Since its doors were open in 2009, Kids Cancer Care's Camp Kindle has been magically reconnecting children with cancer to their childhoods.
Kids Cancer Care CEO Tracey Martin adds context.
Picture a child aged 5 who has just been diagnosed with a cancer that requires a 3 1/2-year treatment protocol.
"They are potentially out of school until grade 4, and so like for us at our age we think, well, yeah, four years, big deal, but really for a child, these are really formative years and there's a big gap in their social development, in their academics and all areas of their life," she explains.
"Kids Cancer Care is really there to help build kids back up."
The ground has been broken for a $8.9 million upgrade that will allow them to reach out to even more youth and their families. Eighty per cent of the funds have been raised for the project and the balance continues to be pursued.
RELATED NEWS:
Camp Kindle. located about 10 km west of Water Valley, has been evolving from the day they purchased the ranch for $2 million, explains Gail Corbett, director of marketing and communications. They immediately began upgrading the ranch to make it more suitable and it initially cost $8 million to complete.
"Now we're expanding again, and really, the camp will probably always evolve as the needs of our children and families evolve," she says. "As new people move into the province, the children cancer diagnosis go up, so we're laying the ground for the future, and adding new indoor and outdoor play spaces that are that are flexible and interactive for the kids."
CEO Tracey Martin says the need has never been greater. Over 237 kids are being diagnosed with cancer every year.
"We want to do our best to be able to walk alongside and support kids and families during their cancer journey," says Martin. "For the kids that come to camp, it's pretty magical because they get to again be with folk and be with other kids who are going through a similar journey. They make friends for life, they get to learn different skills, try new things, and build resilience."
Camp Kindle offers 160 acres of rolling hills, forest and waterways,
"That connection to nature is all about healing and just getting to be able to play because pediatric cancer can interrupt their childhood. When they're going through treatment, they don't necessarily get the time to go to school or play or do sports or activities that other kids normally would do."
A multi-purpose building is one of the new structures. It will include a learning kitchen, where families can learn to prepare and cook nutritious meals as they go through their cancer journey, explains CEO Tracey Martin.
There's an arts and craft workshop where kids and families can imagine and create all different kinds of masterpieces and collaborate, co-create, dreaming of things, and rejuvenate.
"We're adding a couple of magical outdoor spaces," she says. "We have a tree house village where kids can imagine play. It's going to be active learning and movement, particularly like a nature-based curriculum of sky learning and forest learning. And it's really about these magical unique tree houses that they can explore in the middle of the forest."
There's also an outdoor musical playground that's being named in honour of Kids Cancer Care founder Christine McIver.
"We'll be adding musical instruments so kids can play outside and channel their inner future composer," she explains.
They'll be adding a hillside pathway to provide further accessibility to the landscape.
"We're going to call it the "Enchanted Hillside Pathway" as we go forward, because we want to make it magical-like with fairies and everything like that."
New staff quarters are also being developed.
Construction is expected to be completed by next fall and the camp continues to operate in the meantime.
Annually, about 1,000 people (children and families) participate in Camp Kindle programs. When you include rentals, use of the camp climbs to about 4,000 annually.
To learn more about Kids Cancer Care or to make a donation towards this project click here.