Submitted by Jason on Aug, 27

Jason's Story

At the age of 13 I had a choice of whether to do something or nothing all summer. My mother decided I should volunteer with the City of Toronto. I hated the idea of working at a camp. I wanted to ride bikes and go to the mall with my friends. That changed I went to the volunteer training and started meeting people. I was a very angry young person—but working for the City of Toronto made a difference and I have been working here ever since.

How is this object or story important to you?

I have been working officially for the City of Toronto for 20 years, unofficially for 24 years including volunteering. I now run the Elmbank Community Centre and try to give children the same opportunities I was given.

What does it add to the story of Toronto?

When people think camp, they don't usually think of day camps or of camps within the city. However the City of Toronto's day camps can provide the same experience as one outside the city, and offers a broad spectrum of different backgrounds, diversity, etc. City of Toronto's camps offer children and teens across the city opportunities to learn and grow, and, as in my case, lead to a career. I try to repeat the same experience by having volunteers working with kids, and also getting to have the experiences and adventures as the campers.

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