On Monday, November 7, we left on our experience trip with the Mackay children to Camp Massawippi (view gallery). We departed from the MacKay Centre at around 9:00 am and as we boarded the adapted transport bus that would take us to the camp, all the Mackay kids had huge smiles on their faces as per usual. We were all extremely excited for this new adventure. We stopped at Tim Horton’s for some donuts, coffee and hot chocolate on the way, and when we arrived at camp it was already around 11:00 am.

It was a beautiful fall day, so after unpacking and having a quick lunch we all went on a short hike. To be honest, it was no easy feat pushing the wheelchairs up the mountain but it was worth it in the end. We cut down a small tree for them to take back to their classroom to decorate for Christmas. As hard as it was, to see the children constantly smiling, we would have had pushed the wheelchairs up and down a thousand times.

After the hike we had an arts and crafts session where we made picture frames and portraits with the kids. We let them dry in the back and proceeded to the next activity, which in fact was dancing. The kids all have their own music preferences, and they really had fun as we danced and moved the wheelchairs to the rhythm of the music.

Finally dinner came along and BBQ chicken had been prepared. The meals were delicious and it was just like being at home. After dinner we went down to the lake where some of us had already prepared the campfire. We talked and laughed and roasted marshmallows and prepared banana boats. The first day was a dream and it went by so quickly!

On our second day at Camp Massawippi, we had another great day filled with fun activities. After the kids woke up and ate some breakfast, we took them on a nice walk along the road leading to the camp, and met up with Mark, one of their teachers who couldn’t come for the whole trip because of an injury, so the kids were really happy to see him when he drove up for the day. The weather was beautiful once again, and we all really enjoyed the walk. The sun was out and it wasn’t too cold or too hot. Afterwards, we hung out down by the beach and Mark talked to the kids while we were playing with his hyperactive dog, Mario.

We returned to camp for a lunch of chicken fingers and French fries, which everyone enjoyed. Later on, a couple of the Mackay kids got to lie down on a mat and play with Mario, who was very careful and affectionate with them. The weather was so nice that day that we even had the chance to go out and play in the field, throw some balls around (before Mario ate them!) and relax. That afternoon we also painted a mural with the kids that was really nice; hopefully it’ll be hung in their classroom at the school. Afterwards, we were all ready for a rest and decided to watch the movie Up! For dinner we had lasagna and salad, and apple crumble for dessert. That night we went out for a second campfire, this time in the field and ate some marshmallows. A couple of people decided eating them wasn’t exciting enough and put them on each other’s faces instead; either way – a fun time! At night, after the kids went to bed we sat on the couches and watched The Incredibles, a good ending to an amazing day.

Wednesday morning, our last day, we were all up early to make a special brunch for the Mackay kids. Some of us were in charge of making French toast, others cooked bacon and tater tots. It was a great breakfast and a nice way to end the trip. As things were getting packed up we all had fun doing face-painting with the kids, and then finally got back into the bus for the return trip to Montreal. We all agreed that this was an amazing experience and one that we would never forget. The trip really makes you learn a lot about yourself and others, and makes you realize how lucky you are, and that you should never take life for granted. We can’t wait to see the Mackay kids again sometime soon!— Pietro Cammalleri ’13, Sam Ergina ’12, Claire Greenbaum ’13, Erin Masson ’13, Julia Peterson ’13, Liam Reckziegel ’13