Shutting down a summer camp for P.E.I. children with type 1 diabetes wasn’t an easy decision, says the vice-president of programs, services and product development with Diabetes Canada.
“This has been an incredibly difficult decision and we understand that no parent or caregiver would want to see the camp closest to them affected by this news,’’ Andrew Young told The Guardian on Tuesday.
Diabetes Canada recently announced that two of its camps in the Maritimes – Camp Red Fox in Canoe Cove, P.E.I., and Camp Dia-Best in New Brunswick will merge into one camp in Barss Corner, Nova Scotia.
“We believe we must make this change in order to ensure the long-term sustainability of offering d-camps programs.’’
Related: Children's diabetes camp in P.E.I. to close, merge with one in N.S.
Young said the organization looked at its camps across Canada and tried to determine how it could provide the best service possible for them with the money that was available.
“Our goal is to provide children with type 1 diabetes with a unique camp experience and, while it is not easy to make these decisions, we felt that this would best allow us to do that.’’
Young said he knows that families in P.E.I. are upset or disappointed but the organization believes that over the long run this approach will allow Diabetes Canada to provide a better and enriching service.
Young said the organization will offer transportation to the Nova Scotia camp from P.E.I. and will continue to offer financial assistance.
All 13 and 14 year olds in the Maritimes will have the opportunity to attend Camp Morton, a specialized program for teens with type 1 diabetes.
All seven to 12 year olds in New Brunswick and P.E.I. will attend camp in Nova Scotia, Aug. 21-26. This week will be called Camp Dia-Best.
All Maritime 15 and 16 year old participants of the leadership development program will attend both Camp Lion Maxwell and Camp Dia-Best.
