EVERY KID WITH CANCER NEEDS A PLACE AT CAMP. FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER
CANCER CHANGES KIDS.
SO DOES CAMP.
SAYING “NO” TO “CAN’T GO” IS SAYING YES TO HOPE. YES TO FUN. YES TO ADVENTURE. BUT ULTIMATELY, IT’S SAYING YES TO A KID WHOSE YOUNG LIFE HAS BEEN FILLED WITH NO.
We are a wilderness summer camp. We’re a downtown day camp. We’re an in-hospital program provider. We’re kids, we’re artists, we’re friends. We’re nurses, we’re doctors, we’re volunteers. We roast marshmallows, we waterski, we rock climb, we swim, we dog sled, we canoe. We laugh, we sing, we change lives. We are Camp Oochigeas and we have been saying “yes” to kids and families affected by childhood cancer with fun programs since 1983. Today, the demand for our programs continues to grow. We’ve seen a 260% increase in camper referrals from paediatric hospitals in addition to the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) since 2012. In Ontario alone, there are still 2,400 kids with cancer who don’t access an oncology overnight camp. We believe every kid with cancer needs a place at Camp Ooch. With your help we will say “no” to “can’t go”.
FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER
WHERE KIDS WITH CANCER CAN JUST BE KIDS.
CARE IN EVERY SENSE OF THE WORD Ooch Muskoka is our overnight camp for kids ages six to 18 with or affected by childhood cancer. We offer regular two-week sessions and adventure trips, oneweek sessions for teens (7Scape) and bereaved siblings (Teomul) and Weekends at Camp (WAC’s) in the fall and winter, all at no cost to families. Kids with cancer need more than chemotherapy. They need fun. They need friendship. They need a chance to just be kids. At Camp Ooch, everyone’s been touched by childhood cancer so everyone is equal. Whether they’re going through therapy, have side effects from treatment or are in remission, everyone understands. Kids get to focus on who they are, not what they have. And that’s the Magic of Ooch.
OOCH MUSKOKA Our fully accessible site means campers get to do things like swim, waterski or rock climb, regardless of their ability. Last summer, Ooch Muskoka hosted more than 400 kids and 370 volunteer counsellors. Another 350 campers plus volunteers enjoyed fall and winter Weekends at Camp (WACs). More than two dozen nurses and a half dozen oncologists from SickKids and other paediatric hospitals rotate and reside at Ooch Muskoka throughout the summer and during seasonal programs. Thanks to the incredible support we receive from our medical partners, we are able to provide customized overnight camp experiences for children with tracheotomies, PICC lines, pain pumps, feeding tubes and a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities.
The Camp
The Campers
The Care
A campfire area, beach, indoor recreational spaces and outdoor playing fields, surrounded by rolling hills, pine trees and rugged rock formations on the shores of a private lake. It’s the quintessential Canadian Camp.
Many of our campers have leukemia or lymphoma, the most common forms of childhood cancer. Campers are in various stages of their treatment, with 1 in 5 campers actively receiving chemotherapy treatment at Camp.
Oncologists are advocates and believe in the healing power of Camp Ooch for their patients. We’re the only wilderness camp in Canada equipped to deliver IV chemotherapy, blood transfusions, central line care and other specialized oncology blood work.
FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER
WE ARE BURSTING AT THE BEAMS Hosting more campers isn’t as simple as, one more bunk = one more kid. More campers means more bunks for them, plus more space for volunteers and staff, an expanded medical treatment space and more space for meals, gatherings and other specialized activities, like arts and crafts. A successful capital campaign, launched in 2014, raised the funds to expand and redevelop Ooch Muskoka. All building phases will be fully complete by the summer of 2018. All of this means that we can give more extraordinary kids what they need most – the chance to be kids! Here are the redeveloped and accessible spaces that thousands more campers will enjoy for decades to come, starting in 2018:
Gatt’s Lodge The Dining Hall has always been the social heart of our camp. Many Camp Ooch meals have super-fun, special themes making sure that singing, laughter and cheering are always on the menu. Gatt’s Lodge, our new, fully accessible winterized 18,500 square-foot space has replaced our old Dining Hall.
Two New Camper Cabins Two new accessible winterized cabins will accommodate more campers, counsellors and medical staff. Barrier-free graded ramp entrances will allow complete access and specialized electrical outlets and other accommodations will allow campers with more complex medical equipment to bunk in full-time with their cabin mates.
New Expanded Med Shed Our modernized Med Shed is where kids get to focus on courage and rebuilding their self-confidence outside the confines of a hospital, school or home. More rest and isolation rooms for campers as well as more working space for nurses and doctors equates to faster and more effective treatment, so kids can get back to being kids.
New Slaight Arts & Music Centre Whether shaping clay on a pottery wheel, being wrist deep in colourful finger paints, or singing a song in the Centre’s recording studio, creative pursuits are a focal point of every camper’s experience.
New Expanded Volunteer and Medical Team Housing Our high camper to volunteer ratio means housing approximately 370 volunteers, and 50 or more members of our medical and staff teams annually. A number of new accessible winterized buildings will accommodate this absolutely vital group of people who make the magic of Ooch possible.
FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER
MORE EXTRAORDINARY KIDS NEED MORE EXTRAORDINARY DAYS AT CAMP.
WHERE WE’RE HEADED Thankfully, medical advances and enhanced treatment protocols now mean that more children than ever (up to 85%) will survive their cancer, but the impact of their treatment may last a lifetime. By 2018, our newly expanded and accessible facilities will be ready (in all four seasons) to welcome 50% more kids at overnight camp. That means 300 more campers, 360 more volunteers, plus 27 more medical professionals and staff per year. The extra cost of sending 50% more kids to Camp, and expanding our onsite recreational activities, is significant. Securing this newly increased level of annual funding is Camp Ooch’s next biggest challenge. We never want to turn a child away. Your greatest opportunity is to help us make sure this never happens.
OUR FUTURE CAPACITY:
FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER
“YOU HAVE FAILED ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE FAILED TO TRY. ACT AS IF IT WERE IMPOSSIBLE TO FAIL AND IT WILL BE.” - Camp Ooch motto
KIDS WITH CANCER DESERVE ONE REALLY BIG “YES” In 1984, we opened our doors to the first 38 Ooch campers.
In 2003,
In 2008,
In 2018,
In 2021,
we raised
we raised the roof on “Barny” the barn, an indoor activity space at Ooch Muskoka.
we will cut the ribbon on the final phase of Ooch Muskoka’s expanded and redeveloped spaces.
we expect to hit our full capacity and welcome 1,050 campers per year to Ooch Muskoka.
$6 million to purchase our overnight Camp Ooch Muskoka.
For almost 35 years, Ontario’s families, oncologists and nurses, donors and volunteers have trusted Camp Ooch to support healing by delivering lifechanging experiences to children with and affected by childhood cancer. Since Camp Ooch does not receive annual funding from the government or our hospital partners, all that we offer – at no cost to families – is made possible through the generosity of our epically awesome donors and amazing volunteers. Your gift will: • Ensure that the magic and transformative power of Ooch Muskoka will be available to 50% more kids • Continue to build communities of friendship and caring for kids and their families • Help kids find their courage, develop self-confidence and rediscover their childhood Investing in Camp Ooch supports our most fragile kids, giving them the chance to experience the fun, the hope and the Magic of Ooch. We invite you to give today! FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER
OOCH DOWNTOWN 464 Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2S6 416.961.6624
OOCH MUSKOKA 4256 Highway 141 PO Box 37, Rosseau, ON POC 1JO
Art and copy generously provided by McCann
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OochIsMyPlace.ca
FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER