By Deron Hamel
Summerfest Camp is going into its 22nd year in 2016 and families can register their children for a session in this unique, two-week camping experience starting Dec. 4.
Each year Summerfest Camp, which is sponsored by Epilepsy Ontario, has an average of 20 to 40 children and youths who have epilepsy attend the program, where they participate in a wide variety of traditional camping activities.
Summerfest Camp enables children aged six to 15 who are living with seizure disorders to attend camp with other children. The camp provides a setting where children can, as Epilepsy Ontario describes on its website, “forget about their epilepsy and just be a kid.”
The experience offers children an opportunity to explore their surroundings and discover personal strengths. Some of the activities campers participate in include:
– Water activities: swimming, surfing, canoeing, kayaking
– Land activities: adventure, survival, outdoor living skills, sports
– Arts: arts and crafts, fine arts, performance arts, dance, photography, guitar, journalism
Summerfest Camp also gives families respite. It gives parents a chance to spend time with each other or with their other children. Since the camp has experienced counsellors and offers on-site nursing professionals who are well-versed in working with people who have seizure disorders, parents enjoy peace of mind knowing their children are safe and in good hands.
Summerfest Camp was founded in 1994 by Anita Allen, a neurology clinic nurse at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). While she is now retired, Allen is still involved with Summerfest Camp and is working alongside Epilepsy Ontario, Epilepsy Toronto and Camp Couchiching to plan this year’s program.
The 2016 program will offer four, two-week sessions throughout the summer and an additional one-week session called “Intro to Cooch”. This is an introduction to the camp for children who want to try it out before committing to a full two-week session. This one-week experience will be offered in Session 5 only.
The sessions are:
Session 1: July 3-15
Session 2: July 17-29
Session 3: July 31-Aug. 12
Session 4: Aug. 14-26
Session 5: Aug. 28-Sept. 2
Starting Dec. 4, families may register directly with Camp Couchiching at by visiting the camp’s website.
A limited number of sponsorships are available to families in need of financial assistance. The sponsorship request form can be found on Epilepsy Ontario’s website, or by calling Gula Aitkulova to obtain an application at 1-800-463-1119 or 905-474-9696.
Applications are due March 15.
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