Lucy Chapman

IN THIS SECTION: Ripple Effect

Camp Ten Oaks has shown me that I can be whoever I want to be. And, nobody can ever judge me for that.

Camp Ten Oaks camper

The sense of belonging and community that I get from Ten Oaks is something that I can feel year-round.

Camp Ten Oaks camper

As staff, we create an intentional space for our campers where for one week, they don’t have to be afraid or ashamed of anything about themselves.

Camp Ten Oaks volunteer

I can credit the beautifully diverse chosen family that I now have to Ten Oaks. It’s filled a great void in the community for me.

Camp Ten Oaks camper parent

Being a camper has opened my eyes to the diversity within the LGBTQ+ community, to the diversity of the group I’m a part of.

Camp Ten Oaks camper

When I left Project Acorn, the world was a different, more magical, and more manageable place.

Project Acorn participant

The best part of Project Acorn for me was seeing how much love and support is built in such a short span of time.

Project Acorn volunteer

At Project Acorn, I realized that I can have a powerful voice.

Youth Advisory Committee member

Lucy has been raising money for the Ten Oaks Project and its programs since 2006 through our Annual Bowl-A-Thon. Though her 6 year-old daughter, Emerson, was too young to even attend camp, she and Lucy both bowled with their characteristic enthusiasm. During that first event, Emerson began getting steeped in camp culture, and was incredibly keen to go to Camp Ten Oaks by the time she was finally old enough. When that long awaited day arrived, Emerson just about burst with excitement as she boarded the bus. Camp did not disappoint that year, and never has since. The friendships she makes there are unique and strong, and such a valuable part of her life.

Lucy’s annual fundraising letter to everyone on an ever-expanding contact list allows her to open a door for people to ask questions and receive information about an amazing camp, and an entire community that may have been a mystery to them. Many of those contacts have become annual donors, and Lucy’s efforts have proudly put her amongst the Ten Oaks Project’s top fundraisers year after year.

“I feel that my involvement with Camp Ten Oaks has contributed to awareness of the need for such a place for queerspawn, queer youth and trans kids. Places in my life that have been touched include my neighbours, my clients, my suppliers in the building trades, my bank, Emerson’s guiding group and leaders, emerson’s school environments, and the local businesses that we both frequent in our area. I feel strongly that some of the best advocacy comes in the quiet daily interactions between queer folks and the people in their quotidian lives. As emerson and I touch those around us, we help to better the lives of us all. After all, who doesn’t love happy kids, a glitter canon and intentional magic?”