With the designated funding provided by the 24h, the Ottawa Sens Foundation launched its SENS CAMPERSHIPS grants program in the summer of 2015.
A number of pediatric health-focused camps, specifically those that serve children and youth, “patients”, with cancer, diabetes, special needs, learning disabilities, and developmental delays have applied to SENS CAMPERSHIPS for funding. These types of camps not only offer “patients” and their siblings memories that last a lifetime, valuable life skills such as teamwork, leadership and perseverance, and a life-enhancing alternative to their daily lives, but also ensure kids with very specific and often complex medical needs, a safe environment where they and their siblings can:
– attend a camp among peers who identify with their medical condition leading to new and often deeply important friendships of support;
– enjoy a stress-free experience;
– get to be kids again, have fun and participate in exciting activities often not available at home;
– be cared for on a 1:1 or 2:1 staff to camper ratio, 24 hours a day, giving families of camp attendees a much needed rest;
– be at a summer camp that offers a great staff mix of medical, social & developmental health care professionals, enthusiastic post-secondary aged staff and volunteers.
Because of the specialized care provided at these camps, the registration fees are often four times greater than a “regular” residential summer camp. Theses costs make attending a camp of this nature difficult for many children and youth whose families are already financially burdened by the costs associated with caring for medically fragile kids.
Camp Quality, ON
