The Salvation Army began its work in London, England, in 1865 when William Booth, a minister, abandoned the conventional concept of a church and a pulpit and took his message of hope to the poor, the homeless, the hungry and the destitute. By 1867 The Salvation Army had developed into a ministry offering basic schooling, reading rooms, penny banks, soup kitchens and relief aid to the destitute.
The Salvation Army began its work in Canada in 1882, just fifteen years after Confederation, and quickly began giving hope to those in need in this country. From the beginning, the Army in Canada adopted founder William Booth’s philosophy that there is little point preaching ‘salvation’ to hungry people. And so the concept of ‘soup, soap and salvation’ took hold, later to be developed into the comprehensive social service programs The Salvation Army operates today, many of them in partnership with government.
The Salvation Army is now the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in the country, serving over 1.85 million people each year, in 400 communities across Canada. The Salvation Army offers practical assistance for children and families, often tending to the basic necessities of life, provides shelter for homeless people and rehabilitation for people who have lost control of their lives to an addiction.
The Salvation Army has been serving families through Camping Ministries to Children and Youth in Canada since 1908. We presently serve over 2000 campers from the Province of Ontario at our Summer Overnight camps in Jackson’s Point and Huntsville over 8 weeks every summer offering financially accessible camps to families in need through the generous sponsorship of community donors.
Our camp programs are safe, fun and welcoming to all children and youth, and we seek to strengthen children in a holistic manner that meets their physical, social, and spiritual needs. We work by a camp code that seeks to help campers develop:
Soldier Spirit – Strong and Courageous: Encouraging campers to challenge themselves with new experiences like archery, canoeing, climbing wall, sports, crafts, music, mountain biking, High Ropes
Servant Heart – Caring for our neighbours and our world: Focussing on empathy, team work, and caring for our environment
Positive Spirit – You Can Do It: We are campers greatest cheerleaders and foster a caring environment
Moral Compass – You have a Purpose: We want campers to know they are loved, and there is a purpose for their lives. We teach them this through Bible lessons and by modelling it in our behaviour