'LIFE-CHANGING': Single Moms Camp makes lasting impact on families
For low-income single moms, the hardships can stack up in a hurry, leaving little room for much else beyond getting through the day. When moms arrive at Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp & Retreat Centre each summer, the focus is on regaining a sense of self and belonging.
“It sounds cheesy, but it’s a soft pillow for them to land,” Single Moms Camp Coordinator Amanda Pot said, describing the camp, which has been offered for more than four decades. “This is a safe place for you to release a little bit and to focus on yourself.”
For 62 years, Hidden Acres has been facilitating memories for people of all ages and backgrounds, with its mission to provide a welcoming and peaceful gathering place for diverse groups of people. Single Moms Camp is an example of that mission in motion.
Low-income single moms and their children (between ages 5-12) are invited to the 22-acre camp, located between Kitchener and Stratford, for one of two weeklong sessions. Participants take part in traditional camp activities, including campfires, sports, and crafts, as well as a special moms-only afternoon outing in nearby New Hamburg, an evening candlelight coffee house event, carnivals, and a talent show.
“Having fun is important, too. For them to understand that life doesn’t have to be just hard. Trying to help them understand that the hard and the good can co-exist," Pot said.
At the camp, moms can stay in solo accommodations or as a family unit. Children are supervised by camp leaders.
“Right away my kids ran off to play and interact with fellow campers and the staff. This gave me such peace and comfort knowing that they immediately sensed this was a safe place. As a first introduction to an overnight camp for them I am so thankful we could do this together to help build their confidence in themselves. I am so grateful to all the hard work of the staff to make this such a special and memorable experience for us.”
The Single Moms Camp is supported through various partnerships, including assistance in 2023 from Waterloo Region Community Foundation (WRCF)’s Community Grants, allowing moms and kids to attend the camp at a minimal cost ($35 for moms, $35 for the first child and $15 for additional children, with the remaining $1,500 per family covered by grants and donations).
“With no live-in support or live-in partner of any kind, they’re doing it literally on their own,” Pot said. “Our goal is to provide an opportunity, to provide dignity and equity and self-worth for these women.”
While Hidden Acres programs serve thousands of children each year through school and summer offerings, the Single Moms Camp is unique because it gives those struggling financially or socially an opportunity that would not otherwise exist.
Recent Census report data indicates that the number of single-parent homes has increased in Waterloo Region in recent years and that 21% of single moms are raising their children in poverty. Additionally, single moms tend to be more isolated due to various factors.
The Hidden Acres experience is a place to get out from under all that, even if only temporarily.
“It’s just five days but it’s hard to explain what can happen in five days," Pot said. “When they feel safe, when they feel welcomed, when they feel no judgment.
“It’s hard to put into words unless you experience it," Pot added of the camp. “It’s a two-way street. It’s not just the impact on the families -- the moms and the kids. Staff walk away changed. Perspective is a big thing. When you step into the lives and listen to the stories of those who have hard, hard stories, you soften yourself a little bit more. You release judgment. You release assumptions.”
Moms and families are referred by various social service agencies and churches, but none of it is possible without financial help.
“All our other programs are either revenue-neutral or generate revenue to allow us to do other things. Single Moms Camp is not revenue-neutral, but it's a great way to serve the community,” said Chris Pot, Amanda’s husband and Hidden Acres Executive Director. “The impact of the funding from WRCF is substantial. It’s what allows us to do the program. That money really makes a difference.”
He added: “It’s hard to put into words the value of the support from WRCF over the years in helping us continue to run this program that is so heavily subsidized.”
When it comes to the impact the camp has had on moms and their children, the examples are as inspiring as a lakeside sunset.
“I don’t always love to use the language that we’ve changed lives, but I think in Single Moms Camp, we really do change lives,” Chris Pot said. “That adage of, even if you can change the trajectory of their life by one degree when you look 10 years down the road, it’s significant.
“It’s such a life-changing program for everybody involved.”
Amanda Pot recalled one individual who arrived at camp with her guard up entirely but experienced an emotional release and opened up by the end of the week.
“I think of her, and I think of her story, of how Monday to Friday was night and day,” Amanda Pot said, adding that mom is now close to attaining her bachelor's degree in social work.
It starts by introducing each mom to a place of belonging that they might not have otherwise had.
“I am walking away with another piece of myself healed. Trusting people, letting them into my pain, trusting them to accept and hold space for me where I am at is not something I have done for years, but I am walking away with a renewed faith in the value of community. It is okay to let people in and it is essential to my overall well-being, especially as a single mom.”
“Listening to people’s stories, welcoming them in and just saying, ‘we’re glad you’re here.’ Belonging is a big piece of our program," Amanda Pot said. “We want them to feel that they belong somewhere so that when they’re out in the world, they can say, ‘I’m worthy of belonging because Hidden Acres has me. I belong.’”
For more information on Hidden Acres Mennonite Camp & Retreat Centre and their Single Moms Camp, visit hiddenacres.ca.
To learn more about WRCF’s Community Grants, go to wrcf.ca/communitygrants.