Heart Heroes Camp
Emerging Leaders in Health Promotion grant program
We can say it all started here, with a grant from the Emerging Leaders in Health Promotion (ELiHP) grant program!
Since its beginnings as a successful recipient of an ELiHP grant in 2016–17, Heart Heroes Camp has grown into a sustainable, resourcefully funded (grants, major fundraising and corporate sponsorship), no-charge(!), wildly successful and popular three-day summer camp for children and youth diagnosed with complex forms of congenital heart disease.
Reflecting on the success of his first Heart Heroes Camp project application to the ELiHP grant program, project lead Devin Chetan says, “This grant (ELiHP) was our first major funding, that came at a time when I wasn’t sure this project would succeed. It gave us the confidence that we would be able to raise the funds needed to run Heart Heroes Camp successfully, and very importantly, free of charge to families. That was a major boost in confidence,” he adds. “And one of the pivotal moments in getting this camp off the ground and running.”
Also key to the success of ELiHP projects are the project mentors; for his 2018–19 Heart Heroes Camp project, Devin is grateful for the mentorship of Dr. Rehana Chatur, a general pediatrician at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. “As she takes care of many patients in our target population, Rehana was able to help by identifying patients for us and inviting them to camp,” explains Devin. “She was involved in almost every step of the planning process, particularly with planning the medical supplies, equipment and processes for camp.” Even fundraising benefitted from Rehana’s involvement, as she worked with the project team to plan events and coordinate fundraising efforts.
