Summer camp is finally here and the kids could not be more excited. They crowd the steps of the centres every morning, waiting for the doors to open while staff prepare trays of fruit and breakfast food for the hungry campers.

It’s not easy being a kid, even at the best of times. And these are not the best of times for many of the kids we serve at our centres. Kids living in low income and chaotic environments need sustenance and to be kept out of harm’s way. They need a fun and engaging place to “be a kid” in the summer, a time when they fall behind their same age peers. And of course, they need to build hope for a better future. The guidance and inspiration of our wonderful and talented staff mentors help them change the trajectories of their lives. This is what we offer all summer long in Ogden and in Forest Lawn. We thank you for coming alongside us in this important and life-changing work.

Our camps welcome kids of diverse backgrounds and provide opportunities to play games, participate in sports, create art, make music, grow flowers and vegetables and make new friends. They learn teamwork and collaboration and gain confidence in themselves and their abilities to succeed in life. Kids pile onto buses to take weekly field trips to new places outside the community, otherwise inaccessible and unimaginable to them. This week, the kids are going to both Spruce Meadows and the Stampede.

I’m putting the finishing touches on a comprehensive report on the impact we have had on the lives of our kids this past year. You’ll have that in your inbox shortly.

With love, admiration and ongoing gratitude,

❤️ Jane