Campers at Easter Seals Camp Horizon are in for a special treat this year now that the new dormitory has officially opened at the Bragg Creek camp.
After years of planning, fundraising, and construction, the camp will take advantage of the new space by offering an easier camping experience for the kids who attend each year.
“Easter Seals Camp Horizon was originally built in 1965, specifically for campers with disabilities and medical conditions,” said Patti Brewin, Campaign Director with Easter Seals Alberta. “That was a long, long time ago, and the needs of our campers have really changed over the course of those 50 years.”
While Brewin admitted the old log dorms had a beautiful, quaint feel, they were a logistical nightmare when it came to moving around wheelchair-bound campers in an efficient way. The narrow hallways made navigation a challenge and the lack of sufficient plug-in space meant campers needed to have their wheelchairs plugged in outside overnight, rather than right next to their beds.
“We made it work for years, but it was really time for an upgrade,” Brewin said. “We wanted something easy and comfortable for our campers, so we spent a lot of years planning things out and fundraising to make sure we could get all of the things we needed.”
The camp’s first new dorm was opened in 2014, and construction was started on the second new dorm in December 2015. Brewin said this will be the first summer campers get to stay in the new dorm.
“We are so thrilled to have this kind of a space where our kids can be comfortable and that can be easier on our staff,” she said. “It used to be kind of a Tetris game, shuffling kids around and getting everyone up and out the door for breakfast, it was quite something. Now, it’s a half hour and everyone is out and ready for the day.”
The new dorm also features specially designed bunks that not only move around on casters wherever they may be needed, but also have four to six electrical outlets built into the bed. This way, Brewin said, campers can have everything they need easily accessible throughout the night.
“Wheelchairs can now be plugged in right next to their beds or a breathing apparatus, and they can plug in their cell phones too,” she said. “For many of these kids, it’s not just a phone – it’s a key device for managing their conditions with pill reminders, alarms, that sort of thing. It’s an important piece of equipment.”
Brewin said the new dorm is a little more than 3,000 square feet – a huge step up from the old dorm, which was approximately 750 square feet. While the new facility can accommodate a few extra campers, the majority of the extra square footage will be used to make moving through the building easier for the campers.
“We run fifteen weeks of camp in the space of about ten weeks, so it’s a very busy time, but it’s great,” Brewin said. “This is the only camp of its kind in southern Alberta, and because each week is structured around a specific diagnosis, it gives these kids an opportunity to enjoy a sort of ‘normal’ childhood experience – with peers who are just like themselves.
“We love and totally support integration into the community, but I think all of us can identify with how special it feels to be in a group of people where everyone gets you. And that’s rare, for these kids. A lot of them tell us that this is the only time they are really with their friends, every year.”
Currently, all the camps are fully booked, but there is a waiting list available. For more information, visit easterseals.ab.ca and select the “Easter Seals Camp Horizon” tab.
