For an eight-year-old boy who loves to play basketball and Frisbee, being housebound in an Edmonton suburb is no way to spend the summer.
So when Romeo Brittany arrived at the lake where he would spend the next three days, he couldn’t wait to get outside.
“It’s better than home,” Romeo said Wednesday, the second day of his escape from the concrete jungle. “I get to have a lot of friends and go enjoy the woods and go play in the water.”
Romeo, his sisters, Jayde, 6, and Mia, 1, and their parents, Savannah Brittany and Desmond Thomas, were at Lake Wabamun, where for the past 87 years, the Bissell Centre has operated a camp. The program is offered to families who might not have the financial means to spend time together away from the city.
Since Desmond was laid off from his job as a pipe fitter, his family hasn’t had much extra cash. At camp that seems to matter less, at least for a little while, he said. .
“Whatever is happening at home is at home and I’m here and my family’s here,” he said.
Spending time with their children is what the couple has been focusing on.
“At home, there’s other things that need to be done, so I guess you get carried away with just getting the house in order and shopping,” said Savannah, who had just finished up a card game with her son Romeo.
Desmond Thomas and Savannah Brittany spent time with their children, Romeo, 8, Jayde, 6, and Mia, 1, Wednesday. The family was taking part in a three-day family camp offered by the Bissell Centre on Lake Wabamun. (CBC/Roberta Bell)
Relieiving that pressure is one of the most important aspects of the program for the 14 families participating in the retreat, said Devin Komarniski, marketing and communications manager at the Bissell Centre.
“When you come together in nature and around a campfire, you’re letting go of so much that you’re holding on to in your everyday life,” he said.
“The only thing there is to do is connect to each other. I think that that’s such a beautiful thing. It allows conversations to be deeper. It allows people’s relationships to become stronger. We believe that it’s a very positive thing as people go back into the city to live city life.”
Savannah Brittany said having a chance to connect with other families facing similar situations has been therapeutic.
“I’ve talked to a few other mothers and we all so much in common,” she said. “I feel like I’ve made friendships here that I’ll take away from the camp.”