It will take a few years, but dreams will soon be coming true for hundreds of children and their families in Bloomfield.
Yesterday, it was announced that the federal government would provide more than 27 million dollars for a new camp in bloomfield for children with cancer and other serious illnesses.
It would allow hundreds of children every year to have medically supported overnight care, enabling kids with serious medical challenges to have a special experience that otherwise would be logistically and emotionally impossible for them and their family.
Thanks to the MP Chris Malette and the federal government for providing funding, along with some very generous donors who have pledged more than 90 million dollars for the project.
I have some insight to what this can mean from my time with the Easter Seals Society, where we often spoke of Camp Merriwood and it’s importance to families of children with physical disabilities.
Summer camp is a magical time for children, but it’s often beyond the reach for kids with serious medical conditions or limitations, and heartbreaking for parents who can’t find a way to bridge that gap.
This new camp will provide much more than just another recreational facility. It will be a place where parents can take solace that their kids are in the best possible hands as they make the most of their summer, and where children facing problems that get the better of most adults can just be kids for a while.
That’s not just a camp, it’s a dream come true.
I’m Paul Martin and that’s what I see looking Beyond the Headlines.
