Sunshine at Camp

Stevenson Children’s Camp: Site of the 2016 Southwestern Ontario OCAA Annual Day of Service

A little sunshine goes a long way

A total of 16 people made up the crews from the 5 companies who took part in the 5th Annual Southwestern Ontario OCAA Day of Service

That is Stevenson Children’s Camp’s slogan. And that is exactly what the crews got when they showed up for the OCAA Day of Service at the 125-acre Stevenson Children’s Camp on April 27th of this year—sunshine. Not a cloud marred the sky, as trucks rumbled in from Chatham Tree Services, Davey Tree, Lanktree Tree Services, Olympic Tree Care, and of course CLC Tree Services. It was a perfect day to give back to an organization which gives so much to the community in Southwestern Ontario. CLC wouldn’t dream of missing it.

While the OCAA has organized these community-building days for a number of years in the Toronto area, it was only five years ago that a few tree services companies in Southwestern Ontario decided to organize events for their own communities. Plenty of nonprofit or charitable organizations exist here, many of whom would struggle to afford the tree services which come with a Day of Service. So when ideas and planning started for this year’s day, Stevenson Children’s Camp was thrilled to be asked to host the event.

Life at Stevenson Children’s Camp

To prevent damage to the low-ropes course during tree service work, caution tape marked off elements for the arborists

Stevenson Children’s Camp is located just outside London, Ontario. It is unique, in that it offers summer camp experiences for children aged 7-10 years, who may not otherwise be able to afford it. While the cost to send children to camp is approximately $365 per child, families are only charged $20. If that is still inaccessible, the fee can be waived. For families struggling to make ends meet, that is priceless.

A bus picks children up Monday morning of the week they are to attend. For the next five days, those children get to be plain old kids. The stresses of their regular lives get left behind. They don’t have to worry about getting evicted, where their next meal is coming from, or any other problem that shadows their young lives.

Camp is about playing, building relationships, having fun and being a kid. Not worrying about everyday troubles, including a dead ash tree getting in the way of your day

Camp Director, Lara Shkilnyk, explains, “They swim, do archery, play on ropes courses, and go on nature walks. We offer three healthy meals a day, plus plenty of nutritious snacks in between. The kids not only participate in cooperative games, but also take responsibility in camp life. By taking turning sweeping, collecting garbage, and cleaning bathrooms, they build much-needed self-esteem. Their reward for a full day’s activities is our nightly campfire and story time.”

Sadly these campers have often seen more than their fair share of troubles. Referrals come from CAS, local schools, housing co-ops, the Boys & Girls Club, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, from group homes, foster homes, and other organizations who deal with underprivileged youths. Because of that fact, not only do camp counsellors need standard CPR training and event planning, but they also receive a week’s worth of instructions on how to deal with some of the emotional, social and psychological issues that come up over the course of the summer—handling the behavioural issues that stem from abuse, neglect, poverty and more. It can be a huge learning curve for counsellors, who are often not much older than their wards; counsellors are usually 16-25 years old themselves.

Stevenson Camp provided a delicious meal to feed the hungry workers after a long day of tree work

The Executive Director, Joe Douglas, stated, “It takes a special kind of person to be a counsellor. It can be emotionally, psychologically and physically draining, but you might be the only person a child trusts. And if an issue comes up with one of your campers, you want to be there for them.”

He knows from experience. Joe has been the Executive Director for 3 years, but has worked his way through the ranks; from kitchen, to counsellor, to his own experiences as a camper himself. His experiences at Stevenson helped get him where he is today. So as he watched crews felling dead ash trees in the bush surrounding the camp, you could see his appreciation.

The Difference a Day of Service Makes

“The kids haven’t been able to use half of the 12 elements in the low-ropes course for the last year, because of the dangerous trees surrounding them,” he remarked.The sound of chainsaws, warning horns, and the crack and thud of dead ash trees falling to the ground punctuated his words. As sad as it was to lose the trees, the emerald ash borer left its mark again. Nothing could save them.

The planting of a native white pine

“We’ll have plenty of firewood now though,” he added with a smile.

A loss turned into a win. A heck of a way to think about it, but apparently that sunshine that Stevenson Camp talks about is built into the fibers of everyone who is a part of this incredible place. It made the commemorative white pine that Calvin McCallum and crew planted at the end of the day that much more special.

Thanks again to the people who helped make Southwestern Ontario’s 5th Annual OCAA Day of Service a rousing success.

Participants of the 2016 OCAA Day of Service; CLC, Chatham, Davey, Lanktree,Olympic & members of the Stevenson Children’s Camp