OUR STORY
A simple fundraiser became something much bigger.
Halo’s Wish grew directly from the Good Sam camping community across the Northeast and Eastern Canada — a community built around fellowship, helping fellow travelers and giving back. What began as a playful regional fundraiser became a lasting commitment to create meaningful experiences for children and families facing serious medical and life challenges.
That purpose still guides us today: Helping Families Be Families Again.
HOW IT STARTED
From friendly competition to a family wish.
The idea started inside the Northeast Good Sam community, where state and provincial camping groups regularly gathered for Samborees, fellowship and charitable work. Two State Directors looking for a fun way to raise money created the “Great Race,” featuring Chip, a Maine potato, and Pearl, a Rhode Island quahog. Every dollar moved the state’s character one inch farther in the race. The idea caught on across the Northeast and Eastern Canada.
The Great Race begins
At a Northeast Good Sam gathering in Albany, New York, two Good Sam State Directors created a playful fundraiser for Big Brother Big Sister programs. Chip, a Maine potato, raced Pearl, a Rhode Island quahog, with every dollar raised moving the supporting state forward. A simple idea quickly became a regional favorite.
The idea spreads
The Great Race expanded to State and Provincial Samborees throughout the Northeast Good Sam Region, including the camping community across Eastern Canada. Campers joined the friendly competition, raising money for Big Brother Big Sister programs and other charitable causes while continuing a long Good Sam tradition of fellowship, community service and helping others.
A fundraiser becomes a wish
The region decided to focus its fundraising on helping a child and family directly. Kylee, a 15-year-old living with Stargardt disease and facing significant vision loss, dreamed of swimming with dolphins. The community raised $5,000, a supporter donated a week of timeshare lodging, and Kylee and her family were able to travel to Florida, swim with dolphins and spend three days at Disney.
That year also marked the first Family Fall Fest at Normandy Farms Family RV Resort, bringing the camping community together to celebrate the family, the wish and the people who helped make it possible.
One wish becomes two — and Halo’s Wish gets its name
At the Northeast directors meeting, two girls — Aubrey and Ella — were presented for consideration. The expectation was that fundraising would allow only one wish. Instead, supporters in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island raised enough to make both girls’ Disney princess wishes possible.
During this same period, the wish program was given the name Halo’s Wish, inspired by Halo, the dog belonging to Sam and Samantha. The names were themselves a nod to the community that gave birth to the effort: Sam for Good Sam and Samantha for “Good Samantha.”
A charity takes shape
By 2018, the regional effort had taken shape as Northeast Region Camping Charity, the nonprofit organization behind Halo’s Wish. What began as campers raising money together had become an ongoing organization dedicated to granting wishes and creating meaningful experiences for families.
Helping Families Be Families Again
Halo’s Wish continues through the generosity of volunteers, donors, community partners and supporters. Every wish is different, but the purpose remains the same: give families facing serious medical and life challenges time to laugh, explore, celebrate and simply be together.
MOMENTS ALONG THE WAY
Our story, in pictures.
From the camping community that brought us together to the fundraisers, partners and family experiences that followed, these moments capture the spirit behind Halo’s Wish.
OUR GOOD SAM ROOTS
Helping others was part of the camping community long before Halo’s Wish had a name.
The original Good Sam Club grew around a simple Good Samaritan idea: travelers helping other travelers. Its chapter network brought RV families together for fun, fellowship and philanthropy, and Good Sam itself described the club’s founding concept as members helping others.
That spirit mattered in the Northeast and Eastern Canada. The same camping community that gathered at Samborees, supported local charities and helped one another on the road became the community that first raised the money, found the partners and made the early wishes possible.
Halo’s Wish did not begin apart from that tradition. It grew out of it.
WHY “HALO’S WISH”?
The name came from a very special dog.
During the organization’s early years, the wish program was given the name Halo’s Wish, inspired by Halo, the dog belonging to Sam and Samantha. Their names intentionally reflected the Good Sam community — Sam for Good Sam and Samantha for “Good Samantha.” The name became a bridge between the program’s camping roots and its growing mission of kindness, community and memorable family experiences.
TODAY
For a little while, the challenge can wait.
Halo’s Wish creates meaningful experiences for children and families facing serious medical and life challenges. Every wish is different, but the goal is the same: give families room to laugh, explore, celebrate and make memories without the challenge defining the moment.