NAUJAAT
It's going to be a magical start to the summer for six Naujaat youths as they head out to attend a Tim Hortins summer camp from June 24 to July 4.
Veronica Angutetuar and James Alaralak are counting down the days until they leave Naujaat to attend a Tim Hortons summer camp in Whiteshell, Man., from June 24 to July 4. - photo courtesy of Lloyd Francis |
Selected to attend the camp by Grade 9 teacher and Naujaat cadet leader Lloyd Francis are James Alaralak, Veronica Angutetuar, Roger Amaroalik, Danielle Tuktudjuk, Pius Putulik and Emmanuel Arnatsiaq Jr.
They'll be having a summertime blast at the brand-new Tim Hortons camp at Whiteshell, Man., about two-hours east of Winnipeg.
Francis said the opportunity came about for the Naujaat youths as the result of talking to a woman called Stephanie Peltier who he met at a Tim Hortons summer camp in his youth.
He said he was excited to learn she was actively looking for sponsors to bring in kids from Nunavut so they could also enjoy the camp.
"I was happy to learn Stephanie had actually started working for the Tim Hortons Children's Foundation and we started talking through Messenger and Facebook," said Francis.
"She was eventually able to give me three spots, so I picked the three youths here in Naujaat I felt were deserving of it, and who met the criteria.
"Then I was overjoyed to end up getting three more spots and being able to send six Naujaat youths.
"The kids are really pumped and can't wait to get to the camp."
The Tim Hortons Foundation has summer camps for kids all across Canada, with sites in Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec, Nova Scotia and Ontario. They even have one in Kentucky, U.S.A.
Francis said the summer camps were just as people imagined, too, with canoeing, kayaking, tubing, sports, games and campfire songs.
Having first attended when he was 12, the camps would go on to have a lasting impact on Francis' life.
"I went to camp for three years in Perry Sound and three years in St. George, Ont., and graduated from the Tim Hortons Leadership program," he said.
"Then, when I went to university for six years, each year, as long as I could show I needed the money, the Tim Hortons Children's Foundation gave me a $3,000 bursary, and that $18,000 really, really helped me out in school.
"In fact, if it weren't for that bursary and working for the cadets as an officer in my spare time, I don't know if I would have been able to get through university."
Francis said he'd love to see one of the Naujaat youths get picked for the leadership program.
He said, today, if you're selected for the program, you have the opportunity to do the whole five years.
"They'd get to go to different camps across the country during the five years of the program," he said, "and if they decide to go to university they would be able to apply for the same bursary I received.
"The camps are truly amazing and the kids are going to have a great time.
