Board of Directors and Staff

I cannot imagine who I would be today if it weren't for my experiences with camp. I've been fortunate to have been a camper, staff member and Director and have experienced and witnessed the magic, joy and benefits of attending summer camp. My lifelong friendships, my love and appreciation for the outdoors, and my independent and adaptable nature were influenced significantly by many summers as a camper. The following years as a staff member were incredibly rewarding and taught me leadership, problem solving, teamwork and organizational skills, on which I have built an over 30 year career. 
I am thrilled to be able to continue my connection to camp and serve on Amici's Board and support the important work of the Amici staff providing summer camp experiences to as many children as possible. 

I am grateful for the opportunity to see up-close the impact camp has on so many, as I continue to be involved in our family run day camp (Camp Robin Hood) and overnight camps (Camp Walden and Madawaska All Sport and Volleyball Camp).

Working closely in the camp community over the years, along with being a second-generation camp director, it has become clear to me that Amici Children’s Camp Charity is needed now more than ever to ensure everyone has a chance to have a camp experience.

I am convinced that the world would be a much better AND kinder place if we all had camp in our life!

I am honoured to be part of Amici's Board of Directors which is working hard to make the world of camp a reality for those who would not otherwise have the opportunity to be part of all that camp has to offer.

Working for Adobe, I am passionate about using technology to solve business challenges. What is clear to me though, is that leadership skills and emotional intelligence are what really drive solutions and success. I’m proud to support an organization that understands the value of teaching kids to take personal risks and believe in themselves, to look people in the eye rather than communicate through screens, to listen and speak with kindness to different points of view, and to work and succeed together as part of a team.

It was at camp that I first learned wilderness tripping, how to stern a canoe and sail. It’s also where I developed a love of wilderness, confidence, leadership abilities and formed lifelong friendships. I believe in the power of camp to support kids becoming the best version of themselves. And I’m proud to support Amici extend the reach of camp to kids who might otherwise never experience it.

Having attended Kilcoo Camp for 14 years and experienced first-hand the magic of camp, I believe every child should have the chance to benefit. All four of our children spent their summers at camps in Ontario and the life skills they gained have been invaluable to them as adults. I have been involved with Amici since the late ‘70’s and was a director in the ‘80’s. I am excited to serve as a Director of the Board for Amici Children's Camp Charity again. As a past Chair of Camp Awakening, I feel privileged to be working with Amici to achieve its goal of greater diversity and inclusion. Amici changes the lives of children and provides them with a more level playing field and the skills to navigate life as an adult.

It was at Camp Tawingo in the 1980's that I first learned to camp, how to stern a canoe and make massive campfires. It’s also where I developed a love of the outdoors, confidence, leadership abilities and formed many lifelong friendships. I believe in the transformative power of camp to help and nurture kids to become the best version of themselves. I love welcoming home my two children from camp each summer and bearing witness to how much they grow as individuals while at Tanamakoon and Kilcoo. My wife and I are proud supporters of Amici and the work that Amici does to open many camp doors for deserving young people.  We as a family know that Camp is in you for life.

Through many years of witnessing the life-changing impact camp has had on my three children, I have developed a passionate belief in the power of camp. I am very proud to serve as a Director of the Board for Amici Children's Camp Charity, an organization I have long supported and believed in. Amici provides lifelong and critical skills to children facing financial and social barriers through the magic of camp, and it is an honour to be part of this meaningful work.

Camp has had a huge impact on my life.  I turned nine during my first month at summer camp, and the next 12 years included a month or two at camp as a camper and then as a staff member.  Camp imparted many life skills, including independence, getting along with others, taking responsibility and leadership.  Today, camp has become an important part of the summer for our four kids.  This has allowed me to see how the power of how different camps work for different children.  Amici has been important to me since I transitioned out of summers at camp. Amici provided a connection to camp when I joined the Board in 2002 through 2008 and joined again in 2022.  The organization has grown and matured so much over this time it is an honour to be a part of the Board.

If it’s summer, every child deserves to be at camp. Amici and its partners are helping all children discover their full potential at summer camp. Like many others who attended summer camp, I am a firm believer that camp provides kids and youth with the opportunity to have fun, make friends, acquire new skills and explore early leadership roles. The benefits of camp are long lasting; they inform and can even shape personal values. As a former Camp Awakening and Easter Seals camper, and former Vice-Chair of Camp Awakening's Board of Directors, I am especially interested in ensuring that kids and youth with disabilities get to experience the magic of camp. With the introduction of the Camp Awakening Legacy Fund, Amici is able to provide more camp experiences to children and youth with physical disabilities for years to come.

Camp is with me every day, in my personal and professional life. I was a camper and canoe tripper at several camps in my youth, and the joy and confidence that developed in those years will remain for life. I believe wholeheartedly in the uplifting magic that camp brings to kids’ lives. I love Amici Children's Camp Charity for recognizing the value of summer camp and dedicating itself to making summer camp available to all kids regardless of their background or means.

I have worked with the Canoe Heads for Kids steering committee for the last 6 years, helping to spread awareness and provide value for event sponsors. My passion for the power of camp is rooted in my own experience spending 8 summers at Camp GayVenture. Learning core skills like leadership, collaboration and a desire to try new things has helped me throughout my career and I am grateful to be able to help other children have this same opportunity. 

Attending summer camp is a life-changing opportunity to learn skills, such as teamwork, independence, and confidence, that will last a lifetime.  I am grateful for my twelve summers at Glen Bernard Camp where, in addition to those skills, I developed a  passion for the outdoors and made life-long friendships. I support Amici Children's Camp Charity to give more young people the opportunity to attend camp and develop to their full potential.

I am who I am because of Camp. Camp has shaped me in so many ways as a person, and has helped me develop skills and perspectives that I use every day in my career. I'm forever grateful for the years I spent at Camp as a camper, leadership participant, staff member and, most recently, as a Camp Director. I believe it is so important to provide Camp experiences to as many deserving kids and youth as we can, so that they can experience the magic of Summer Camp - and so that they can make lifelong friends, develop new skills, create everlasting memories, and be their real and true selves in Summer Camp communities that celebrate them and cheer them on.

I attended summer camp in Ontario for eleven years, and in addition to gaining a lifetime of memories, the experience allowed me to build friendships, gain independence, and develop a passion for the Canadian wilderness and outdoors.

The skills and personal values I learned at camp have remained with me and will always be relevant, even in a rapidly changing world. I believe strongly that summer camp can benefit, and should be accessible to, anyone, and I am proud to serve on the Board of an organization that has such a long and distinguished track record of providing summer camp experiences to so many children.