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Keishna Abenstein is thrilled her middle child, Teagen, got to take in Camp Arnes this summer thanks to the Sunshine Fund after her own fond childhood memories of the camp. From left: Teagen, Keishna, Reaven and Shayne Abenstein.<\/p>\n
Abenstein saw an opportunity for a similar experience at Camp Arnes that could impact her son the same way it did for her.<\/p>\n
The 13-year-old was naturally a bit apprehensive about the idea of going away for five days to camp with a group of strangers, but after a bit of convincing from mom, he was on board.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, it was like a whole different experience. It\u2019s taking you from inside of your regular peer group\u2026 and you go meet brand new people,\u201d Abenstein said. \u201cLike I remember, even when I was in camp, I left with two pen pals, just friends who were different from what you\u2019re used to and it\u2019s a different person you can talk to. And I think he made a couple of friends at camp that he\u2019s still been talking to the same way. Now you can text.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teagen attended Camp Arnes, a little over an hour north of Winnipeg, earlier this month.<\/p>\n
On the surface, there were a lot of mosquito bites from spending hours outdoors, but there was a deeper change that was also noticeable.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe came back a little bit brighter and I would say even more relaxed. Not like he\u2019d necessarily been on vacation, but like he\u2019d had an experience. Because he\u2019s always with me, right? So it\u2019s like going off and making your own story and coming back to tell me about it,\u201d Abenstein said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a great time \u2014 there\u2019s an obstacle course and like water activities \u2014 and he came back brighter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abenstein, a single mother of three, had the idea to send for her eldest, 16-year-old Shayne, to summer camp in the past, but that never gained any traction due to financial constraints.<\/p>\n
With Teagen, however, it was different.<\/p>\n
Abenstein had hoped to send Teagen to camp this summer, but was looking for help to make it happen. A stroke of luck befell her during a Google search, as she came across the Sunshine Fund, which set her plans in stone.<\/p>\n
The Sunshine Fund aided 603 children in attending one of the 31 accredited camps across Manitoba and northwestern Ontario last summer, and the organization expects that number to eclipse 700 this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt became definite when I heard about the fund,\u201d said Abenstein. \u201cI was really wanting him to do something fun this summer and I was really looking around, and seeing how much everything costs, and I was wondering if there was anything, so I just Googled it one day, and honestly, I was relieved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Teagen joined the Stokers group at Camp Arnes. He was thrown into a variety of outdoor activities and was challenged to socialize with others.<\/p>\n
As he grows older, he can join the Crew group, where he will be tasked to develop leadership skills. It\u2019s why Abenstein felt it was important to get her teenager in now, to lay the foundation for learning those qualities.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere\u2019s different age groups and I think it\u2019s a really good in between because there\u2019s the really young ones who it\u2019s their first time and they don\u2019t really know and they need a lot of guidance, I guess, and around 13 is where you get to have a really independent experience without the pressure of leadership,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I thought it was important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Abenstein hopes to send her two-year-old, Reaven, to camp one day. She also hopes Teagen will be interested in going again next summer.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s already seen what it\u2019s done for her and now for her son.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just support kids going to camp,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it was a great overall experience, and the more people that know about the fun, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Joshua Frey-Sam Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Josh produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber<\/a>.<\/p>\n Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.<\/p>\n \t\t
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