It’s good to be back at Cop Camp

After a three-year hiatus, the annual Essex County OPP Cop Camp provided three days of fun team-building activities for 75 campers from across the county.

Now in its 26th year, the camp at Scouts Canada Camp Cedarwin west of Kingsville is staffed by volunteers including police officers, auxiliary members and civilians, and is provided at no cost to the campers as funds were raised through an annual golf tournament in Kingsville and money collected by volunteer OPP packers at local grocery stores.

The kids participating are all graduates of the grade six VIP program (Values, Influences and Peers) and were divided up into 10 teams for some friendly competition.

Steven Duguay, a media officer for the OPP and the chair of the Cop Camp Committee, was excited to be part of this event for the first time.

“We like that students can get to know police officers without the uniform, they can now see us as individuals,” he said.

“Our theme is ‘Pay It Forward’. We want to offer quality lessons so that the students can do positive things in their communities. What matters is that the kids finish with smiles on their faces and the good stories that they can leave here with.”

Mariam Carr and Jenelle Ouellette, both students at École Saint-Michel in Leamington, were looking forward to the three-day camp. Mariam was excited for the opportunity to do some sailing and fishing, while Jenelle wanted to make friends and have opportunities to do new things.

One of the camp’s intentions is to have a last- ing impact and that is evident in the return of past campers that now act as counsellors for the incoming groups.

Taylor Gruszka is living proof of the Cop Camp impact as she attended this camp in 2012 as a grade six student from Belle River Public School.

“I fell in love with the camp and when I turned 16, I first volunteered to help at the camp as a junior counsellor,” she says. “I’m now 23 and celebrate my birthday here every year. The kids are great, the officers are great and I love what we try to teach the kids, to be kind and give back when you can.”