By Chad Polito
Summer camp can be the highlight of the summer for kids: days spent with friends (new and old) games, outings, fun in the sun, swimming, and the best part no homework! BGC Dawson has been offering a quality summer day camp experience for children 5-12 years old for many years. Last year, because of COVID-19 restrictions, the summer day camp was running at reduced capacity in order to respect public health guidelines. This summer, the day camp is back to welcoming nearly 100 children each week for 8 weeks of camp.
“As soon as spring camp finished this year, we opened our summer day camp registration” shares Cindy Cohen, Summer Day Camp Coordinator at BGC Dawson. “We could tell that parents were eager to get back to a sense of normalcy because by the end of April we already had a waiting list and requests continue to pour in”!
BGC Dawson has offered an affordable day camp option for families that includes a sliding scale and full camp scholarships to ensure that every child who needs summer camp has access. The organization is committed to breaking down accessibility barriers and is grateful to partners who have come along side to make summer camp possible.
The Jays Care Foundation is a major funder of the BGC Dawson summer day camp and has been committed to providing extensive training to all camp staff in addition to their generous financial support. “We really could not offer the camp that we do without the support of the Jays Care Foundation!” says Cindy Cohen.
Other partners like the St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal have generously provided financial assistance to help cover camp costs. The St. Andrew’s Society of Montreal is a charitable society dedicated to community assistance, education and the preservation of Scottish arts and culture. Margo Pollock, Executive Director of the St. Andrew’s Society, recently shared the news with BGC Dawson that they would be providing summer camp scholarships to 10 children for an entire week of camp! “This is certainly a game changer for so many of our families!” exclaims Cindy Cohen.
With incredible partners and an experienced camp team in place, this year’s summer camp will be a great one! BGC Dawson is looking for a few more animators to complete their team.
Anyone aged 16 and older is welcome to apply by sending a CV and cover letter to Cindy Cohen at cindy.cohen@bgcdawson.ca. “Join us in making dreams come true this summer and providing an unforgettable summer camp experience to the children in your care” concludes Cindy.
