Campfire Circle Timeline

Campfire Circle Timeline

1983 Camp Ooch (Ooch) is founded by a group of committed Toronto volunteers associated with Ronald McDonald House including: Mary Pat Armstrong, Doug Biggar, Jeanne Gallagher, Peter Miller, and Judy Tripp.

1984 Camp Trillim (Trillium) is founded by John Maher, a Masters Student studying Medical Ethics at Western University, and Dr. Barry DeVeber–Paediatric Oncologist from War Memorial Children’s Hospital (now referred to as Children’s Hospital—London Health Sciences Centre) in London, Ontario, with a $5,000 gift from the Oddfellows and Rebekahs. Originally called Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre, Trillium holds its first one-week summer session at Circle R Ranch, London, for 28 Campers and 18 staff. This continues until 1988. Ooch holds its first one-week session at Geneva Park, Orillia, for 38 Campers ages 6–16.

1985 Ooch extends its one-week of summer camp to two weeks. Trillium grows to include Campers from the Hamilton and Ottawa clinics, as day camps are run in these locations.

1986 The first Trillium Youth Group begins in Ottawa; the first Trillium Telegraph is published, and Trillium grows to include a day camp in Kingston.

1987 To accommodate more Campers, Ooch moves to Rosseau Lake College. Trillium receives charitable status and a Board of Directors is established, with Dr. DeVeber as the first chairperson.

1988 Construction of Dr. Fred’s Med Shed begins at Rosseau Lake College. Three new programs begin at Trillium: counsellor-in-training, leadership camp, and winter camp.

1989 The Ontario Division of the Canadian Cancer Society initiates their annual grant to Trillium. Trillium begins leasing its own camp location on Garratt’s Island (later named OuR Island), Wellington County. It welcomes 200 Campers that summer by coordinating twelve-day sessions focused on bringing Campers and staff from the same provincial region to camp. CAMPFIRE CIRCLE incorporates federally.

1991 The Dining Hall is built at Garratt’s Island.

1992 The Activity Hall/Chapel is built on Garratt’s Island and Trillium hosts the National Children’s Conference. Trillium in the Community (TIC) starts as a research program through Queen’s University, where a sibling of a patient with cancer was matched to a volunteer as a big buddy. These volunteers then start the volunteer program at Kingston General Hospital.

1993 Ooch brings volunteer programming to SickKids with the introduction of Ooch-Too-Nite while at Trillium, the northern Ontario programs, the teen Onekanoes program, and teen weekends at camp begin.

1995 The lease for Rainbow Lake is signed with the Long Point Regional Conservation Authority, and the second camp location for Trillium is acquired.

1996 Trillium Day Camp is expanded to ten cities in Ontario.

1997 At Rainbow Lake, the first phase of camp building construction begins. Ooch holds its first An Evening of Summer Dreams fundraising gala.

1998 Dedicated service club volunteers and fundraisers make it possible for the construction of all Rainbow Lake buildings to be completed, including the Main building, dining and activities halls, 8 cabins, the Body Shop, nurses accommodations, office building, storage sheds, and the arts & crafts building.

1998 Ooch adds a third week to the summer overnight camp program.

2000 The lease for Trillium’s Garratt’s Island is renewed for 25 years.

2001 The foundation is set for a Resource Centre at Garratt’s Island and Cabin 8 is built at Rainbow Lake. The first Sporting Life 10K race takes place in Toronto and all proceeds support summer overnight camp programming for kids with cancer, raising $2 million for Camp Ooch, with 27,000 participants. A capital campaign called “Project Campfire” is launched by Camp Ooch to purchase Camp Hollyburn and complete a number of immediate accessibility improvements to meet Camper needs. Total funds raised by 2003 is $6.5 million.

2004 Ooch celebrates its first summer at the new site, Ooch Muskoka; 7Scape, a one-week session for teens, is introduced.

2005 Trillium purchases its first office in Hamilton on Queensdale Avenue. Camp Teomul, a session for bereaved siblings has its first summer session at Ooch Muskoka, and Weekends at Camp (WACs) are introduced that fall and winter. The high ropes adventure course is constructed at Ooch Mukoka.

2006 Ooch launches Upstream, a 10-day canoe trip and adventure program for teens. Trillium introduces new Adolescent and Young Adult programs. The Path of the Phoenix Boardwalk at Rainbow Lake opens. Swan-Wilson Lane Boardwalk at Garratt’s Island opens. Maureen Kempston Darkes – GM Resource Centre opens at Garratt’s Island. AYA—IODE Cabin opens at Rainbow Lake.

2007 Ooch moves into the city with the introduction of Urban Ooch and Day Camp programs.

2008 In June, Garratt’s Island is purchased by CAMPFIRE CIRCLE with the generous support of Oddfellows and Rebekahs, who fundraised to pay for the entire purchase. Garatt’s Island is renamed OuR Island. A new lease for Rainbow Lake is signed for 32 years. In this same year, Ooch raises the roof on Barny, the barn, a multi-purpose indoor activity space at Ooch Muskoka.

2009 Ooch introduces year-round leadership programs for teens with the hiring of a young adult leadership specialist. These programs include the Duke of Edinburgh program and an LIT-specific WAC in the winter. The new fishing dock and extended swim dock are installed at Ooch Muskoka, and modifications to the canoe centre improve its functionality and accessibility. The Masons construct a Nature Centre at Rainbow Lake. The AYA Cabin is built at OuR Island, and cabins at OUR Island receive major renovations.

2010 The in-hospital program at SickKids is expanded to seven days a week with five full-time Ooch program specialists. At Ooch Muskoka, the boardwalk is extended to enhance mobility, the new doctor’s cabin is built, and the kayak centre and archery area are renovated to improve safety, challenge, accessibility and functionality. Ooch LITs take their first fall canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park. Rainbow Lake’s kitchen addition is built.

2011 Ooch Downtown, 18,000-square-foot facility, opens and is the first in-city recreation centre for kids with cancer in North America. Seven automatic door openers are installed in buildings at Ooch Muskoka to allow for universal accessibility, and a backup water supply is installed.

2012 Ooch offers more days of programming than days of the year, reaching over 800 Campers thanks to year-round programming in Muskoka, at Ooch Downtown, SickKids, and two other regional cancer centres. Ooch Muskoka’s summer participation rises to just under 400 Campers. An overnight leadership hike on the Bruce Peninsula is introduced that year.

2013 Ooch is now a year-round social support system for children with cancer, their siblings, and families. Ooch aims to provide confidence, friendship, hope, joy, laughter and memories—and most importantly an opportunity for kids to be just kids. The vision is now to reach every child in Ontario affected by childhood cancer. Participation reaches 450 Campers at Ooch Muskoka in the summer and 300 families in our community programs.

2014 Ooch’s mission changes to include “unique opportunities.” Ooch introduces the in-hospital parent-tot program and two family program days at Ooch Downtown. According to data in a 2014 McKinsey Report, only 21% of children diagnosed with cancer currently access overnight camp in Ontario (based on 2013 stats).

2015 Ooch’s In-hospital program starts at McMaster’s Children’s Hospital in Hamilton.

Between 2015–18, the “Say No to Can’t Go” Expansion Capital Campaign raises $37.2 million for Ooch Muskoka to fund a number of rebuilds—including Gatts’ Lodge, the Med Shed, two Camper cabin buildings, and volunteer flex housing——and renovated other buildings, including Slaight Arts & Music Centre, and other Camper cabins.

2016 In-hospital program at LHSC Children’s Hospital starts, 295 families participate in family programs with Ooch, while the Expansion Capital campaign for Ooch Muskoka continues. Between 2012 and 2016, Ooch program referrals increased by 260%—in large part due to SickKids in-hospital team growing from four to seven full-time staff, nearly doubling the number of touchpoints with families in the hospital.

2017 Trillium renews its lease with the Long Point Regional Conservation Authority for the Rainbow Lake site for another 25 years. Ribbon-cutting and grand openings occur at Ooch Muskoka for Gatts’ Lodge and Camper cabins–new buildings are larger and more accessible. Capital Campaign closes having raised $37.2M.

2018 The new Med Shed, Slaight Art & Music (SLAM) building, Tamarack (staff housing, lounge, and tuck shop), and Pine House (staff housing) open at Ooch Muskoka. March Break Day Camp in Ottawa launches. In-hospital program at LHSC Children’s Hospital expands with hiring a second staff and we start programming there five days a week. We offer our first Weekend at Camp (WAC) for adult survivors of childhood cancer.

2019 March Break Day Camp in London and Summer Day Camp in Ottawa launch. Ooch is given a dedicated office space on the second Floor of LHSC Children’s Hospital, and a dedicated program space on the 6th floor, the Ooch Room (Ooch on the 6th). Ooch Muskoka’s summer Session 2 tests new capacity with 148 Campers. 938 Overnight Camper participations take place at Ooch Muskoka.

Ooch launches the Path to Play campaign to redevelop outdoor activity areas and pathways for Camper accessibility so that everyone, no matter their ability, can move independently throughout camp. In September, the merging of CAMPFIRE CIRCLE and CAMPFIRE CIRCLE is announced.

2020 The newly merged organization begins January 1, with the full staff integration. In March, all in-person programming transitions to virtual in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first virtual program is March Break Day Camp, which is redeveloped into a two-week virtual camp, responding to school shutdowns across the province. CAMPFIRE CIRCLE program integration and single registration processes begin in 2020, a year earlier than scheduled due to the pandemic. The Sporting Life 10k transitions to a fully virtual event, and raises over $1.2 million.

2022 Camp Ooch & Camp Trillium rebrand to become CAMPFIRE CIRCLE.