Fall/Holiday Impact Report 2026
JOIN MY JOURNEY: YEAR-ROUND GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Building Confidence and Growing Together!
For Moorelanders, growth can happen in many ways. At Moorelands City Clubs, Alex, Evelyn and Josh are forging friendships, developing leadership skills, and building confidence. For Alex, who has attended the City Program since Grade 6, City Clubs has been a place to make friends while learning life and leadership skills. “It teaches you a lot of important life skills, like leadership, and how to be a good community member.” Alex says the program also helped build positive friendships that might not have happened otherwise.
Evelyn has found her voice through City Clubs, learning that leadership means being willing to share your opinions and help others when something goes wrong. She also appreciates having staff who take the time to check in, listen and show that they care.
For Josh, City Clubs opened the door to a new creative interest. He says the program “really got me into drawing,” while physical activities helped him develop his leadership skills.
Whether through games, art, leadership activities, or simply connecting with others, City Clubs gives participants opportunities to discover what they can do and the confidence to keep growing.
GROWING TOGETHER
AT MOORELANDS CITY CLUBS
MOORELANDERS’ GROWTH
Small Actions, Big Community Impact!
City Clubs participants are not just learning about leadership; they are putting it into action. During their Service Project, Moorelanders worked together to help make their community cleaner while thinking about the impact litter can have on people, plants and animals.
Evelyn saw the project as an opportunity to make a real difference. She recognized that garbage left outdoors does not simply disappear and can harm the environment. She was also proud to see that there was less garbage to collect the next time around.
Roy connected the experience to a broader lesson about responsibility. Seeing people carelessly leave garbage behind made him think about how individual choices can contribute to pollution and affect the earth.
Moorelanders in City VITAL Youth took the opportunity to reflect on their habits, responsibility and the small actions they can take to make changes to improve our planet.
“It shocked me that a glass bottle can take a million years to decompose,” said Maya, a City VITAL Youth participant. “The styrofoam being basically immortal… it really made me stop and think.”
Through experiences like these, Moorelanders continue to grow as they apply leadership learning, take on responsibility and make a difference in their communities.
The Joy of Giving
Q&A with Evan, Holiday Sharing Volunteer
Why did you choose to volunteer with Holiday Sharing?
It’s a nice initiative. We’re packaging gifts that are given to individuals here so that they have a happy holiday. It’s quite rewarding. Seeing the care of the people facilitating this is fantastic. The staff have a personal touch, and it’s a deep-rooted connection that they have with the kids through both camp and the holiday season.
In what ways do you feel the Holiday Sharing program makes a difference in the community?
It’s the joy of the season. It’s tough to find joy in your own holidays knowing that others are going without, so to be here to help provide and spread that joy is a wonderful feeling. This is a season when we, as a society, take a collective pause to share the joy of giving and receiving with our family and friends. To be able to be a part of providing that to others outside of our immediate circle is a wonderful feeling.
A SMILE ON THEIR FACES
Holiday Sharing Brightens Shonda’s Family
Shonda’s family has been participating in Moorelands Kids’ Holiday Sharing program for 14 years, since her eldest son was just eight-years-old. Over the years, her children have grown up at Moorelands, staying connected year-round through Moorelands City programs, Moorelands Camp and Holiday Sharing.
“My son, Jayden, is always very excited to go to Moorelands Camp because he makes new friends, he’s able to do all the fun activities he enjoys, and he gets to be himself and show his personality to people,” says Shonda.
And each year during the holidays, her children look forward to the gifts they receive from Moorelands. “The gift cards are a huge help for groceries as well,” says Shonda. “I know there is always community support because of Moorelands, and I really appreciate the help we receive every year.”
Shonda says that Holiday Sharing lights up her kids’ faces every year.
“Some families aren’t able to provide much for their children. For me, I’m trying to pay my bills and make ends meet, so it’s very helpful for me to make sure my children have a nice Christmas,” says Shonda. “Thank you for the generosity, and thank you to the volunteers who put their time and effort into making sure each family feels supported.”
Learn more about why our adopters choose to support Holiday Sharing:
WANT TO GET INVOLVED?
The holiday season is just around the corner, and there are several ways to get involved with Holiday Sharing this year:
Holiday Sharing Volunteer Sign-Up
Volunteer sign-up for Holiday Sharing is open! Join us this holiday season and help make a meaningful difference for children and families in our community.
Adopt-a-Family Program
Sign up to sponsor one of our families by providing gifts and essential items to help make their holiday season brighter.
Giving Tuesday is a day to come together and give back. This year, you can help Moorelands Kids
serve even more children and families through your donation. Save the date and stay tuned to join us on December 1st.
STAY TUNED FOR UPDATES ON GIVING TUESDAY 2026
REFLECTIONS OF CAMP
What a summer to remember! This year, 466 Moorelanders attended camp across six sessions including Project Dive. From cannonballs in the lake and basketball on the sports court to kayaking, high ropes and archery, there was no shortage of adventure. Along the way, campers built lasting friendships, explored nature and learned valuable leadership skills.
Thank you for helping make Moorelands Camp 2026 a summer full of growth, laughter and tons of FUN! Check out the highlights below.
STARRY SUMMER NIGHT BASH!
This year marked the 11th Starry Summer Night, bringing together long-time supporters and new friends for an evening of celebration and support for Moorelands Camp.
Over the years, the cottage community on Kawagama Lake has raised more than $1 million which is a marvelous milestone to celebrate! These funds help more children experience Moorelands Camp— a place where youth build friendships, discover new strengths, and create memories that last a lifetime.
We are grateful to everyone who helped make this event possible. Your continued commitment helps create opportunities for more children and youth to experience the connection, belonging, and joy of camp.
Connect with us!
Moorelands Kids shares updates about our programs, teams and fundraising efforts. Follow @moorelandskids to stay in the loop! You can also subscribe to our email updates by clicking the button below.
251 Consumers Road Suite 601, Toronto, Ontario M2J4R3
Phone: 416.466.9987
moorelands.ca
Charitable Registration #
11923 0241 RR0001
