Over 200,000 youth have been through Tim Hortons camps in the last four decades and Canada’s favourite coffee chain is busy sending the next generation towards building lifelong friendships, gaining leadership skills and just having good old fun.
Currently, Tim Hortons hosts seven camps across the country.
“We’re the westernmost camp out here in Kananaskis, and the foundation serves children from low-income households and the experience is 100 per cent sponsored for them – there is zero cost to the family, the community – we absorb all of that cost,” Tim Hortons Camp Ranch general manager Jeff Storck said.
Altogether, the foundation services over 18,000 children a year from economically disadvantaged households.
“Here at the ranch specifically, we’re going to be servicing over 2,200 children from Western Canada. That’s Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Cold Lake,” said Storck.
“It’s a bit of a different market we’re serving, we’re not like the YMCA where they serve the local area. We do for sure, but we serve all of Western Canada, so the majority of our children fly in and that’s part of the experience.”
Storck says foundation programs are designed to help children become more caring, motivated and responsible. “They come out for a 10-day experience when they are 9 to 12 and when they come to the ranch they do a lot of awesome activities,” Storck added.
The ranch has 66 horses on-site for a riding component for youth, whitewater rafting takes place on the Kananaskis River and climbing takes place in the valley, with the ranch equipped with indoor climbing for rainy days.
“We have two overnight sites where the kids have the opportunity to ride the horses up there and camp out for the night,” program manager Maya Blomme said. “It gives the kids that real traditional western feel and it’s really exciting for them.”
“The children that come here in the summertime are 9 to 12 years of age. When they’re 13 they get an application and they can apply to come back to a foundation camp – there’s some volunteer work they have to do and an application they have to fill out,” Storck said on the path campers can choose when taking part in a Tim Hortons camp experience. “If they get into our program, then they’re into what we call our leadership program and that goes from age 13 to age 18.
“It helps to take these children on wilderness activities to help build teamwork skills that they would need to be successful in life. The aim of our programs is to help them become more successful in life; it’s not about getting rid of your kids for 10 days and it’s not about getting away from your parents – it’s about coming here and discovering your best.
“And how we do that is through our activities that help build character.”
Visit, www.timhortons.com/ca/en/difference/camp_day.html to learn more about Tim Horton’s Camp Day.
