She was so happy to find the day camp at YMCA Camp Elphinstone. Day camp, with healthy outdoor activities like kayaking, canoeing, and hiking, seemed like the perfect fit. Unfortunately, she could not afford the fee, so she turned to the YMCA for help, and through financial assistance from Y donors, Faith was able to attend camp.
At first Faith was extremely reluctant to attend. She didn’t know any of the kids and had never participated anything like this before. After being taken under the wing of some caring YMCA Counsellors, Faith began to blossom. By day four she had gone from a shy, timid girl to a girl who had the courage to stay for the Thursday night “overnight” experience.
Faith loved YMCA camp so much that she begged her mother to attend another week. Karen scraped together enough to partially fund the session, and the YMCA subsidized the rest.
At the end of summer Faith told her mother that she would love the opportunity to go to a full two weeks of camp the following year. Not only that, she wanted to take the YMCA’s leadership training and become a camp counsellor someday.
Karen knew how important this experience was for her daughter, and worked with the YMCA to ensure her daughter could attend. With the help of a subsidy from the YMCA annual fundraising campaign, Faith’s dream came true—she spent two weeks at YMCA Camp Elphinstone, learning new skills and making new friends.
Faith went from a hesitant day camper to a confident residential camper with a strong interest in becoming a leader. Karen is grateful to the YMCA and generous Y donors for helping make Faith’s camp dreams come true.
Money raised through this year’s Y Charity Runners will directly benefit kids and families like Karen & Faith – thank you for your support of YMCA BC.