When Camp Discovery was first founded 1984, it was hosted by the American Cancer Society at YMCA Camp Flaming Arrow. That same summer our founder, Joey Cavazos, was working for Camp Flaming Arrow as their Program Director.  He helped the American Cancer Society get Camp Discovery started and helped them learn how to run a camp for the first two summers. Joey began his career with the Juvenile Justice Department in San Antonio in 1985, but he continued returning to Camp Discovery as a volunteer year after year. Camp was his passion and his happy place, and everyone in his personal and professional life knew it. 

Joey started his volunteer journey as a cabin counselor, and a few years later he headed the formation of the Ropes program at Camp Discovery.  He spent many summers on the ropes course helping our campers build confidence and pride, regardless of their physical abilities, through his expertise in adaptive ropes course facilitation. For the last few years that Camp Discovery was run by the ACS, Joey became the volunteer camp director. 

In 2013 the American Cancer Society pulled all funding from their camps across the nation in order to focus their fundraising efforts on cancer research. A nonprofit called VisionWorks had been established by Camp Discovery volunteers, primarily Joey, several years prior and was ready with open arms to take over funding and planning of Camp Discovery at that time.  Having recently retired from his 25 year career in law enforcement, Joey became the first Executive Director of VisionWorks and under his leadership it began to grow and thrive. 

Just two years into running Camp Discovery, VisionWorks was ready to begin expanding their programming.  The Fall of 2015 saw VisionWorks’ first Family Camp hosted right back where this journey started at Camp Flaming Arrow.  The inception of this camp began the ball rolling for the creation of many wonderful new programs, all of which serve families battling childhood cancer. In 2016, Camp Common Ground was created, a weekend camp for families of children with disabilities who also have cancer. In the year 2017, two new programs were launched: AYA in SA for adolescents and young adults facing a pediatric cancer diagnosis, and Camp Firefly for bereaved families who have lost a child to cancer.

In 2019, VisionWorks launched two programs that were very near and dear to Joey’s heart.  Anyone who met Joey almost instantly knew two things about him—his love for Camp, and his love for Disney.  That’s why when Joey had the opportunity for VisionWorks to start Wishes Granted in partnership with Give Kids the World and help send our campers on wish trips to Disney World, he jumped on it. He loved being able to take families who had either missed their opportunity to use a Make-A-Wish, or whose child’s diagnosis was such that they did not have time to wait, and be able to send them to one of his favorite places on the planet.

Camp Brave Hearts was also created in 2019.  This monthly in-hospital camp was something that Joey had dreamed of starting for several years. When one of our Camp Discovery campers was in the hospital during camp week and asked Joey if he could bring camp to the hospital, Joey set to work immediately. Within just 7 months Joey had a fully funded and fully programmed monthly camp that was hosted inside Methodist Children’s Hospital for the children who were too sick to come to our normal programming.

Joey’s commitment to kids with cancer shone through in every part of his life.  It was rare to catch him in anything other than Camp Discovery gear at any social gathering, and he was always finding ways to bring in new volunteers, campers, and donors everywhere he went. He had a heart to serve as many families as possible, and that is evident by the legacy that he left behind. On May 17, 2021 Joey lost his own fight with cancer. He was diagnosed with a pre-cancerous condition called Lynch Syndrome in 2013 and had fought five different types of cancer before being called to Heaven. His passion continues to inspire our campers, volunteers, and staff whether they met Joey before he died or not. Joey’s love and passion flows throughout our organization, and we hope we are making him proud