By Deron Hamel
Enhanced confidence, independence and making friends – these are the main benefits Philippa Howell says her daughter, Georgina, has garnered since she started attending Summerfest Camp five years ago.
Georgina, 13, is living with intractable myoclonic epilepsy as well as autism. She has been attending the camp since she was eight. In that time, Philippa says her daughter has flourished in many ways, and she largely attributes this to Georgina’s Summerfest Camp experiences.
Held near Orillia at Camp Couchiching (affectionately called “Camp Cooch”) every summer, Summerfest Camp enables children aged six to 15 who are living with seizure disorders to attend camp with other children. The camp has the resources to meet the needs of children living with epilepsy and provides a setting where they can enjoy a carefree camping experience.
Now in its 21st year, Summerfest Camp has an average of 20 to 40 children and youths who have epilepsy attend the program. Children participate in activities such as swimming, hiking, kayaking and sports.
Swimming is one of the many activities children enjoy at Summerfest Camp, and Philippa says Georgina’s confidence in water has skyrocketed.
Philippa saw this first-hand recently when she and her family went to the cabin they’ve stayed at every August for the past nine years. Unlike previous years, Georgina was spending most of her time swimming in the nearby lake.
“Her confidence was, ‘I can swim, and I can do this in open water,’ which is what she does at Camp Cooch. She swam distances I could not believe,” Philippa says.
Georgina has also made many friends from across Ontario during her stays at Summerfest Camp, Philippa says.
“These friendships stay at camp. They all wait 11 months and two weeks before seeing each other again, and they all become friends again. Friendship is definitely one of the positives from it,” she says.
Georgina’s positive experience at Summerfest Camp has provided her the confidence to attend another camp this year, “which is amazing,” Philippa says.
“She only went for a week, and when I went to pick her up, she did not want to be picked up,” Philippa says. “She had made some friends, and they were all there when I was picking her up to say goodbye.”
It was Summerfest Camp that provided Georgina with the confidence and enhanced sense of independence to attend a second camp, Philippa says.
“We never would have been able to do this if we hadn’t had the support of Summerfest to (create a) camping experience for her,” Philippa says, adding she and her husband are hoping Georgina can go for four weeks next year.
If you have feedback on this story, or have a story of your own that you would like to share, please contact the newsroom at 800-294-0051, ext. 23, or e-mail deron(at)axiomnews.com. You can also leave a comment below.
