The primary goal of the Camping 4 Kids endowment fund is to help families that are being supported by Family & Children Services and that have limited financial resources, by sending their children to camp. On average 90 children attend camp each year as a result of this initiative.
The Elgin Children’s Foundation believes that every child should have a summer they can remember for a lifetime.
Elgin County is very fortunate that quality camps are offered in all key geographic areas – addressing service accessibility barriers that frequently exist for families. Whenever possible, local camps are promoted and supported. Camps are selected based on what is best for the individual child. Such camps include: Dancing Creek, Farmtown Canada, YMCA of St. Thomas, Studio Arts Rock School, Onward Social Skills, Sport Western, Pearce Williams Christian Centre and Horseshoe J. Dude Ranch among others.
Summer camp helps give kids the tools they need to learn new activities, appreciate their natural environment, make good friends and feel good about themselves, but most of all, to have fun! Inclusive programming encourages children and youth to be accepting and respectful of each other. For children who struggle with issues of self-esteem, a summer camp experience is worth its weight in gold. By allowing children to stretch the limits of their imagination, camp opens the window to a whole new world of hope and possibilities! Having the chance to attend summer camp can – and does – change lives.
“My best memory of camp is chasing goats. Other cool things I did were; ride a horse, go swimming, crafts and I also made a swamp. I would recommend camp to other kids because it's really super, super fun and the counselors are really nice" - Jenny, 7 year old camper
“My best memory of camp was seeing a big snapping turtle and catching 4 fish. I made a friend and another boy gave me a hook that was special. I really liked fishing!" – Nate, 6 year old camper
“The things I learned at camp were how to play basketball, how to go under water and not breath” – Beth, 4 year old camper
"My best part of camp was having fun fishing with the new frioends I made. I learned how to tie knots and the names of different fish - also how to hold a hook and pole while you are walking. I caught 2 fish and swam every day. It is fun!! – Sami, 8 year old camper
“A cool thing to tell you about is when we got to throw mud and get covered in mud, it’s fun to be dirty and covered with mud!” – Morgan, 12 year old camper
How You Can Help
The cost of sending a child to camp for a week is $300 - $500. To receive more information about donating towards this important opportunity for children, please contact:
Ron Lidster – Elgin Children’s Foundation – 519-631-1492 Ext. 620