Abby and Flemingdon Park campers from last year's Sonshine Day Camp.
By: Abby Corcoran, Summer Intern at Flemingdon Park
During the past couple weeks of preparing for Sonshine Day Camp, I’ve had many “aha” moments. These “lightbulb moments” involve various ideas for new songs, prayers, and games to try this year, that currently make up a long list of activities which I’m very excited to check off this summer.
Some time ago, I opened up my binder from last year (which I still had because it contains too many good memories and valuable resources) and 20 sheep fell out (paper of course). These sheep were part of a set of 100 other sheep, which a fellow intern made last year to tell the kids the story of the lost sheep. I never asked her how long it took to make them, but seeing the sheep made me smile as I remembered all the good fun we had. As I continued to look through the binder I was amazed at everything we had jam packed into those seven weeks. I don’t even think I could truly describe the fun we interns and campers had last summer and the special relationships we formed, but I can say that those seven weeks contain some of my happiest memories.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the amazing summer we had last year was an accumulation of many factors, four of which stand out the most: God’s perfect plan (this was His idea after all), our past experiences (working at camps, wiping snotty noses), the beauty of teamwork/ support systems (fellow interns, church family), and the training sessions (lesson planning, poverty). And of course, Pinterest was a huge help too. And the good news is that all of these have been put into place again this year, but with a new team that will make this summer fresh, unique and wildly fun.
Everyone has a different calling and all I can say is that it feels really good to know that you’re in the right place, using your God given gifts and truly enjoying yourself all at the same time. Waking up early to commute across the city by public transit is a small price to pay to be a part of the awesome camp experience that’s about to start at Flemingdon Park.
Abby is a second time summer intern at Flemingdon Park. She recently graduated from University of Toronto, and is looking forward to starting teachers college this September. She loves building relationships with the children in the community, and hopes to continue this work in the future.