Lori Weston Rotary President, Dave Rowe guest speaker of Steve Bither

Dave spoke to us today about the Tim Horton’s Camp Day program, with great passion. It is clear that this is a great program, as Dave says its not one of those programs that just say they do ….. they really do it!! There are six camps through out Canada and the United States, with camping year around.

The Tim Horton Children’s Foundation was established in 1974 by Ron Joyce, Co-Founder of the Tim Horton’s chain, to honour Tim Horton’s love for children and his desire to help those less fortunate. The Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization committed to providing a fun-filled camp environment for children from economically disadvantaged homes.

Making a Difference in Your Community

Research shows that children growing up in an economically disadvantaged home are at an increased risk of a wide range of negative outcomes that can impact a person’s physical, emotional, and mental health. For these children, access to the types of opportunities that develop lifelong skills that help them grow into positive, contributing members of their communities are often lacking. A Foundation camp experience exposes economically disadvantaged children to new growth opportunities and challenges with the goal being each participant leaving camp a more caring, responsible and motivated person.

While at camp we ask our campers to tell us how camp has made them feel. Below are some of their responses which show how, together we are making a true difference in the lives of children in all of our communities.

” Because of camp…I am not afraid to be myself.”

– THCF Camper Mattie

“Because of camp…I am more respectful, talkative, and a better leader. I’m also more confident in myself and others. I am so glad I got the experience to go to camp.”

– THCF Camper Carolyn

“Because of camp…I’ve learned to accept people’s differences.”

– THCF Camper Nastassja

“Because of camp…I feel strong, powerful, and less scared.”

– THCF Camper Zylana

“Because of camp…I faced my fears.”

– THCF Camper Sierra

So now that we have read what it can do to make a difference, what can we do? Well the easiest thing is to go buy a cup of Coffee on Wednesday June 4th. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to send children to a camp. You may think what can one cup of coffee do (or you could get more than one -hint, hint)?

This is what One Cup of Coffee Can Do:

Thanks to the generous support of Tim Horton’s Restaurant Owners and their loyal guests, Camp Day 2013 was a huge success, raising an incredible $11.8 million for the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation. The funds raised on Camp Day will positively impact over 16,000 economically disadvantaged who attend camp with the Foundation in 2013.

All children who attend one of the Foundation’s six camps are selected from within the communities where Tim Horton’s Restaurants are located. Tim Horton’s Restaurant Owners work closely with local youth organizations and schools to select children, between the ages of nine and 12, to attend a 10-day summer camp session or seven day winter camp session. And this is where our local Dave Rowe comes into play, well besides loving Tim Herten’s coffee, he is the local coordinator that selects the two children from the Houlton area to be able to attend one these great camps. Dave says that if you are looking for him and he is not at his office he will be at his other office aka Tim Horton’s.