Joelle

We first met Joelle four years ago, shortly after she immigrated to Canada with her husband and their two sons from the Middle East. Both she and her husband were only able to find minimum wage jobs but they were committed to establishing a new life in Toronto. In addition to his full-time day job, Joelle's husband also found a part-time work in the evenings. Every day Joelle picked up the boys up from school and shyly tried out her English with some of the other mothers. When school closed in June, it was vital to her that her sons have a safe place to be during the day where they would keep up their learning. She was relieved to hear from some of the mothers about the Moorelands City Summer Day Camp and that subsidies were offered to low-income families like hers. So, on registration night, and every one since, Joelle left work early in order to arrive 2-3 hours early to register her children.

When her eldest son, Ronald first attended Day Camp he was a quiet, shy seven year-old who was afraid to interact with other children. Drama and active games were particularly difficult for Ronald. It would often take a lot of encouragement to get him to join in group activities. However, with each passing week, Moorelands staff reported small successes: a new friend made, a game enjoyed with other children. Three years later, in addition to growing a few inches, Ronald has become a most enthusiastic and talkative participant indeed! Last year, Ronald was one of the older children in his group and staff encouraged him to help new and younger children in the program. This was a role that Ronald enjoyed and became quite good at. At the end of Day Camp last summer, Ronald's mom asked to speak with Ronald's Day Camp Counsellor privately. She said that she was so thankful for all that the Day Camp had been able to do for her son, and that thanks to the subsidies available, she was able to continue to send him to this wonderful program.

Joshua

When Joshua first arrived at the Moorelands City Day Camp five years ago, he was a very angry child. In the care of the Children's Aid Society, Josh had been moved through a number of homes and it had become very difficult for him to trust adults.

In the beginning, Josh's behavior at Moorelands City Day Camp was pretty disruptive. He would bully quieter children, refuse to participate, and sometimes would yell or run around the room upsetting activities. He refused to listen to staff and was often rude and aggressive.

Every summer over three years, Joshua spent much of his first week at the City Day Camp in the camp director's office. His behaviour was so bad that he was usually suspended by the second week of camp.

But Moorelands City Day Camp staff refused to give up on Josh. Each summer they worked with him to consistently apply consequences for his behaviour. Over time, bit by bit, he learned to manage his anger and trust others just a little more.

His caregivers say that Moorelands City Summer Day Camp has become the most consistent part of Josh's life and he always asks to come back. Over the last two summers, Joshua's behavior has changed dramatically. He is still a very active boy, but now will accept redirection. He is warm, affectionate and clear about boundaries. Last summer, he asked to help out with the younger children and he proved to be a positive and loved mentor.