Great Things Happen in the Great Outdoors!

A camping experience as unique as it's children

The Great Canadian Wilderness is the perfect place to make new discoveries, adventures, take on life's challenges and embrace new friendships. We aid children of Canadian military families and children who share similar unique life challenges. We give them a camp experience to call their own. There they are celebrated for who they are. The camp fosters new relationships and life skills that will last a lifetime. Military children and youth have different challenges and stressors from their civilian peers and the camp is the perfect place to build confidence, independence, but most importantly to have fun! “Camp is one of my favorite places on earth! Camp is so fun. It keeps me entertained and has lots of activities. Boating is my favorite activity. Lots of nice people. I'm always excited to come back each summer”- Asher.

Background

There are approximately 100,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces, with 94,279 other family members nationally. In addition, there are over 500,000 Canadian Armed Forces Veterans. True Patriot Love is dedicated to addressing the unique challenges faced by all of these military families. Their lives are influenced by multiple relocations, separation from family and friends and the willing acceptance of risk on behalf of a nation – drawing into focus the ongoing need for support from not only government but also, everyday citizens and businesses. True Patriot Love builds resilience and strength in our military families through investing in programs that focus on family communication and coping skills, which help deal with challenging realities of service, including the potential for increased deployments to conflict zones. With our regional community partners, we work on implementing our Stronger Military Families programming across Canada. This includes camps for children from military and Veteran families. A recent study done by the Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services has shown that at least 10% of families struggle with issues related to service including relocations due to postings, absences from family, well-being/mental health, and financial stress. Specifically, families with children experience increased stress and challenges when relocating and most children described parental deployment as the most or one of the most stressful experiences.

The good deed

Members of the Canadian Armed Forces dedicate their lives to the service of a nation at a sacrifice to their families. That sacrifice has an impact on the family, who serve right alongside service members and Veterans. The youngest members of those families are asked to carry the burden of a nation on their shoulders. Camp programs enhance children's physical and mental health. Wellness is improved when they can play, learn new skills and make new friends. The children of military families will have additional resources and an expanded network to support them through challenging times (parents’ deployment, relocation, etc.). Youth gain leadership skills. In addition, children will be given an opportunity to develop friendships with peers who share similar experiences. Families are stronger when the parents are not worried about the children and the impact that military life has on them. Success is achieved when stressors on the military family are eased.