“Tom loved the lake, the campout and building a fire…now he can’t wait to get back to BLAST!”
11-year-old Tom has attended Moorelands BLAST (Budding Leaders After School Teams) for the past two years. This summer he came to us for his first real experience of summer camp at Moorelands Wilderness Camp – an experience that he wouldn’t have had were it not for you.
His father, Craig, like a lot of parents, was apprehensive about sending his son away for a week at first… But what a week it was! Tom delighted in his camp adventure and “wished it was so much longer.” He loved swimming in the lake, the campout, building a fire – now he can’t wait to go back to camp and back to BLAST!
Lessons in leadership and maturity
Craig too is pleased with his son’s experience: “Camp has really helped Tom gain independence and grow in maturity.”
For Craig, it’s the shared values of both programs which make so much impact:
“The leaders at any program are like ‘pseudo parents’, it’s important for me to know that we’re all on the same page. When Tom came back from camp, he wouldn’t stop talking about respect and responsibility. It’s the same with BLAST. Every day, Jaleel (the program leader) would tell us parents what our kids had been working on – like communication or teamwork – and Tom and I would carry on those lessons at home.”
It’s clear that Tom is eager to get back to BLAST. What is it that excites him the most? “Friends, the staff, cooking lessons…and basketball!” says Tom.
Getting active with Physical Literacy
Craig adds, “His new interest in sports is something that I attribute A LOT to Moorelands. Before I found it hard to get him excited about anything physically active. Now he goes to BLAST, I know he’s doing something active every day… and he loves it!”
Craig and Tom are both proud to be a part of Moorelands, a “positive force in the community.”“I hope we’ll stay here and keep these connections,” Craig smiles, “Tom never wants to leave… he’s looking forward to going back to school so he can go back to Moorelands. He can’t wait. And now he keeps saying he wants to be a camp counsellor when he grows up!”
Way to go Tom!
