As camp expenses rise, Manitoba’s Sunshine Fund and longstanding programmes like Camps with Meaning are opening doors for children from diverse backgrounds, preserving the transformative summer camp experience amid economic challenges.
For Grace Penner, summer camp still carries the memory of early-morning plunges into Moose Lake, a bracing ritual that began the day before the heat settled in. Her own childhood was shaped by Camps with Meaning, which helped her family send three children to camp with the support of church subsidies. Now, as camp costs climb, the same kind of assistance is helping other families give their children a week of independence, friendship and faith-based fun.
The Manitoba Camping Association says its Sunshine Fund is designed to make accredited summer camps more accessible to children in the province by helping cover camper fees. The fund has become a lifeline for parents who would otherwise struggle to afford even a single week away, particularly as some camps now cost close to $1,000 per child for a standard stay.
Penner’s reporting highlights how broad that need is. The families she spoke with included single mothers, newcomers to Canada, parents leaving abusive homes and households juggling the added cost of diapers and formula. Yet they shared the same goal: to let their children experience camp. Through the Sunshine Fund, children such as Danica Taylor, Annaleia Monette and Nile Fehr were able to take part in activities ranging from water sports to pizza-heavy supper tables, while others got the chance to ride horses, tackle rope courses, bike trails and zip lines.
Camps with Meaning has been operating since 1949 under Mennonite Church Manitoba and now runs Camp Assiniboia and Camp Koinonia, offering week-long overnight camps, shorter junior sessions and youth weeks for children and teenagers. Its programmes combine Bible study, worship, meals and recreation, with a focus on community and spiritual growth. Camp Koinonia, on the shores of Lake Max in Turtle Mountain Provincial Park, adds canoeing, kayaking, climbing and archery to the mix. As camp leaders and donors work to keep those experiences within reach, the reward is simple: a child comes home with a little more confidence, a few new skills and, often, the promise of wanting to go back next year.
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