie
