Etobicoke: Sharing God’s Love with the Young at SummerDaze

By Rosemary Nucara, Director, SummerDaze Day Camp

(Etobicoke, Ont. – August 5) – For 38 years, SummerDaze Day Camp has welcomed generations of children through the doors of St. Benedict Parish and has become a place where faith, friendship, and countless memories are formed. For me, it has also been a second home.

Now, 11 years after I first experienced SummerDaze as a camper, I have had the incredible privilege to grow alongside it. I served first as a volunteer, then as a counsellor, next as an activities coordinator, and now as SummerDaze’s camp director. Through every role, I have witnessed the same mission at the heart of SummerDaze: building God’s Kingdom by sharing His love with the young.

When I first stepped into SummerDaze as an 11-year-old camper, I was welcomed into the loudest, most energetic, most joy-filled environment I had ever experienced, a stark contrast to my own quiet and timid personality. By the end of that first week, I knew it was the best camp I had ever attended. I was also certain that, one day, I hoped to become one of the leaders who had made me feel so seen, valued, and loved.

At the time, I couldn’t explain what made SummerDaze feel so different from any other camp. Years later, after I returned as a volunteer and learned about the Salesians and St. John Bosco's Oratory, I finally understood. The staff wasn’t simply running a camp; they were living the Salesian spirit. Through their intentionality in every activity, conversation, word of encouragement, and shared laugh, they reflected St. John Bosco's conviction that “It is not enough to love the young; they must know that they are loved.”

Inspired by those leaders’ example, I have been grateful to return year after year. Although each new role brought different responsibilities, my mission remained the same: to help every camper experience the same welcome and sense of belonging that first drew me to SummerDaze more than a decade ago. For me, this mission is lived most authentically in the everyday moments of camp. Whether joining nervous campers in their talent show acts, celebrating their efforts on the soccer field, or simply listening to stories about their weekend over lunch, these everyday interactions have become opportunities to share Christ’s love.

One of the greatest privileges of being part of SummerDaze for so many years has been seeing past campers come back year after year. It’s been a gift to witness their growth and watch their authentic selves flourish, especially as I’ve gotten to serve alongside staff members who were once my campers. SummerDaze has always been a place where young people can be themselves, discover their God-given talents, and know they are loved just as they are.

Looking back, I am grateful for the ways SummerDaze has formed me, both as a camper and as a staff member. It has been the place where I have grown in confidence, leadership, and faith, but, more importantly, where I came to recognize my identity as a child of God. As SummerDaze closes out its 38th summer, my prayer is that, through every game, conversation, and ordinary moment, campers come to encounter Christ and leave knowing they are deeply loved by Him.