We couldn’t bring kids to camp this year, but we could certainly bring camp to the kids!
With $10,000 in funding from the Military Police Fund for Blind Children, we were able to create our first-ever CNIBLakeJoe@Home Camp-in-a-Box program. One hundred children (ages 6-18) from across Canada registered for four weeks of summer programming, all at no cost to families.
During the month of August, campers registered to meet via Zoom, Monday – Friday, twice daily at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. for an hour, participating in fun camp activities. Siblings were included, and even neighbours joined in on the fun!
Each attendee received a box packed with accessible materials to engage campers, including their CNIB Lake Joe t-shirt. Each week had a different theme, with the goal of getting kids active and occupied away from the computer screen:
- Week 1: August 10-14, Everything Summer Camp Week
- Week 2: August 17-21, Nature Week
- Week 3: August 24-28, Sports Week (in collaboration with CampAbilities)
- Week 4: August 31-September 4, Arts Week
One mom who had registered for Family Week this summer for the first time shared how much her three young children enjoyed the program.
“Thank you for two amazing weeks of camp@home. The magic of camp was brought to our home the moment our camp boxes arrived at the door. Having a box filled with stuff just for them and filled with fun activities sparked joy and anticipation of the week ahead. Our children thoroughly enjoyed every moment of camp. The staff were so attentive and engaged with all the participants. Everyone belonged, and everyone was included. It was a fun and wonderful experience. We wish you all the best in the year ahead and hope to meet you in person next year.”