Campfire Circle Receives OTF Grant

Ontario Government’s OTF Grant Supports Expansion of Campfire Circle’s Programs for Kids with Serious Illness

On Sunday, July 14, 2024, MPP Graydon Smith and a member of the Ontario Trillium Foundation’s (OTF) Board of Directors, Andy Blenkarn, announced a grant to Campfire Circle for our play-based programs for kids with cancer or serious illness and their families through our in-hospital, community, and overnight camp programs.

The announcement was made at our annual Muskoka Open House with more than 200 donors, campers, families, and supporters in attendance. The event was a chance for MPP Smith and Mr. Blenkarn to learn how we delivered healing through happiness with a two-year, $200,000 Resilient Communities Fund grant that was awarded in the spring of 2023. The OTF grant has enabled us to further expand our programs to serve more kids with life-impacting illnesses, at no cost to families.

“I am so proud of the work Campfire Circle is doing to help enrich the lives of young people who are dealing with serious conditions,” said Graydon Smith, MPP for Parry Sound-Muskoka. “Parry Sound and Muskoka is a place for kids and families to enjoy summer, so it is important for places like Campfire Circle to exist so that all kids and families get that opportunity. I’m thankful that the government has recognized the importance of Campfire Circle and is helping it expand its services even further through the Ontario Trillium Foundation.”

Thanks to the grant, Campfire Circle can provide a medical camp session at its Muskoka site for children from the Toronto area with serious blood disorders this summer, in partnership with Camp Jumoke, and provide a medically supported weekend program for complex care campers this fall.

The grant is helping the group deliver these camp experiences for children and youth by helping with some staffing and administrative costs, program and camp supplies, as well as workshops and assistance from a consultant to do a feasibility study regarding needs and service gaps.

“We are thrilled to receive this grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, which is helping to fund new pilot programs so that we can expand our programming to serve more children with serious illness,” says Alex Robertson, CEO of Campfire Circle. “These communities are currently underserved but face the same long-term health consequences as children with oncology diagnoses. With this funding, we will be able to provide equitable access, reaching more kids and families in Toronto and across Ontario.”