Carmel Valley teenager and cancer survivor Camden Hall was recently honored by the San Diego Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) for his work supporting Curebound, in memory of friend and Torrey Pines High School alum Nick Herrmann. At the “Super Bowl of Philanthropy” on Nov. 21, Camden received the Outstanding Student Volunteer Award from AFP at the Gaylord Pacific Resort Convention Center in Chula Vista in recognition of his participation in the Curebound Cancer Challenge, an annual fundraising bike-riding event.
Camden and his father Scott’s team, Herrmann’s Hoopers, have raised over $130,000 for Curebound, the philanthropic organization that invests in innovative cancer research at six major San Diego research institutions, including UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Salk Institute, Sanford Burnham Prebys, La Jolla Institute for Immunology, Rady Children’s Health and Scripps Research.
Camden was nominated for the award by Curebound and it came as a complete surprise to learn he had won.
Camden Hall receives his award from the San Diego Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals with parents Scott and Tracey and grandparents Donna and Peter Hall. (Curebound)
“My mom and dad got a call and they thought it was a gag, they didn’t believe it,” said Camden,17. There were about a thousand people in attendance at AFP’s National Philanthropy Day gala to witness Camden accept his award: “It was a really cool experience, I had celebrity status there.”
“Camden’s work with Curebound exemplifies the power, of even just one person, to bring together our communities towards a world without cancer,” said Anne Marbarger, CEO at Curebound. “Every dollar raised can help drive innovative research for important treatments.”
Camden and Scott have been participating in the Curebound Cancer Challenge for 11 years, shortly after Camden completed his own cancer treatment.
Camden was only seven years old when he was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in his sacrum.
“I was very young…I didn’t realize the weight of it then. Now I realize how grateful I am for those people,” he said of his care at Rady Children’s Hospital, where he underwent a difficult and aggressive treatment plan that included chemotherapy and radiation with multiple hospital stays. “I guess you could say (the Curebound Cancer Challenge) was a way to give back to the community that helped save me.”
Scott first got involved with Curebound while Camden was still in the hospital.
“We kind of felt just lost and we wanted to try and figure out something to do to give purpose to what he was going through,” he said. “We came across this cancer fundraising bike ride happening in a couple months…It was a no-brainer to sign up and do it in Camden’s honor and feel like we had some control in the midst of his treatment.”
Over the event’s evolution since its founding in 2013 (it was formerly called Padres Pedal the Cause) Scott has done two-day rides, a one-day 100-mile ride, and the 25-mile ride with Camden once he graduated from the kids’ ride three years ago. Scott was never a cyclist before and only became one because of his son. Neither of them really trains in advance for the ride: “Let’s just jump on a bike and power through it.”
Scott and Camden rode independently before forming Herrmann’s Hoopers two years ago, more seriously recruiting and fundraising in memory of Nick, his cancer fight and the positive, lasting impact he left on Camden.
Nick was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, in his left leg in 2018.
“He had six inches of his fibula removed and spent over 70 days in the hospital throughout his lengthy treatment,” Camden wrote on the Herrmann’s Hoopers fundraising website. “Nick eventually was diagnosed cancer-free and was determined to play basketball again. He displayed incredible determination, work ethic and belief to get back on the court for his senior high school year.”
That 2020-21 season, Torrey Pines went undefeated and made it all the way to the CIF San Diego Section Championship. In the championship game, Nick scored 30 points and sunk a deep three at the buzzer for the win, a Hollywood ending that gained national attention.
Camden met Nick shortly after he hit his historic shot in the summer of 2021, through doctors they shared at Rady’s. They developed a unique bond because of what they had both been through—while Camden finished treatment in 2016, he spent a few years physically recovering.
As Nick and Camden also shared a love of basketball, they shot hoops together.
Nick was attending Cal State Northridge on a scholarship and planning to play college basketball, but, sadly, his cancer came back. He passed away on Aug. 6, 2022 at the age of 20.
Scott and Camden Hall lead Herrmann’s Hoopers team in the Curebound Cancer Challenge. (Courtesy the Hall family)
“His impact on the San Diego community and his extremely determined attitude will forever be remembered and live on through all people who were blessed enough to meet him,” Camden wrote.
At Torrey Pines, where Camden is part of the basketball program, Nick remains the center of everything they do. Because of their unique bond, he founded Herrmann’s Hoopers as his own way to give back and keep his friend’s memory alive.
In the last two years, they have topped $130,000 and grown to 113 members. The Hoopers are sponsored by Rady Children’s Hospital and Deuce, a local basketball apparel company that creates custom jerseys and shorts for the members. The team is diverse as the Curebound Challenge has multiple ways for people to participate with cycling route options of 25, 55, and 75 miles, as well as options to walk, run or even spin on a stationary bike on event day. For next year’s Aug. 1, 2026 Challenge, the Halls are aiming for over 150 members on Herrmann’s Hoopers and to beat their $100,000 fundraising goal.
Camden feels blessed that so many of his friends and teammates are willing to support him and care so much about a cause he cares about.
“My experience has kind of opened my eyes, I realized I was lucky enough to survive but not everyone has that luxury,” Camden said. “I want to secure futures for everyone and find a cure for this disease.”
Scott said his son’s journey has been amazing to watch—Camden was so young during his cancer treatment and his wife Tracey and daughter Avery had a different ability to process what he was going through, the darkness and the light.
“It makes us proud to see how Camden has matured and developed his own desire to give back. He’s gained a lot of perspective on life and the benefit of giving back to the community and the blessings he’s had in his life,” Scott said. “He’s a true caring young man and it makes us very proud.”
To support Herrmann’s Hoopers, visit cancerchallenge.donordrive.com/participants/Camden-Hall For more about Curebound, visit curebound.org