My Memories of Fircom

I first got introduced to Camp Fircom by a parent (single father) that had children attending a day care centre in the DTES, that my children were also attending. This was way back in the Summer of 1998. My son was 3yrs old and my daughter was 5yrs old. Family Camp it was! This was for a whole week of fun, nature, activities, a theme of the week, songs, great food, hiking, camp fires, canoe trips, sweat lodge, and so many more fun filled things. We attended Family Camp for 7 years in a row. I remember when Family Camp was over, and we were all packed up and ready to go sitting on the stairs of Jubilee Hall. I started to cry because I didn’t want to leave, the volunteer nurse at that time who was a big supporter of mine, said to me “you can always come back”. When I heard that, I stopped crying, and I resonated with was she said. I realized that I can come back, its ok, this is your place. I felt so much love there, being connected in nature, and no one saw the colour of my/families skin, we were accepted for who we were.

After a few years of going as a “camper” I got the opportunity to be a part of the planning/organizing team. I helped to organize families/friends into cabins, noted dietary requirements, and planned/organized the theme of the week for activities and programs. This was so much fun. I remember one summer the theme was pirates. All the little ones, parents, and the team dressed up as pirates with all different face paintings and costumes. It was so much fun, lots of singing songs, games, different station to explore, create, and have fun!!

One of my most favourite memories at Fircom was the overnight canoe trips for the parents!

We left our children back at the camp, and we packed up our canoes, along with the leaders. We had to do a ‘tip the canoe’ in order to be able to go on this trip. This means that we had to tip our canoe to the side and fall into the water with our life jackets on and then get back into our canoe. This was mandatory to go on this long canoe trip. We would sing the “Everywhere we go the mighty Fircom song,” while canoeing.

The food that we ate on our trip was peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, pasta that we made with vegetables, and this awesome sauce!! YUMM YUM!! We would sleep outside on the sand with our cozy sleeping bags looking up at the stars at night.

I made so many beautiful connections with the campers, leaders, staff. Campfire Rock was always a hit with so many other special spots that we would all connect at as a group, to celebrate ourselves, life, our communities, and mostly to get connected to who we are, and to find our balance within ourselves, whatever that is for each one of us.

I remember another few fun moments – when we took the big boat to Gambier we would go under the Lions Gate Bridge and we would all run on top of the boat, and drop pennies onto the water and make a wish, the kids loved this one! Also when we were leaving Fircom, as the boat was pulling away from the dock, the freaking most AWESOME leaders would jump off the dock into the water, as a way of saying “bye bye, see you next year, we love you all” – this was a most hilarious moment!

Now moving into the current time 2022/2023, I am now so grateful to attend the From the Heart, Retreat for Moms at Fircom where I am able to go to a place that I call home, where I can get more connected and refill myself/my soul with the best staff and other moms. I move my body with all of these great/activities, go for my hikes, canoe, sit by the fire, eat some super awesome food, and feel lots of love.

This is my little story. I can say a lot more but this is it for now. Thank you Fircom for this beautiful space of nature and love.

Lavern Kelly

#fircomlove