Valentine's Day is recognized as the day for love and Squamish resident Vanessa Doak wants to spread some of that love to local youth who love the great outdoors.
Camp literally gave Doak a new lease on life and she's hoping to pay it forward to the youth of Squamish.
Doak, associate director of Summer Camp Programs and registrar for Camp Summit in Squamish, has put together the For The Love of Camp gala dinner and silent auction event at The Living Room on Friday (Feb. 14) at 6 p.m.
The event is sold out and the group's eventual goal is to send 10 children to camp this summer with the money raised from the event.
Doak told The Chief she grew up in a low-income household and was lucky enough to have been sponsored to attend camps in her native Ontario. From there, she developed her own Toronto-based charity organization, Dreamscape, and eventually settled in Squamish where she's worked at Camp Summit for the past six years.
She said spending her summers in camp was a very memorable and valuable experience.
"Camp offered me activities and experiences that allowed me the opportunity to believe in myself, develop confidence in my abilities and most importantly to be treated fairly and as equally as the next girl in my cabin," she said. "Growing up in a low-income household and all that comes with that life, being treated equally means more than most can understand."
It's in that spirit that Doak wants to give those same types of opportunities to kids in Squamish. Camp Summit hosts both summer camps and has an Outdoor Education Centre that Doak said should provide all camp-goers with a memorable summer.
She added that the community reaction to the event has been outstanding and she hopes to make it an annual event.
For more details on the fundraiser, visit www.facebook.com/events/555105314574291.
