World Burn

I can't fathom how great this experience was; from no flights to 3 flights in a day, to never

leaving Canada to go to the States, from wanting to stay home because of slight fatigue to never

wanting to leave World Burn…. it was honestly one of the greatest weeks of my life, without

exaggeration!! To be honest I expected a lot, it's BUCKO, but it was better than I had ever expected

it to be. Pat and Bryan were amazing counsellors, treated us well, Miguel was a tremendous companion

and the people at World Burn were extraordinary, let me get in to more detail.

Pat and Bryan were incredible! I was grateful but not enough; showing me places that Ive ‘never

been, teaching me stuff I never knew, and couldn't treat my dad and I any better, Miguel was a great

companion and I certainly hope I have him as a counsellor in the future. We started out by going to a

great Italian restaurant, where Pat showed me a type of Ice Cream…I unfortunately no longer

remember its name but the taste I will always remember. They took us to the zoo the next day where I

went face to face with a Grizzly Bear. That is my favorite animal and seeing it the first time was

something I’ll always remember. Later they took us to the greatest burger joint I've ever been to. The

whole week was just great company, great knowledge being given, and great sights all around.

On to the best part, World Burn was

incredible: seeing all these different people, with

different experiences, made me reflect a bit - the

great counsellors and burn survivors were just

good to be around. We all told our story and how

we could deal with these issues. We went to high

ropes which I've always been afraid of; now I love

it. We went to an art museum, to paint collages,

played a ton of games, talked with each other and

I became friends with these people within a few

days. Loved it!

Again I can't fathom how great the

experience was, I could honestly call that week

one of the greatest of my life. I can't thank you

enough Camp BUCKO.

Submitted by Camper Okiyeh ❤

From September 11 to September 15, 2018, I had the chance to attend the Phoenix World Burn Congress as a thank you gift from Camp BUCKO for graduating from the VIT Program. We had flown

from Toronto to Michigan that Tuesday, with the events commencing on the Wednesday for the Young

Adult Program.

On Wednesday morning, prior to World Burn starting, Pat, Bryan, Okiyeh, his dad and I went to

explore Grand Rapids, Michigan. We went to the John Ball Zoo and it was so much fun - Patrick was

mistaken as a Gorilla by one of the zookeepers and was put in a pen. That night my Young Adult

Workshop began, and to say that I was a little bit nervous would be an understatement. Thankfully

during the opening of the workshop I connected with everyone at the workshop and made some great

friends that understood me in a way that even I was surprised at.

During my time at the Wold Burn Congress, I got to connect with so many people over the course

of the week, over not only as to why we were there, but also due to common interests that we all had.

As the week progressed I connected with everyone, and had an amazing time with the people at

the Young Adult Workshop. We went out for dinner multiple times, went to the YMCA, made food and

did yoga at the YMCA. My entire time with the Young Adult Workshop was something that I will never

forget and something that I look forward to - going back to World Burn again.

It was an amazing experience and one that I was so glad to have been given. I will never forget

the people that I met there, that have not only changed my life as a burn survivor but as a person as

well. Meeting all these new people was something wonderful and I look forward to the day that I can

meet them all again.

Submitted by Miguel, VIT Graduate

Camp Exchange

Camp Oo-U-Laaaa was my biggest highlight of the year 2018!! I had a

tremendously amazing week in Georgia! I did some scary and cool activities;

I learned loads and loads of cheers and dances and I had some really

amazing food.

“Now believe me when I say that Oo-U-La’s food was amazing I say it

with pride lol. ” Y’all can cook at Camp Oo-U-La. Some of the food that

amazed me was their “Special Grits” and sweet tea (it was my first time

having grits so of course I haven’t had better), the huge salad bar that

was available for breakfast lunch and dinner….and then there was well done

fried chicken with white rice.

One thing that stood out to me at Camp Oo-U-La was their cheers and the dance. After each

meal and before we went to our activities, we had a chant. I thought it was different and very exciting

and it was definitely something I looked forward to; as it brought a smile to others and it was a great

start to the day…..“ I like to eat, hey, you like to eat, what, we like to eat hey, hey, hey Breakfast.” “I’m

that star up in the sky, I am the mountain peak up high, hey I made it. I am the world’s greatest little

hope…..

Throughout the week we got to face everyday

challenges with our group activities. These activities have

taught me to believe in myself in overcoming my fear of

heights. High ropes, big swing and zip lining were other

activities we had to do and that really challenged me.

These group activities have helped me to gain a closer bond

with my group because we were challenged to do each

activity as a team. Each activity we did taught us a life

lesson and something I took from every activity was, “You

can do many things with just a little support”. I loved my

group! Honestly there were a lot of good vibes with the

senior girls and boys and I was really happy to meet each

and every one of them. I learned many things from them as I am sure they have learned a lot from the

“Canadian Girls”.

With that being said I had an amazing experience with my girl Evangelia and I just want to say

thank you to Camp BUCKO for the support and the love for giving me the opportunity to attend Camp

Oo-U-La 2018. It was a great honour and a great pleasure to attend.

Submitted by Camper Danneica

When we went to the burn Camp Oo-U-La in June 2018 we were all very excited, it was a once in

a BUCKO-lifetime opportunity. We didn't know what it would be like or how the people there were

going to be towards us. Everything exceeded our expectations!! The people there were just lovely.

They were kind and welcoming and they were also very fun. No one was hesitant to talk to us and that

made the experience just so much better.

With all the activities we got to do and how much fun we had, the week just flew by! We couldn't

believe it was over. We did high ropes and zip lining. The dance was amazing, and don't forget the night

swimming - that was so much fun! We both absolutely loved Talk Time, it was very interesting and

honestly it felt like you could say anything without being judged. We both seriously recommend having

Talk Time at Camp BUCKO. It could help younger kids become more confident in themselves and feel

like they belonged at camp and the outside world.

Did I already mention the people? I think I

did but really they all were super kind and

welcoming, we all miss everyone so much, it's

crazy how close you can get to someone in just a

week! We miss them all and hope to see them

again in the future BUCKO-years to come. Also

don't forget how great it was to miss out on some

school, am I right? Going to Camp Oo-U-La was

just a great experience overall, and if we could do

it again, I'd never say no. We will never forget

this experience.

Submitted by Camper Evangelia

Waterfront

Our Campers

Cabin

Little Bucko Bobsledders Medalers

Eddies Eagles

Halfpipe Hooligans

Cool Runnings The RING Leaders

Groups

MukMuks Golden Girls

Majestic Rings The Solid Golds

Athletes Village Cedar Ridge Staff

Horses

Our Campers

Activities

BUCKO at the IAFF

Conference The week at the IAFF International Burn Camp was amazing. It was

my first time traveling outside of Canada and my first time flying - I

loved it!

At first, I was nervous but then I met my roommate Destiny and we

bonded right away. After 2 days, it felt like we had been friends

forever!

I learned so much about American history with

all the different sites we toured. I think their

money is funny and I am probably going to be

saying “ya’ll” a lot more now.

I’m really glad I got to go on this trip with

Kendra.

It was hard to say good-bye to all my new friends but thankfully we have social

media to stay connected.

Thank you Camp BUCKO for the opportunity.

Submitted by Camper Chloe

I wish there were enough words to describe how honoured I am to have

chaperoned and spent this amazing week at the IAFF Camp with Chloe. It really was an adventure full

of memories that will last a lifetime.

Being with Chloe for her first ever flight and first trip

outside of Canada was exciting in itself. To see her grow

throughout the week with each interaction and experience

and gain more confidence each day was wonderful. There

were a few tearful moments however, each day had plenty

of laughter and smiles.

The atmosphere at camp with campers and counselors from

all across North America was infectious. You could not help

but be inspired and feel proud.

The IAFF goes above and beyond to create a week full of

“like-Royalty” fun & experiences all while keeping everyone

safe and comfortable. Both Chloe and I have made

friendships that we will treasure for years to come.

Thank you to Camp BUCKO for choosing us to represent!

Submitted by Volunteer Kendra

Family Camp

This year was my son’s first time going to Camp BUCKO. I was so anxious the whole week Liam

was away but when he came home he was so happy and full of stories about his amazing week at camp

BUCKO. Being able to attend the family weekend was a great way to experience what it’s like to have

the privilege goes to Camp BUCKO. The camp is so beautiful and all the councillors and staff were so

friendly and great with the kids. It was such a great benefit to talk to the other parents who have all

been through the same things our family has been through. I learned so much from our time at Camp

BUCKO and we are looking forward to next time.

Thank you

Kevin, MaryAnn, Liam & Aisling

Did you know….the Olympic flag has a white background, with five

interlaced rings in the centre: blue, yellow, black, green and red?

This design is symbolic; it represents the five continents of the

world, united by Olympism, while the six colours are those that

appear on all the national flags of the world at the present time

(according to Wikipedia).

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