Fourteen Incredible Summers, and Counting

When Kiran first volunteered at Campfire Circle (then Camp Trillium) in 2013, she was 19 years old and looking for a meaningful summer experience. What she found was a place that would stay with her for life.

Fourteen years later, Kiran is now a Family Law lawyer based in Ottawa. But every summer, camp continues to call her back. Over the years, she’s volunteered, worked as a counsellor, supported in-hospital programs, served as a volunteer coordinator, and experienced nearly every Campfire Circle program imaginable. And yet, no two summers have ever felt the same.

“Camp is truly my happy place,” Kiran says. “It’s where I feel like my most genuine, authentic self.”

Kiran fell in love with the world camp creates: “It’s a space that exudes positivity and optimism and you want to carry that forward in how you live your own life,” she says.

One of her earliest memories is seeing hundreds of campers playing soccer together, all wearing the same camp shirt.

“You couldn’t tell who had cancer and who didn’t,” she says. “At camp, you weren’t ‘the kid with cancer’ you were just a kid. That really stayed with me.”

Over the years, camp has also helped Kiran build skills she never expected, especially around communication and inclusion. She recalls one particularly impactful experience working with a camper who is blind.

“I learned so much,” Kiran says. “It really made me think about how I communicate: my language, my directions, my descriptions. It helped me grow.”

Some of her most meaningful memories come from witnessing campers challenge themselves and doing the same alongside them. She remembers a camper who was terrified of the giant swing and agreed to try it only if Kiran went with him.

“I didn’t want to go either,” she laughs. “But we did it together. Afterwards, I was proud of him, but also proud of myself.”

That experience sparked something bigger. Inspired by pushing past her own fear at camp, Kiran decided to finally learn how to ice skate once she got home.

“I thought, if I can do that, what else can I do?” she says. “So, I signed up for skating lessons. Camp gave me that push.”

For Kiran, Campfire Circle is more than a place – it’s a community, a teacher, and a constant source of joy.

“These kids make it easy,” she says. “It’s a privilege to be here. And that’s why I keep coming back.”