Spring 2008 - Glen Bernard Camp

87th Season
Glen Bernard Camp
•The
Gold & Blue •
SPRING • 2008
ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Life is full of opportunities for adventure.
One of the many joys of being a camp
director comes in knowing the stories of
terrific people who come and go at GBC.
Only a few weeks ago, I ran into Jenna
Hoyt in a coffee house on College Street
in Toronto. Jenna was a camper at GBC
between 1990 and '96. She is the middle
of 3 sisters, Meghan is the eldest and at
GBC 1989 to '95, followed by Jenna and
then the third Hoyt, Taryn a GBCer 1993
to '96. As Jenna and I spoke of her activities
since we had last seen each other, I was
fascinated and humbled by her achievements.
I asked her to share her light for this Gold
& Blue edition and know you will
interested and may also wish to contribute
to her foundation.
Also in this edition, another feat of a
different nature, Dr. Jean Marmoreo
achieves another personal victory at the
112th Boston Marathon. Of the 30 summers
that I have been the director of GBC, Jean
has been one of our camp doctors for one
week of 24 of those years, making 2008
her 25th summer. Jean has a busy medical
practice, leads JeansMarines with her husband
Bob, and she and Bob are involved with
many volunteer pursuits which make the
world a better place. Her story in this issue
is about another successful run just
completed.
It's great to begin another GBC season,
please join us for the Alumni Canoe Trip
or one of the Fall events.
Cheers All!
Joc
The Little Voice Foundation:
Jenna Hoyt tells her own magical story.
Looking back now it was naïve to think
that my life would not be profoundly
changed by my first adventure outside of
the comfortable Western bubble. I was
coming to the end of my undergraduate
degree at the University of Ottawa and I
realized that I was planning my life based
on too many assumptions. I somehow felt
certain that I wanted to work in health
care and specifically with HIV affected
individuals but so far in my life I had no
smiling faces and warm hearts of those I
met along the way. I didn’t feel sorry for
Africa, I was endeared to it.
If my travels and experiences in Africa
had taught me one thing it was not to be
overwhelmed by the struggles and obstacles
facing the vulnerable populations on that
experience with either outside academic
walls. And so with relatively little planning
I booked a ticket to Ethiopia in search of
an HIV hospice and perhaps a healthy dose
of self-reflection. I found the HIV hospice
and volunteered there for three months but
I also discovered a world in which love,
death, joy and misery were inextricably
linked. I spent the following year completing
my undergraduate degree no longer
motivated by taking the next step on the
career ladder but rather by an intense
desire to explore, learn and experience.
After graduating I spent over a year and
a half wandering. Mostly across Africa,
stopping where I felt inspired and getting
involved in as many grass root projects that
I happened upon. I returned home feeling
less helpless and more confident in the
direction I wanted to take but most
importantly I had been inspired by the
continent but instead to focus on the
courage, strength and joy that radiates
from them. It was with that in mind that
my good Ethiopian friends Ashenafi and
Mamoosh and I decided to concentrate our
efforts on assisting children in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia to access what was rightfully
theirs; education, shelter and health care.
We began this quest by opening Little Voice
Primary School in a very impoverished
area in order to provide children with
education at no cost. We also provide our
students with school materials and lunch
hoping to ease the burden for their families
who are strapped for resources. Although
education seemed to be the best place to
begin we were immediately faced with
another huge obstacle: how do you educate
children who are hungry, cold and tired
from a night on the streets? And so Little
Voice Home for Children was born.
The goal of Little Voice Home for
Children is to provide children with a caring,
nurturing and supportive environment
that encourages each child to develop and
reach their full potential. We are striving to
create a home that allows each child to
discover their interests; either academic,
artistic or skill orientated, and help them
to learn life skills that will lead to success
in the future. Our children are growing
with the help of a caring dedicated staff
that is focused on assisting the children to
develop a variety of skills, both at home and
in society. Each member of the household has
access to health care, counseling, education,
arts and sports activities and the chance to
apprentice with a skilled laborer in the
community. But those are simply the
basics; most importantly the house
operates as a family and fosters both an
independent spirit and a sense of belonging.
With one huge step I had landed in the
world of International Development,
fundraising and operating a non-profit
Dr. Jean Marmoreo is one of GBC’s camp
physicians and 2008 marks Jean’s 25th summer.
A busy family physician, Jean is a world traveler
and the founder of JeansMarines, a non-profit
organization whose mission is to lead women
Here is Jean’s personal story of her
first Boston Marathon:
They say Boston is a journey that may
begin with the first race or the 50th, but
its hallmarks are dedication and arduous
training. My journey may have begun
with my first marathon in New York in
1994. Or it may have begun earlier.
Turning 65 last year may have had its part
in wanting to set a worthy goal for myself.
But mostly it has been the women in
JeansMarines. And like all worthy goals,
anything less than your best isn't an
option. Having been on cruise control for
the last few marathons, I knew this one
required some serious training and serious
effort. And having finally spoken my
intent out loud, people knew, people
foundation. Little Voice Foundation
received its charitable status in the fall of
2006 and the fundraising hasn’t stopped
since. With a dedicated team of volunteers,
consisting mainly of family and friends but
acquiring new devotees constantly we are
a growing local organization that is hoping
to make a difference through our work in
Ethiopia and our awareness raising here in
Canada. I feel as though I am constantly
learning and growing with these projects
and seeing the children happy and healthy
is a constant inspiration. I am completing
my nursing degree this June from the
University of Toronto and then I am off to
spend a few years in Ethiopia assisting with
the growth of Little Voice.
It is a powerful force to recognize the
impact we can have on the life of another,
a very humbling experience in my opinion.
And, in the end I realized that even if we
aren’t able to touch millions of people we
can at least be a little voice for some.
For more information on Little Voice
Foundation, our projects and how you can
help please visit us at www.littlevoice.ca or
contact Jenna Hoyt at [email protected].
toward a mighty goal – to run or walk a marathon.
On Monday, April 14th, 2008, Jean ran her
first Boston Marathon. She did the 26.2 miles in
an amazing 3 hours, 55 minutes, and 7 seconds,
which placed her second among women 65 to 69.
would be watching - they could not be
disappointed. It didn't help that this was
one mother of a winter and that two runs
at least had to be done in Yak Traks, in
deep snow. I truly believed I would take
my winter running jacket to this race
(I did take the gloves). But the journey
having begun so long ago had only one
destination - Boston.
It turns out that 25,000 people descending
on Boston jam the airlines, so we couldn't
get the usual cheap flights. "How about
driving?" said my husband Bob. "Okay by
me” I said. So, on Saturday April 12th after
a morning training session, we were off.
After arriving in Boston, we walked the
coolly brisk streets to dinner at Boston
Legal, a Fish House Bob remembered well
from his student days at Harvard. It was
there we overheard that close to 50% of
runners in the Boston Marathon don't
actually qualify, a stunning bit of info to
this suddenly 'qualifier snob.'
On Sunday morning as we headed to
the Expo to buy the obligatory jacket and
check out all the gear, we ran into the
Women's Olympic Trials which were
finishing on Boyleston Street where the
Marathon would end the next day. Deena
Kastor was a name we expected to hear but
when they announced Joan Benoit
Samuelson, I thought surely she can't be
running and we tried to figure out her age.
Yes, she was running, she's 50 and she ran
this race not to qualify for the U.S.
Olympic Team in the Beijing Games, but
for the sheer joy of running to support
women racers. Her time? A blistering 2:49.
I remained amazingly calm throughout
the day, and slept well that night. As we
walked to the bus early Monday morning
that would take me the 26 miles out to
Hopkinton, Massachusetts, I was reminded
that this is where the Boston Marathon
began 112 years ago and where it would
begin today.
The bus mustering for the two wave
start began at 5:30 a.m. Since I was in
the second wave, there was time before we
left our hotel for hot porridge and coffee
and the first hint of nerves.
School buses from everywhere in the greater Boston
area lined up to transport
25,000 runners in groups of
50. Many, many buses.
Talking is obligatory and I
was grateful to sit beside
another first timer, a 34year-old young mother
from Wisconsin who had
met her qualifying time last
summer and agreed that
winter training had its own
challenges.
When we finally debused, we had less than an hour to our
10:30 a.m. start. We were chilled as we
took our obligatory place in line at the
porta-loos and debated whether we would
start in our fleeces and gloves. No time for
nerves here. The sun broke through and in
a matter of just a few minutes we were
offing clothing. I took my place in the
18th corral and again within minutes
heard "They're off!" It took two minutes
to cross the start line.
The first thing you see that's impressive
in this race is the sea of runners ahead of
you - the whole way, filling the road side
to side. Yet everyone has a pace that doesn't
really permit spending any energy trying
to get ahead of anyone. I never passed
anyone, though I was passed often. Even
with that the same people kept turning up.
I ran ahead of the much cheered team
from Dana Farber Cancer Center almost
the whole distance.
Boston is a strategic race. Too much
energy and speed in the first half running
mostly downhill will leave depleted
runners facing the infamous four hills of
Newton, the last being Heart Break hill at
19 miles. At mile 15, I could feel the first
tightening in my calves, stretching out my
stride as I could. I began to wish for the
hills of Newton. It would be a treat to run
uphill. Believe me, that feeling passed
after the first hill! They're not steep or
terrifically long by themselves, 3 miles
altogether, a 250 foot rise. Should be a
cake-walk no? No, it isn't that, but no one
I saw stopped, everyone kept a steady pace
and there was that blessed comment from
a bystander "You've got it. You're at the
top. This is Heartbreak." Kerry Peacock,
a friend from home and a Year One
JeansMarine passed me on the second
hill, saying hi and "We're going to do these
hills." I was so pleased to
see her and follow her for a
little while.
Then over the final
hill and on into Boston.
Closer to the finish line I
can read the time clock
and it's at 3:57...?
No way I say. I won't
let it get to 3:58 and I
sprint, making it just
under the clock. Arms
up- triumph! Then arms
down in prayer: someone
needed to be thanked for
this, someone up there,
out there in there. Someone who gave so
much pleasure and pride in becoming a
part of this most amazing running of the
112th Boston Marathon.
So to anyone who wonders if it's worth
"qualifying for Boston," believe me, it is.
And to all of you - thank you for letting
me make you proud!
For more information about JeansMarines
visit www.jeansmarines.com
ALUMNI CANOE TRIP
August 2-7, 2008
Re-discover the wonders of the wilderness,
the beauty of the stars at night, the sound
of your paddle dipping through the water
on the GBC Alumni Canoe Trip! From
August 2-7, 2008, join other GBC alumni
in the opportunity to reminisce around the
campfire about your camper days at GBC.
This year’s trip will travel east bound on
the French River leaving and returning to
Loon’s Landing. Don’t miss out on the
opportunity to trip once again!
FAMILY WEEKEND
September 5-7, 2008
September is one of the best times to
enjoy a weekend at GBC! Alumni, current and prospective campers, and their
families are all welcome for the GBC
Family Weekend, September 5-7, 2008.
Take the opportunity to participate in
your favourite camp activity, or introduce
prospective campers to the magic of a
camp experience. Enjoy singing around a
campfire in the Glen, the gorgeous view
of Lake Bernard at Vista, and a weekend of
action packed family fun!
WOMEN’S WEEKEND
September 12-14, 2008
Weekend Guest Instructors:
Enjoy an active and relaxed weekend on the
shores of Lake Bernard at the 2nd Annual
GBC Women’s Weekend, Sept. 12-14, 2008.
Challenge yourself in the high or low ropes
course, canoe, enjoy the fall colours on
woodland trails, kayak, play a round of tennis,
improve your golf swing, nurture your
inner artist through crafts, sketching,
painting, photography and more!
Juliet Swiggum has been practicing various
forms of yoga since 1998 and began teaching
Kripalu Yoga in 2005. Her focus is on yoga
as a source of both physical and spiritual
satisfaction. Her gently challenging warm-ups
and posture sequences encourage people to
feel at home in their bodies as they deepen
their flexibility, strength and capacity for
true relaxation.
and the Clinical Program Specialist for the
Midlife and Older Women’s Program. She
is also a visual artist who enjoys using a
variety of techniques.
Mary will be using pastels, watercolours
and acrylics as the media to discover new
ways to see your world. The key word is to
come and JUST ENJOY the experience.
Barb Gormley is the owner of Torontobased CustomFit Personal Training. She
leads the 350 member First Canadian Place
Walking Club, is the head walking coach
for JeansMarines and is the Ontario Master
Trainer for Nordic Walking company
Urban Poling. Nordic Walking is a fun sport
that uses walking poles to help
propel you forward. It burns more
calories than walking, and is ideal
for all ages and fitness levels.
Instructional
sessions
with
Juliet
Swiggum, Barb Gormley and Mary
Addison are included in the weekend fee.
Scheduled on-site massages with an RMT
are available on Saturday (extra charge
payable on-site).
Mary Addison, RN, MSW, CSW
has worked at Women’s College
Hospital for the past 23 years in a
variety of roles. She was the CoProgram Director of Women’s Health,
Director of Social Work and the Sexual
Assault/Domestic Violence Centre
2008
Calendar
of Events
Glen Bernard Camp
206 Lord Seaton Rd.
Toronto, Ontario
M2P 1K9
Period 1
• Jun. 26 - Jul. 16
Period 2
• Jul. 18 - Aug. 7
Alumni Canoe Trip • Aug. 2-7
Period 3
• Aug. 9 - 23
Fall Family Weekend • Sept. 5-7
Women’s Weekend
• Sept. 12 -14
phone : 416•225•4166
fax : 416•225•6036
email : [email protected]
website: gbcamp.com
Glen Bernard Camp
2066 South Lake Bernard Rd.
Sundridge, ON
P0A 1Z0
Two-Week Sessions:
(for first time campers ages 8-10)
Period A
Period D
• Jun 26-Jul 9
• Jul 25-Aug 7
One-Week Sessions:
(for ages 6 & 7)
Period B
Period C
• Jul. 10-16
• Jul. 18-24
phone : 705•384•7062
fax : 705•384•0155
email : [email protected]