After a day of outdoor activities and dinner in the lodge, a storm fell over the forested island on Pigeon Lake, where dozens of campers slept for the week.
With her belly full, nine-year-old Rachelle Janfield retreated to her cabin, along with her camp counsellor and several other children from military families. As the rain fell, the children sang songs.
Small moments like those are what stay with Janfield years later.
“It just made us laugh and have fun, even in the dark times,†recalled Janfield, now 21.Ìý
That was in 2013, Janfield’s first year at Camp Maple Leaf. She’s returned for several summers since then; first as a camper, then a camp counsellor, and now head staff.
Camp Maple Leaf, a charitable organization and non-profit in the Kawartha Lakes, aims to unite children ages seven to 16 who share “a similar unique life challenge.†That challenge can be having family in the military, grieving a loved one, living below the poverty line or having a disability, from Tourette syndrome to dwarfism. ItÌýwas established by the Canadian Council of War Veterans Associations in 1955.
The camp teaches about friendship, coping skills and self-advocacy, while incorporating traditional activities like canoeing, crafting and archery.
It also has a program for children who, like Janfield, have parents with an operational stress injuryÌý— such as PTSD, anxiety or depressionÌý— from working as a first responder or being in the military.
To honour them, the camp raises the flag each morning and lowers it each night, folding it in the military style.
While Janfield learned about the PTSD her father, now a veteran, experiences, her favourite part of camp was the freedom it gave her to think about something else.Ìý
“They make it a fun place where the kids don’t have to worry about what’s happening at home,” she said. “It’s a safe place where they’re able to either talk, or not talk, about their issues.”
“(There’s) that liberty to be a kid.â€
Director April Young said Camp Maple Leaf connects children with others who they can relate to and provide or receive support, depending on where they are in their journey.Ìý
“Sometimes their challenges that bring them together here are so rare, they might never meet another child ever who deals with the same stuff,†the director said.
But as campers lean on each other, “they realize they’re not alone.â€
In fact, the camp’s number one priority is ensuring the kids forge friendships that follow them home, Young said, noting all children go through the friendship program, which teaches children how to spark conversations about their commonalities and form bonds.
Young sees friendship as a tool for resilience.
“Friendship is true support for life,” she said. “You make a friend, your whole life changes.â€
Janfield, for her part, would return summer after summer, eager to rekindle the relationships from the year before.
Camp Maple Leaf became a home away from home.
“I enjoy, even now, how I can be a kid here at camp even though I’m working, technically,” she said with a laugh.Ìý
While she’s no longer a camper, she continues to see her friends who have also returned as camp counsellors and staff.
Like Camp Maple Leaf, the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star Fresh Air Fund aims to give children from all walks of life the opportunity to make lifelong memories.
Please consider making a donation, and playing a part in spreading that joy.
The ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star Fresh Air Fund
³Ò°¿´¡³¢:Ìý$650,000Ìý
TO DATE: $474,554.00
How to donate:
Online:
To donate by Visa, Mastercard or Amex using our secure form.
By cheque:
Mail to the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star Fresh Air Fund, 8 Spadina Ave., ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, ON M5V 0S8
By phone: Call 647-250-8282
Tax receipts will be issued.
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