Raising cash for children with cancer and chronic disease to have fun at camp!
We Ride for Campfire Circle
We Ride for Campfire Circle
This will be my 5th ride for Campfire Circle. I first learned about the Camp when I regulalrly visited Muskoka while still living in the UK (my Canadian family have summered in Muskoka since the 1950s).
As a Brit, I knew about the long tradition of 'Camp' in North America, but I was curious about this place that I would cycle past just before the last big climb into Rosseau Village on my loop around Lake Rosseau.
Little did I know how magical and amazing it is, and how much good it does for families dealing with the devastating chronic conditions their children are living with.
Campfire Circle is first and foremost all about the experience of Camp and giving children the chance to have an amazing time and make enduring friendships during what might otherwise be pretty dark and lonely times.
It just happens to also have a fully functioning, hospital grade care facility on site and the most fantastic clinical staff so that the kids attending can enjoy camp and continue their treatment, while at the same time providing some much needed respite for their families, and all free for those able to attend.
There is nothing this place cannot do in making camp a normal but fulfilling reality for its campers. That is also testament to the staff and volunteers, perhaps the truly magical ingredient, that make this place so special.
Cyclists are a bit of an odd breed as most non-cyclists can attest. Most 'normal' people don't find fun in getting on a bike, cycling a couple hundred KMs, and then doing it again the next day. And the one after...and....
A few of the Toronto cycling community got together in 2018 and created what is now 'R4C' by riding to New York City over 5 days covering around 850kms with the odd hill and tropical monsoon (yes really) here and there.
This time after 5 rides to NYC, we've decided to make it a Canadian epic by cycling from Toronto to Quebec City, again in 5 days and over 850kms.
Along the way, we try to recreate a microcosm of the experience of camp to reinforce why we're doing this and who we're doing it for.
Hopefully we can inspire you to donate a few $'s as part of our fundraising efforts. Campfire Circle can only do what it does through donations so that every camper and their families can attend at no cost to themselves.
I would be honoured if you can donate whatever you can spare and help this truly unique organisation.
Healing through happiness at Campfire Circle
Help deliver healing through happiness to kids with cancer or serious illness and their families.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer or serious illness, it impacts the whole family. Kids miss out on simple childhood joys, household incomes are often cut in half as caregivers take on the full-time responsibility of caring for a sick child, and families struggle to make time for special experiences.
When you donate to Campfire Circle you are supporting in-hospital, community and overnight camp programs that create opportunities for children to build friendships and social skills, develop self-confidence and resiliency, and improve their overall well-being. Through play-based experiences, you are helping empower kids to take back their childhood, regardless of their medical diagnosis.
With your support, we can continue to offer our programs at no cost to families and grow our circle of care to provide additional play-based experiences across all four paediatric hospitals, and improve our medically supported and accessible overnight camps so that every eligible child can benefit from our innovative and impactful programs.
Thank you for helping to build a world where children thrive and families heal.
