For our campers, it is the chance to experience life in the great outdoors within a veritable small community in the company of many other campers and counsellors who are there to share unforgettable moments with them. For these campers, the magic of Camp Papillon is also to realise that “nothing is impossible” and that no matter what their disability, many accomplishments are within their reach, such as creating a clay statuette, chasing pirates in the forest or becoming a star player in a hockey game.

For the team, the magic of Camp Papillon is to have the feeling, at the end of the summer, of not having worked. Of course, the days are intense, sometimes physically difficult, but to spend the day in the company of our campers is not real work. The youngsters we care for are unique, colourful, and generous. Many counsellors say so: “When all is said and done, the campers gave me much more than anything I could have given them this summer." The magic of the Camp is also community life experience, team work, the possibility of discovering your strengths and abilities in a unique life context. No one ever comes back unchanged after a summer at Camp Papillon!

Finally, for the volunteers who sometimes come from far away to help out, the magic of Camp Papillon is the pleasure that comes from self-sacrifice for the cause of children with disabilities. During the Papillon Work Bees, where more than 500 volunteers gather at Camp to prepare the site to welcome the children, a joyful spirit of festivity prevails, and smiles are on every lips. Without the volunteers, the magic of Camp Papillon would not be what it is today.