Camp counsellor, Brian Street, shares his Camp Squamish story
This summer we were lucky enough to meet up with a camp counsellor, Brian Street, who was with us 35 years ago at Camp Squamish. Brian is a member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver, who sponsored Camp@Home this year, and he shared a special memory of a moment that touched him deeply.
One day, we helped get him up on the trampoline and I jumped beside him so that he could experience the feeling. He was not able to speak, however based on the look on his face he was no doubt very thrilled to be having such a great time!
It was so obvious to me that their camp experiences were a real highlight in their lives. Looking back now, so many years later, it is clear just how special that summer was to me. Camp Squamish was a lovely facility that offered so many different activities to the kids.
A few years later I headed to the U.S. to live and work for 17 years before returning home to Vancouver in 2004.
One summer day I decided to visit my family in Victoria. When I stepped up to the ticket counter, I did not pay much attention to the fellow behind the counter, nor did I notice that he was in a wheelchair. However, when I presented my credit card he noticed my name BRIAN STREET and right away he remembered me as his camp counselor! He had been one of my favourite kids that summer.
I remember distinctly that afternoon how touched I felt when he remembered my name and how satisfying it was to see him out in the world, as an adult, and successfully employed.
In an instant I knew that my summer job 20 years beforehand had made a good impact on at least one of the campers, and a rush of good memories flowed back into my mind.”
~ Brian Street, an Easter Seals counsellor at Camp Squamish in 1984
