Ten years ago, Jack McCormick spent his summer working at CNIB Lake Joe as a camp counsellor. While many of his fellow camp staff were scrambling to quickly learn what was where and focusing on awareness training about blindness etiquette and accessibility, Jack was already way ahead of the pack. This wasn’t his first time at Lake Joe.
When he was around six years old, Jack came to CNIB Lake Joe with his parents and younger brother as part of Family Week. Born with sight loss due to a retinal disease, his family wanted to immerse him in experiences where he could safely learn, play, and explore while confidently adapting to his limited vision. Living in Tilsonburg, Ontario, a small rural town in southwestern Ontario, his parents were also anxious to meet other parents of children with sight loss while giving Jack the chance to meet other kids in the same boat. The family’s future connection to CNIB Lake Joe was being set in motion.
Jack returned to camp on his own to participate in “Northern Exposure” an outdoor education program and again as a grade 8 student in CNIB’s SCORE program to prepare for a successful transition to high school. His younger brother Clayton joined the staff team as a driver/counsellor and his mom Kathy volunteered during Camp Abilities week, coaching kids in blind soccer.
Ten years later, Jack is returning to CNIB Lake Joe, not as a camper or a counsellor, but as a member of the CNIB Lake Joe Advisory Board.
Currently a Human Resources practitioner at one of the largest technology companies in the world, Jack has been busy building his career and giving back as an accessibility advocate and ambassador. He has sat on various boards for CNIB and is on the People & Culture Board Committee at Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada.
Over the last few years, Jack has volunteered with CNIB’s SCORE program in Toronto, mentoring youth with sight loss. He hosted a career day at his workplace, combining his employment with his passion to help people with sight loss. A bonus was the unique experience this created for his colleagues who now want to make a difference too.
“I’ve built mentor relationships organically with youth who email me about career decisions they’re contemplating, and I share with them the things I wish I had known at their age,” Jack explains. “This is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done as a volunteer.”
By joining the CNIB Lake Joe Advisory Board, Jack is expanding his volunteer commitment yet again to create awareness in the community about what CNIB Lake Joe does.
“As a child I felt the loneliness of growing up in a school system that was not built for me, with children who did not understand me or quite often were cruel to me,” Jack shares. “When people talk about the magic of CNIB Lake Joe, the magic is not the buildings or the beautiful lakefront or even the activities…it’s the experience of being included. Everyone onsite asks ‘how can we make this happen for this person.’ It’s not a place where anyone’s put on the side. It’s a place where people see that they’re not so alone.”