On behalf of the children, we thank you for caring
Generous readers open their hearts to help 25,000 needy kids experience the magic of camp
If medals were presented for generosity, Star readers would be top of the podium and decorated in gold for raising $658,905 for the Fresh Air Fund and making dreams comes true for 25,000 kids who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to attend camp this summer.
Readers have been there for the kids since the Fresh Air Fund was launched back in 1901 by Toronto Star publisher Joseph Atkinson, who would surely be over the moon knowing his legacy lives on thanks to readers who remain deeply committed to this worthy cause and the children it benefits.
While times have changed since Atkinson established the charity, the needs of those who are struggling, among them singleparent families, the poor and newcomers, have not. Thankfully, Star readers continue to open their hearts to help where it is needed most. By doing so they change lives.
“I am always amazed at the generosity of Star readers, and this year is no exception,” says Star publisher John Cruickshank.
“Every child deserves a chance to reap the benefits that only a summer camp can provide. At camp, a child has the opportunity to laugh, smile, sing around a campfire or stare at the stars. The donations from our readers have meant that thousands of underprivileged children have had the chance this summer to enjoy such simple pleasures.
“Thank you for making a difference.”
Being at Camp Ozanam has certainly done that for Jesse Waugh, 17, who says it changed his life.
A counsellor at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Camp Ozanam, the once-shy Jesse credits camp and his experiences there for giving him the self-assurance he needed to break out of his shell and become a student school trustee on the Toronto District School Board. As a counsellor at the camp for boys, many of them from Toronto’s priority neighbourhoods, he’s passing it on, ensuring youngsters have the time of their lives and make lasting memories.
On behalf of Jesse, thank you for caring.
Then there are campers like Cassandra Augustine, 16, whose daily challenges include mild depression, learning disabilities and obsessive compulsive disorder. Cassandra looks forward every summer to being at Camp Winston, a place where she says she can be herself without being judged, and where she’s learning to strengthen her abilities. Mainstream camps simply don’t have the resources, including trained staff, to meet Cassandra’s special needs. “This is a special place,” she said.
The thing is, every Fresh Air Fund camp is special, whether it’s a day camp like Toronto City Mission, for children in the city’s priority neighbourhoods, or one of the fund’s new camps, like the University of Toronto’s Jr. Deep — STEM camp for budding engineers. Without support from the Fresh Air Fund, some children wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend.
Overnight camps such as Oki, for children with heart conditions; Oochigeas, for those with cancer; Huronda, for kids with diabetes; Awakening and Easter Seals for boys and girls with physical disabilities; and Shadow Lake for those with intellectual disabilities change lives and let children be children and not sick kids. At camp, abilities are most important.
Camp is also where children learn life and social skills while having fun. In short, there’s no place like it. And if the children could, they would be giving bear hugs to all those who have helped make their dreams come true, among them readers who remember the kids in their wills and make donations through their estates. Their legacies live on and are an invaluable investment in the future.
Hugs would also go out to donors like war veteran Norman d’Esterre, 98, who wanted to have an effect while he was still alive and made a contribution to the Fresh Air Fund to ease the lives of children by offering an opportunity for some good oldfashioned fun, just as he had as a boy.
Kathleen (Kay) Haunts told us that as a girl growing up during the Depression years, she raised money for the Fresh Air Fund by setting up lemonade stands in her Parkdale neighbourhood and later walking to the Star to make her contribution personally. While her family had little, she knew others had even less and it was important for her to pay it forward.
After reading about her childhood support for less-fortunate kids, some of Kay’s friends rallied, making donations to the fund this summer. All the money raised for the Fresh Air Fund benefits the kids.
A heartfelt thanks also goes out to corporate and individual donors, including children who raise money by asking for donations to the fund in lieu of birthday gifts and those who save their loonies and toonies and each summer empty their banks for the kids. We couldn’t have done it without all of you.
Barb Mrozek, director of Toronto Star charities and philanthropy, is grateful to all of those who have made a difference.
“I’m ecstatic to know that our donors continue to believe in the magic of the camp experience for a child,” she said. “Without our donors, we could not provide this life-altering opportunity for kids who need it most.”
With hand on heart, thank you to all who care. Star reporter Leslie Ferenc has covered the Fresh Air Fund for 10 years and has had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of children while visiting camps sponsored by the fund. She has worked at the Star in a variety of positions for 34 years and was part of a team that won a National Newspaper Award for long feature writing in 2012.
There’s no place like camp, where children of all ages and backgrounds learn life and social skills while having fun