Established in 1993, One Heartland was formed to create a week long summer camp for
children ages 7-15 living with HIV/AIDS. The camp was inspired by seven year old Nile
Sandeen, an HIV Positive youth from Mequon WI and founded by Neil Willenson. At the time, it
focused on giving kids affected by HIV/AIDS the best week of their lives. Today the camp is
based out of Willow River, Minnesota, with a mission to "improve the lives of children,
youth, and families facing significant health challenges or social isolation," according to
their website. Since the formation of the original camp, titled Camp Heartland, One
Heartland has gone on to create more projects such as Camp True Colors, a camp for young
people in the LGBTQ+ community, Camp Northstar, for youth ages 7-13 experiencing
homelessness or housing instability, and Camp Hollywood Heart, an arts-based camp in
California for youth ages 15-20 who have been affected by HIV/AIDS.
