Shining Stars Foundation

What Shining Stars Foundation does

Shining Stars Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2001 and headquartered in Tabernash, Colorado, that provides recreational, social, and mentoring programs to children with cancer, young adult survivors of pediatric cancer, and their families, all delivered at no cost to participants. The organization's program portfolio is structured around five pillars: the Aspen Winter Games (a week-long ski and adaptive snow-sports camp), the Aspen Summer Adventure, the Grand County Family Adventure (a week-long summer family camp at YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch), the Young Adult Mentor Program (year-long one-on-one mentorship for survivors aged 13-25+), and year-round outreach events including Rockies baseball games, museum visits, holiday parties, and family reunions. Service delivery is primarily regional, centered on Colorado with secondary reach into Arizona, Illinois, Oklahoma, and New Jersey, and engages approximately 350 volunteers annually to serve hundreds of children and family members.

The foundation operates a community-led go-to-market and is funded through four revenue streams: individual donations and major-donor contributions, corporate sponsorships (including Aspen Skiing Company and other regional businesses), fundraising events (the Lala Lounge gala with tiered sponsorships up to $25,000, the Byers Peak Stampede trail race, and golf tournaments), and in-kind donations of services, meals, lodging, and gear from local and national businesses. Core operational technology is limited to a Squarespace-built public website and an email newsletter; no proprietary platform, app, or API exists. The organization is governed by a board of directors and a small paid staff of 1-10, with leadership including CEO Kathy Gingery and President Hal O'Leary, supplemented by board directors such as Dr. Larry McCleary, Marty Roberts, Kevin Moore, Laura Calabrese, John LaSalle, and William Kritzik.

The foundation has established a defensible niche through two decades of programmatic specialization, high-credibility third-party validation (2026 Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency and Charity Navigator Four-Star Rating), and a network of venue partners that materially reduces program delivery costs. The most recent disclosed financial figure is gross receipts of $711,485 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2017; no more recent revenue figures are publicly disclosed. The organization remains actively operating with programs scheduled through 2026, and the website explicitly solicits support to reach new patients and families, suggesting continued measured expansion rather than contraction.

Name

Shining Stars Foundation

Legal name

Shining Stars Foundation

Website

https://shiningstarsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shining Stars Foundation is a Colorado-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2001 that delivers free recreational, social, and mentoring programs to children with cancer, young adult survivors, and their families across Colorado and four additional states, funded through donations, corporate sponsorships, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Pediatric Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

Keywords

• Pediatric cancer support
• Nonprofit recreational programs
• Childhood cancer services
• Young adult mentorship
• Therapeutic recreation programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Tabernash

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations from major donors and general public contributions to support programs for children with cancer and their families.
2. Fundraising Events: Revenue from events including Byers Peak Stampede (race), Lala Lounge gala, Tee Off for Kids with Cancer golf tournament, and other fundraising activities.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: National and local business sponsorships for various programs and fundraisers throughout Colorado, including Aspen, Denver, and Grand County areas.
4. In-Kind Donations: Local and national businesses donate services, meals, lodging, gear, products and auction items for programs and fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shining Stars Foundation delivers free recreational, social, and mentoring programs to children with cancer, young adult survivors, and their families, including week-long adaptive winter sports and summer family camps, year-round outreach events, and one-on-one mentorship. Programs are funded by individual donations, corporate sponsorships, in-kind contributions, and proceeds from signature fundraising events such as The Lala Lounge gala and the Byers Peak Stampede.

Product overview

Shining Stars Foundation operates as a single, unified nonprofit program portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization provides a comprehensive suite of recreational and social programs for children with cancer and their families, centered around five core program pillars: the Aspen Winter Games (winter sports camp), the Aspen Summer Adventure (summer recreation program), the Grand County Family Adventure (week-long family camp), the Young Adult Mentor Program (one-on-one mentorship for survivors), and year-round outreach events including Rockies games, museum visits, and holiday activities. Signature fundraising events like The Lala Lounge gala and golf tournaments support the operational delivery of these free programs to families primarily in Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aspen Winter Games

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• YMCA Snow Mountain RanchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Host venue for Grand County Family Adventure - a 5-day summer program providing boating, hiking, rafting, fishing, resort activities, roller skating and games for 150+ children and family members from across the country.
• National Sports Center for the DisabledcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Provides adaptive accommodations for young adult programs including Lake Day event, ensuring participants with disabilities can comfortably enjoy outdoor activities like paddle boarding and kayaking.
• Aspen Skiing CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Corporate partner with sustainability leadership. National and local businesses sponsor programs and fundraisers throughout Colorado including Aspen, Denver, and Grand County areas.
• T Lazy 7 RanchminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAspen-based ranch that provides snowmobile rides for children at the Winter Games program annually.
• Conundrum CateringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAspen-based catering company that donates meals for children at the Winter Games program each year.
• Miller FarmsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFarm in Platteville that provides an exciting day of picking vegetables and lunch for Shining Stars families.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Children's Cancer Society: Provides financial assistance, educational resources, and emotional support to children with cancer and their families. Overlapping beneficiary population and nonprofit funding model.
• Camp Quality USA: Provides free summer camps and year-round programming for children with cancer and their families. Closely matches Shining Stars' model of free, recreation-based pediatric cancer programming.
• Camp Mak-A-Dream: Montana-based free camp serving children, young adults, and families affected by cancer. Comparable free recreational camp model for pediatric cancer patients and survivors.
• Camp Sunshine: Retreats in Maine for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Comparable model combining free recreational programming, family-inclusive experiences, and year-round community support.
• Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation: Family support organization for children with cancer providing emotional, financial, and recreational support. Comparable mission of family-centered pediatric cancer support and community building.
• Make-A-Wish Foundation: National nonprofit granting wishes to children with critical illnesses, including pediatric cancer. Directly comparable mission of creating transformative experiences for the same beneficiary population, though at vastly greater national scale.
• St. Baldrick's Foundation: National pediatric cancer nonprofit supporting research and family services. Comparable beneficiary population and event-driven fundraising model (head-shaving events), though primarily research-focused.
• Children's Oncology Camping Association International (COCA-I): International consortium of pediatric oncology camps. Shining Stars is a member-type organization; COCA-I represents the broader category of recreation-based pediatric cancer nonprofits.
• Special Love (Camp Fantastic): Operates Camp Fantastic and year-round support programs for children with cancer and their families in the mid-Atlantic. Directly comparable recreational camp plus family support model.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Hospital Colorado: Regional pediatric medical institution serving many of the same pediatric oncology patients in Colorado. Comparable beneficiary overlap and regional positioning, but operating as a broad incumbent healthcare provider rather than a recreation-focused nonprofit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ShiningStarsFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shining-stars-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shining Stars Foundation