Today is Tim Horton's Camp Day where 100 percent of hot coffee and iced coffee sales go towards sending local kids to camp through the Tim Horton's Foundation Camp initiative.
Tim Horton's Canada Camp Day provides camp experiences and year-round programming for youth from under-served communities across Canada and the United States.
This summer 17 kids from the Westman Region will be attending camp through the Tim Horton's campaign, says Rhonda Pardy, owner of the Tim Horton's Westman locations franchise.
"We do it for kids in our region," explains Pardy. "Sometimes the schools reach out to us, Big Brothers and Big Sisters do as well. Sometimes they are employees' children, just kind of any children that we find out about. Sometimes people approach us and say, 'I'm interested in sending my child to camp,' and we put in an application and if they meet the criteria, then we do what we can to get those kids to camp."
"We do have one boy who's going back," she adds. "We've had kids in the past who have gone back several years in a row in our leadership program, and we do have a boy returning from Brandon this year who went for his first time last year. And now he was chosen to return as part of the leadership program this year. So, he's very excited!"
Tim Horton's Camp Day has been a cornerstone of the foundation's fundraising efforts since its inception in 1991, with over $262 million raised to date. The proceeds from hot and iced coffee sales on Camp Day are donated to the Foundation, which has supported more than 325,000 youth in its history.
The initiative began close to 40 years ago in 1987 when 58 restaurant owners in Atlantic Canada donated 24 hours of sales to support the Tim Horton Children's Camp in Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia located on the shores of the Northumberland Strait. The Camp Day event is a testament to the community's commitment to helping youth achieve their full potential, states the Tim Horton's website.
Youth between the ages of 12-15 are considered to be sent to camp, often in provinces they have never visited before.
"A lot of them usually take their first airplane ride to a Tim's Camp," says Pardy. "Whether they go to Kananaskis, Alberta or a camp in Ontario, it's fabulous. It's life-changing for these kids. You know, they get out, they meet kids, they really get to know themselves and what they're made of. They're challenged to kind of live their best self and find out things outside of their home and their own communities. We have kids coming back feeling strong and courageous. It's an experience of a lifetime," she adds.
In Canada, six camps span across five provinces, with two in Ontario and one each in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Manitoba and Alberta. Kentucky is home to their US camp.
Located on the shores of Sylvia Lake within the Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba, Tim Horton Camp Whiteshell is the newest of their seven camps and features its own yurt village.
Tim Horton Memorial Camp at Parry Sound, Ontario, is nestled in the woods alongside Lorimer Lake and was first opened in 1975 to honour the great hockey player, and namesake of the franchise, Tim Horton.
Tim Horton Onondaga Farms sits on 400 acres of rolling hills and wetlands, and opened in 2002 in St. George, Ontario. Prior to becoming a Tim Horton Camp Onondaga Farms was a nationally known Hereford cattle farm, winning multiple prestigious awards across the world.
The Tim Horton Children’s Ranch is nestled in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, bordering Banff National Park and an hour west of Calgary. It is home to over 60 horses during the summer months.
Camp des Voyageurs Tim Horton is located in Quyon, Quebec and is set on Pontiac Bay on the Ottawa River. This land is home to a rich cultural history of the area's Voyageurs.
"The camps are just unreal," shares Pardy. "I get letters from the campers every year and I laugh because in the twenty-three years I've been doing this, almost every child writes, 'Oh my goodness, the food is so good!' So, the camps are absolutely beautiful. The food is great. They do a really, really great job of aligning these kids with other kids who they can connect with, and then they have systems in place where they learn and they grow while they're there. And they have a fantastic time doing it!"
This summer 17 campers from the Westman Region will be travelling abroad to one of the six Canadian camps. "We have councilors coming to pick them up, and they'll be here for Camp Day and then they're going shortly after that!"
For more information on Tim Hortons Camp program, visit their website HERE!
In the meantime, don't forget to pick up your favorite coffee, hot or cold, and pick up an extra for a friend and help send a kid to camp! Remember, today is CAMP DAY!