Photo: One Heartland
Neil Willenson founded One Heartland in 1993, after learning about the challenges faced by a 5-year-old boy who was living with HIV in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. The boy faced isolationism and discrimination at his school; Willenson got to know him and was moved to found the nonprofit, which for over 30 years ran a summer camp for kids with HIV. “The impact was so transformative the first summer in 1993 that during the week the children were already saying ‘When can we come back?’ ” Willenson said. They rented camps around the country the first few summers, before buying the Willow River property in Minnesota from an Optimist Club in 1997. “We wanted to create a safe haven where children affected by the disease, perhaps for the first time in their young lives, could speak openly about it and be in an environment of unconditional love and acceptance,” said Willenson. The camp is now for sale because there are so many fewer children with HIV these days. While many are sad for the camp’s closure, they also recognize that the underlying reason – fewer children living with HIV – is a huge positive.
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