For many families in our city, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting need for physical distancing, is difficult and challenging. For Tala — a child of 8, watching her parents leave the house every morning — it is terrifying.
Tala is a newcomer to Toronto. She’s loved her time at Moorelands Kids’ BLAST and was excited to experience her first ever summer at camp. Now, all she feels is frightened. Having just started to feel settled in Canada, her life has once again been turned upside down.
Her mom works as a healthcare assistant and her father is a cleaner at East York’s Michael Garron Hospital. They are both essential workers and feel lucky to still have an income coming in. However, their jobs put them at risk and don’t cover all the necessities the family needs, let alone an opportunity like the programs Moorelands Kids offers.
Every day, all Tala hears over and over again are people talking about the scary illness. She’s been told she can’t go to school, can’t go out and play and can’t see her friends because she has to stay home to stay safe… but she’s scared: If she must stay home, how can it be safe for her parents go out to work? Tala is frightened. She is in need of familiarity, engagement and support, now more than ever.
For Tala and so many of our kids, Moorelands Camp can be a sanctuary — a place where she can escape the stresses of the city and swim in a cool, deep lake; explore woodlands and frog ponds; and take part in fun active pursuits that will empower her with the resiliency, the confidence and the life and leadership skills she needs to succeed. It’s a place where she will make life-long friendships that will carry her into her adult life.
While the future is uncertain, one thing we know is that Moorelands Camp will still run this year. If the COVID-19 pandemic means that we cannot host camp on Kawagama Lake and send Tala to camp, we will still send camp to Tala through our new virtual programs. Moorelands Kids is responding to the huge increase in kid’s anxiety and to the distress caused by physical distancing with nimble speed. We are constantly generating engaging and supportive virtual programming that keeps kids safe, connected and growing. Check out our virtual programs here: www.moorelands.ca/virtual-programs
It costs $1,200 to send a kid to camp. Please consider making a donation today. Thank you for your support!
*Please note: to protect the privacy of our kids, a stock photo has been used on this page.