‘Love, belonging and hope’ flourish at Camp Moonlight in Northumberland
Tickets still available for ‘Evening Under the Moon’ fundraiser
By reporter Natalie Hamilton
For a few days a year, parents raising children with complex disabilities can step away from their hospital appointments and daily pressures and escape to Grafton for a restorative camping experience for their entire family.
While at Whispering Springs Wilderness Retreat, parents and kids get a chance to spend time together in nature, connect with people who understand their journey, and create new memories.
This Friday, (Sept. 18) residents are invited to help make these opportunities possible for families by taking part in a fundraiser called an Evening Under the Moon. Held at Whispering Springs Wilderness Retreat, the event features fine food, live music and “community coming together with a shared purpose of love,” said Nancy Corcoran, co-founder of the We Love Joy Foundation, which offers Camp Moonlight.
“It is an evening of gratitude, hope and love, and the beginning of something that we hope will touch families for generations,” Corcoran shared about the fundraiser.
Camp Moonlight is a fully hosted retreat experience for families raising children with disabilities or complex medical needs – families who rarely get rest, rarely get recognized, and almost never get time together without stress, she said.
Camp Moonlight provides more than a getaway for these families.
“It is a place of love, belonging and hope. Our vision is that every family who comes here leaves knowing they are seen, they are valued and they are not alone,” she shared.
“We want parents to feel cared for, siblings to feel included and children with disabilities to be celebrated. We want families to laugh together, breathe a little more deeply and remember that there can still be tremendous joy within a very difficult journey.”
Camp Moonlight grew out of her family’s journey with her granddaughter Ayla. Ayla suffered a severe brain injury at birth and lives with cerebral palsy and significant lifelong disabilities.
“She requires constant care and support, but she has also taught us more about love, courage and joy than we ever could have imagined.”
When a child experiences a life-changing injury or diagnosis, the entire family’s world changes, said Corcoran. Parents suddenly become full-time caregivers, medical advocates, therapists and researchers. Their days revolve around appointments, treatments and difficult decisions.
Siblings are affected as well and families can become isolated “because so many ordinary activities and places are not designed to include them,” she noted.
“Our family has travelled the world searching for therapies and opportunities that might give Ayla the best possible life.”
Along the way, they met many families living with the same exhaustion, uncertainty and fear.
“We realized that families need more than medical services. They need rest, friendship, understanding and a place where their child is welcomed exactly as they are. Camp Moonlight was born from that understanding.”
She said Friday’s event is especially meaningful because “we will be surrounded by people who have shared our family’s journey through the years, people who have stood beside us, encouraged us and helped us turn some of our most difficult experiences into hope for other families.”
As for the next Camp Moonlight experience in 2027, Corcoran anticipates they’ll be welcoming about 20 families.
“We hope this is only the beginning. With continued community support, our dream is to make Camp Moonlight an ongoing program that gives many more families the opportunity to rest, reconnect and experience joy together.”
The next Camp Moonlight experience will take place at Whispering Springs Wilderness Retreat on June 7 and 8, 2027.
Families interested in applying are encouraged to join the newsletter distribution list at WhisperingSprings.ca. When applications open, recipients will receive information including application instructions and important details.
In the meantime, families can also visit AskAyla.org, a free online platform created by the We Love Joy Foundation from lived experience to help families navigate life with a child who has complex medical or developmental needs.
Tickets are still available for An Evening Under the Moon. Visit welovejoyfoundation.com to purchase/and or for more information.
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