Smile-A-Mile
Smile-A-Mile Family Support Programs · About this organization
What you get
Camps with lodging, meals and medical staff, family retreats, peer connection, family and regional events, hospital activities, grief groups and retreats, plus college or trade-school help.
How to start
Send an email to the listed email and state which current camp, retreat, family, regional, bereavement, or scholarship program you want to join.
Good to know
- Scholarships are limited to patients actively involved in Smile-A-Mile programming and require annual contact for the mailing list.
- Five sessions or retreats each year.
The details, as published
Free Alabama childhood-cancer support spanning medically staffed camps and retreats, hospital and community outreach, family and day events, bereaved-parent support, and annual education scholarships for active patient participants.
What help you may get
Camps And Retreats
Five camps and retreats
Sibling Camp, Youth Camp, Teen Camp, Family Retreat, and The Journey Continues Family Retreat at Children's Harbor on Lake Martin.
Noncash help · Once Per 12 Months
Can cover
- camp admission
- overnight lodging
- meals
- medically staffed recreation
- family retreat activities
- Completely free of charge.
- Five sessions or retreats each year.
Peer And Emotional Support
Peer and family support
Peer connection through camps, SAM Place family events and day camps, hospital outreach, regional events, and bereavement support.
Noncash help · Recurring
Can cover
- peer connection
- family events
- day camps
- hospital activities
- regional events
- Hospital Outreach occurs weekly and other programs occur throughout the year.
Bereavement And Memorial Support
The Journey Continues
A support group for parents or legal guardians who have lost a child to cancer, plus a family retreat.
Noncash help · Recurring
Can cover
- bereaved-parent peer group
- bereaved-family retreat
Does not cover
- friends and family members other than parents or legal guardians for the support group
- Monthly support group is described on the homepage; retreat timing is annual but dates are unpublished.
Scholarships And Survivorship
Smile-A-Mile Scholarship
Annual education financial assistance for pediatric cancer patients actively involved in Smile-A-Mile programming who attend a college, university, community college, or trade school.
Amount not published · Once Per 12 Months
Can cover
- college
- university
- community college
- trade school
- Eligible patients may apply annually.
Wishes And Family Experiences
Family and regional experiences
Free family events, one-day camps, and regional programs held throughout Alabama.
Noncash help · Recurring
Can cover
- family events
- one-day camps
- regional recreation
- Programs are offered at no cost to participating families.
- Current dates and registration windows require contact.
Why this may help
Peer And Emotional Support: Camps, events and hospital activities offer repeated chances to meet peers affected by cancer.
Bereavement And Memorial Support: A bereaved-parent group and family retreat are offered within the wider family programming.
Scholarships And Survivorship: Education assistance can go toward college, community college or trade school for involved participants.
Wishes And Family Experiences: Family events and one-day camps offer recreation beyond the overnight camp sessions.
Check the main eligibility rules
Diagnosis
B-ALL is in scope. Pediatric B-ALL is childhood cancer and fits the published statewide mission and patient camp scope.
Age
Age 0 to age 18, measured at service date.
- Youth Camp is ages 6–12; Teen Camp is ages 13–18; Sibling Camp is ages 6–18; Family Retreat accepts patients through age 18 and siblings through age 18. Other year-round and scholarship age limits are not fully published.
Treatment status
Active Treatment, Maintenance Treatment, Post Treatment, Survivorship, Bereavement
- Patient, teen, youth, and sibling camp descriptions accept on- or off-therapy families; bereaved siblings and a bereaved-parent support group are included.
- At least one parent or guardian must attend Family Retreat; parents and siblings do not attend Youth or Teen Camp, and patients or parents do not attend Sibling Camp.
- Scholarship applicants must be patients actively involved in Smile-A-Mile programming and must maintain academic progress and volunteer at fundraising events.
- All family programming is provided at no cost; no income test is published.
Where you live and where your child is treated
Where your family lives
You must live in: Alabama.
- The organization describes its family population as people in Alabama affected by childhood cancer.
Where your child is treated
Treatment must be connected to: Children's of Alabama.
- Hospital Outreach is delivered only on specified Children's of Alabama units; the site does not state that treatment there is required for camps or community programs.
Where the service, camp, stay, or experience happens
- Children's Harbor on Lake Martin — Camp and retreat venue only; it does not create residence or treatment eligibility. — Lake Martin, Alabama
- Smile-A-Mile Place — Year-round family-program venue only. — 1600 2nd Avenue South, Birmingham, Alabama
How to get started
Does a social worker or care team need to start it? No. A required care-team start is not published; the family can use the available route below.
Who can start: Parent Or Guardian, Patient, Healthcare Team
- Email programs@smileamile.com and state which current camp, retreat, family, regional, bereavement, or scholarship program you want to join.
- Provide the current eligibility, enrollment asset, dates, and participant medical or consent requirements.
Ways to apply or ask
- Email · Open form or page · programs@smileamile.com — Use for program information and current enrollment instructions.
- Hospital Workflow · Open form or page — Weekly activities are delivered on specified Children's of Alabama units and clinic; this is a delivery route, not a published family intake channel.
Documents to prepare
The program does not publish a document checklist. Ask before gathering paperwork.
Availability and timing
| Program | Active |
|---|---|
| Applications | Call To Confirm |
| Funding or space | Not Published |
| Application window | Seasonal |
| Last checked | Aug 27, 2026 |
- Program pages are current and active, but family enrollment status and dates require direct contact.
- Scholarship applications are available mid-January and due mid-March; camp and family-program windows are not published.
Limitations and things to confirm
- Residence reach is described as Alabama.
- Camp session ages and who may attend differ by session.
- Hospital Outreach is delivered at Children's of Alabama; that facility is not assumed to be a gate for other programs.
- Scholarships are limited to patients actively involved in Smile-A-Mile programming and require annual contact for the mailing list.
- Current participant applications, dates, documents, and capacity are not public.
- Confirm current family enrollment forms, dates, documents, and capacity directly with Smile-A-Mile.
Official sources
Program details were last verified Aug 27, 2026. Availability can change, so check the official program before applying.
- About Us · checked Aug 27, 2026
- FAQs for New or Prospective Campers · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Camps & Retreats · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Smile-A-Mile - Providing Hope For the Childhood Cancer Journey · checked Aug 27, 2026
- Year-Round Programming · checked Aug 27, 2026