We Built a Basketball Court at A Kids’ Camp

Christie Lake Kids’ mission is to enrich the lives and prospects of economically disadvantaged children by providing quality year-round community and camp programs to develop physical, social and character skills. CLK believes that all children should have the chance to experience the beauty of the natural world – to swim in a lake, paddle a canoe, sit by a campfire. Every year, almost 400 children and youth aged 9-16 attend two weeks of summer camp at their picturesque 88-acre camp near Perth, Ontario. The skills learned year after year help build confidence, resilience and optimism.

“The Experience of growing up in poverty should not define a person or limit their potential”. – This message from the people who run Christie Lake Kids (CLK) deeply resonated with my family and ultimately what inspired us to contribute to the project of building a new basketball court at the camp.

Almost a year in the making, on July 3rd, 2022, we officially unveiled the new court to the first group of campers! Below, I wanted to share the transformation that the court went through as a result of this project.

“The Cage” was exactly that – a mangled asphalt ground surrounded by the metal fence.?

To get a head start preparing the ground for professionals to lay concrete, our family decided to tackle removing the old asphalt over long weekend in April ourselves.?

We got defeated that weekend. It turned out that parts of the court had two layers of asphalt which made it twice as much work as we anticipated. Additionally, we quickly learned that one jackhammer, and a few sledgehammers are not enough. The following weekend, we came in with full force – more people, more machinery.?

Two weekends later, and about a hundred man-hours, we threw in a towel and called in for help from professionals. In a span of a day they totally cleared the field.

Next were the contractors who poured the concrete.?

Finally, the court went up (built by Sport Court). Here is what it looked like prior to the opening.

I thought it would be really neat if we had some professional basketball players come out to spend time with the kids, so I got to work going through my network to see if I could get some introductions. After countless cold messages on LinkedIn, emails, and referrals, the Ottawa BlackJacks raised their hand to participate. Opening weekend, Guillaume Pepin #24 and Tyrrel Tate #15 and Marika Guerin, Director of Communications, come out to the camp to hold a basketball clinic and play some pick up games!??

Kids surprised us with this heartwarming card that they all signed.?

Driving back, I liked what my wife said – children are the future of our generation, but there is no silver bullet to help them develop the compassion, courage, determination, and self-worth essential to a happy, productive life. You just need to think about one child at a time, one step at a time. If this court can help even one child gain the courage to dare to dream and break out of the cycle of poverty, then it’s worth it.?

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Big thank you for Matt Breen, the man and the real force behind the project, without whom it would be impossible. Findlay family for their hard manual labour and never shying away from a challenge. Ottawa BlackJets for their enthusiasm. Christie Lake Kids for being supportive partners in this. My wife for her vision and trust in me.?