A letter from a grateful parent:

Dear Denise and all staff of Camp Winston

Yesterday I Xpresspost the camp forms and payment for our son Corbin, age 7. As I dropped it in the mailbox I cannot tell you the emotions that came over me. To know that our bright but complicated little boy will go to a camp that is welcoming him with open arms is almost overwhelming.

When Denise called to let me know that there was a spot for Corbin this summer I was sure that when she heard that we now knew Corbin did not "just" have TS but a whole host of other neurological conditions she would rescind the offer. But Denise quickly reassured me that Camp Winston would be honoured to have Corbin at camp. My response was "You'll take all of him"?. What I meant was that every time I try to get a service, including camp, for my son people would say "well, if he ONLY had ADHD" or "if LD's were his ONLY issue" like it was possible for me to remove the "offending" parts of my son just so he could attend under the conditions they were willing to accept. To know that my son, all of him, will attend a camp with dedicated and dynamic staff who understands kids like him is a dream come true.

When I put Corbin's name on the waitlist it was in the midst of receiving his diagnosis of TS which, at the time, seemed devastating. I could only dream that one day my special boy would be able to go to camp and experience what other kids experience so easily. Never did I hope to imagine that this day would come so soon. Corbin is only 7 so it will be hard to let him go for so long but we know that there is no place we would rather have him than at Camp Winston.

Thank you for this opportunity for our son and for our whole family
Tina Szymczak & family

Tina Szymczak, B.A.