Did you know ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ once had a camp for moms?
The way Elizabeth Morley and Lynne Grubbs talk about it, Bolton Camp was abundance itself: freshly baked bread wafting in the breeze, cosy cabins, all-you-can-drink milk for the kids. They were counsellors there in 1969, and watched Neil Armstrong land on the moon from the quiet of the rec hall that August.
At 19 and 20, they’d worked at camps before, but nothing felt like this. Just north of the city,ÌýBolton Camp was partially funded by the Star’s Fresh Air FundÌý—Ìýand the neat thing was that younger children were allowed to bring their parents.
A recent photo of Lynne Grubbs and Elizabeth Morley, who met working at Bolton Camp in 1969
Elizabeth MorleyBeyond the city: Bolton Camp’s origins and mission
The camp was created by the Neighbourhood Worker’s Association in the 1920s to give city children in “heat baked houses†a chance at summer fun. From the beginning, moms were in the plan. The decision makers reasoned moms also needed a break from the drudgery of household chores in the hot city. They hoped that fresh air, sunshine and food they didn’t have to cook would “restore their moral courage,†as the Star put it in 1922.
Sunnybrook Park became a refuge for editor-in-chief Nicole MacIntyre’s family, rekindling their appreciation for the outdoors.
Sunnybrook Park became a refuge for editor-in-chief Nicole MacIntyre’s family, rekindling their appreciation for the outdoors.
A summer of freedom: How Bolton Camp empowered mothers
By the time Lynne and Elizabeth met in 1969, generations of children and parentsÌý— mostly momsÌý— had spent magical summers at Bolton.Ìý Lynne landed a job in the nursery, looking after the toddlers. Elizabeth was the craft director. “There was just a sense of release,†Elizabeth says of the moms, who delighted in the creativity, the colours and textures as they laughed and shared stories from the parenting trenches. They could relax, knowing their kids were having fun in the pool or hiking through the woods, fully supervised.
Lasting memories: A chance meeting with A.Y. Jackson
Fifty-six summers later, Elizabeth still remembers one afternoon with a thrill. She took the moms on a bus to what was then called the McMichael Collection in Kleinburg. Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson lived on site. He was 86 then, recovering from a stroke, but still furrowing his unruly white eyebrows as he painted outdoors. The moms found him resting in the shade of a log cabin, and peppered him with questions: What’s your favourite painting? What do you do when it rains when you’re outside working? ÌýÌýÌý
Lynne Grubbs remembers the chatty woman who picked up her curly-haired toddler at the end of the day. She confided that her family disowned her over her marriage. With five children, money was tight, but she glowed talking about her husband, and how “he could still close his hands around her tiny waist,” Grubbs says - laughing that she still remembers that moment. “She was really enjoying (camp). She was one of those people who would enjoy wherever she was.”
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From booking campsites to new gadgets, camping experts shared their best advice for hitting the outdoors.
From Camp Bolton to careers: A friendship forged in summer
It was a summer of growth for everyone, including the staff. Lynne and Elizabeth were at the cusp of adulthood, and Camp Bolton cemented their career paths and friendship.
“That camp brought us all together sent us back into the world, changed,†Elizabeth said.
Both women became teachers, and when Lynne moved to the U.S., they travelled together as much as they could: Paris, San Francisco, New York. Now in their 70s, they are in touch several times a week. They depend on that deep friendship started by chance all those years ago.
A childhood fear of grass stains and creepy crawlies gave way to a backyard transformation — and a newfound love for the wild.
A childhood fear of grass stains and creepy crawlies gave way to a backyard transformation — and a newfound love for the wild.
The legacy lives on: ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star’s Fresh Air Fund and Camp Bolton’s future
Camp Bolton eventually closed, although the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Region Conservation Authority is rebuilding the site. The ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star’s Fresh Air Fund lives on, because the need remains. Each year, the Star subsidizes camp fun so children can experience that transformative joy that Lynne and Elizabeth know so well.
“I always felt that every day at camp was like a month of time in public school,†says Elizabeth, who later became a principal at the Dr. Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study laboratory school at OISE. “For families who could afford it, that was totally wonderful. But for children who got to go to camp who never would haveÌý— what a gift.â€
The ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Star Fresh Air Fund
³Ò°¿´¡³¢:Ìý$650,000Ìý
TO DATE:Ìý$409,357.00Ìý
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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