SMITHS FALLS, ONTARIO (June 10, 2013) – Thanks to the Canadian Camping Association and the Charitree Foundation, campers at Maple Key Day Camp will have their chance to leave a mark on the world by planting a tree and making a wish for the planet.
On Wednesday, July 3rd, campers at both Perth & Smiths Falls locations of Maple Key Day Camp will each plant their own “Wish Tree”, provided through a partnership by the Canadian Camping Association and the Charitree Foundation.
The program sources seedlings native to each province and coordinates delivery in the first days of camp each year, with the hopes that children will experience a deeper connection with nature.
In the pilot project in 2009, twelve camps in the Parry Sound/Muskoka district of Ontario planted 2,300 trees. Since then both the number of camps participating and the number of trees planted has increased exponentially. In 2012, campers planted more than 23,000 trees across Canada. Thousands more are expected to be planted in 2013.
Charitree is pleased to partner with The Canadian Camping Association for the fifth year. “I deeply value the efforts of camp staff to get kids outside, especially now when kids seem to have fewer and fewer opportunities to connect with nature,” said Koehle Jones, Executive Director of The Charitree Foundation. “This is a real loss because research shows that contact with nature makes kids feel better about themselves.”
“Camps really get this and I think the world would be a better place if more children had the opportunity to attend camp – and of course plant a tree.”