Join a tradition that spans over seventy years.
In 1953, diabetes looked very different than it does today. It had only been just over twenty years since Leonard Thompson received the very first injection of insulin. It would be another twenty year before blood glucose meters found their way into homes. Insulin pumps and continous glucose monitors would take another 50 years. It was against this backdrop that a group of volunteers came together to launch Canada’s first diabetes camp for children, Camp Banting.
It was in the heart of this history that a group of volunteers decided to launch Canada’s first diabetes camp for children.
With sponsorship from the Kiwanis Club of Ottawa, the camp received $1,500 in seed funding. The YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region offered a campsite, and local doctors and nurses volunteered their time to staff the camp. In the summer of 1953, children facing the challenges of diabetes packed their bags and headed off to camp. How magical is that?
The camp grew and evolved over the years, driven by a deep passion for its community and a strong commitment to its children. In the early 1980s, the Canadian Diabetes Association (now Diabetes Canada) began collaborating closely with the Kiwanis camp committee, eventually taking on full sponsorship a few years later.
In 2018, Camp Banting reached a significant milestone, transitioning to operate independently as a camp for children and families affected by diabetes. The camp continues to thrive under the guidance of its experienced medical leadership and dedicated volunteers. Today, members of the Board of Directors and the Camp Committee, as well as the Camp Directors and program leaders, all share a unique connection to Camp Banting—they were once campers and staff themselves. They are deeply committed to the mission of Camp Banting, ensuring its continued success as both a camp program and an independent charity.
A Type 1 diagnosis can be scary. At Camp Banting, we sprinkle in a little magic—through community, connection, and laughs—to help make the journey a bit brighter.
Our impact measured in dreams realized.
A diagnosis of type 1 diabetes often ushers a family into a kind of secret club. We know the heartbreaking stories and the overwhelm that comes with the moment you leave the hospital holding a vial of insulin and a million questions. That uncertainty about the future, the doubts, the fear—it can feel like you’re standing at a fork in the road, heading into an unknown, shadowy place.
There’s a new language to learn: boluses, basals, glucose, glucagon, the ongoing rollercoaster of highs and lows, test strips and lancets, and CGM alarms. Juice boxes become a regular staple. And staring into the fridge often feels more like strategizing than snacking—calculating carbs, insulin, blood sugar, and time.
Then there are the questions. Can my child still play hockey? What happens if they have kids? Will they manage living at university on their own?
The anxiety wrapped up in those questions? It’s completely normal.
At Camp Banting we believe that alongside the challenges of diabetes are oppurtunities for joy, resilience, and victories. We’ve seen our campers and families grow beyond their wildest dreams. We’ve seen scholarships achieved, marathons raced, and lives lived to the fullest. We’ve seen the closest of friendships made and obstacles overcome through the bonds of peer support. We’ve seen the real world of our campers become better than that of our imagination.
Camp helps kids reach for the stars—one confident step at a time.
Connection.
Children with diabetes are often the only one in their school, family, sports team, and communties who live with the disease. We know this often leads to feeling differnt then their peers, leaving them with few people who can understand the challenges of diabetes.
The cornerstone of camp is community. Camp Banting fuses this community with the power of peer support while navigating diabetes. Campers often say that going to camp is like coming home. They don’t need to hide or explain their diabetes. Kids can just be on the level with each other.
Many of our counsellors live with diabetes and were campers themselves. Their leadership reinforces our community and culture.
Campers build solid friendships that last beyond camp through living with others, participating in challenging activities with them, and finding support in each other.
Competence.
A child who takes on new challenges pushes the edge of their comfort zone. The camp environment allows them to take these challenges safely, surrounded by positive support. Because of this, they succeed at meeting them.
Climbing walls and ropes courses require our campers to work with fear and anxiety; overcoming these gives them confidence and self-esteem. Soccer and sports require working together as a team, fostering teamwork and leadership. Eating meals and sharing rooms as a cabin group requires communication and compromise, which builds self-advocacy and the capacity to share.
This intentional building of competence translates seamlessly to a child’s diabetes. They learn to build and succeed at skills they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. We celebrate first injections and pump site changes in a place where everyone knows how big those milestones really are.
Autonomy.
Do you remember the first time you rode a bike on your own? Not a tricycle, but a proper two-wheeler with pedals? The repeated attempts to stay balanced, the time it took to finally “get it”?
Can you recall that feeling of accomplishment when you pedalled under your own power for the first time?
Developing independence is a key plank of resilience. It’s through connection, competence, and autonomy that kids develop resilience to handle the trials of the world.
By being away from home our campers taste independence. They develop their edges and the satisfaction of success imprints their character.
They learn that they’ve got this.
This confidence stays with them into new schools, new situations. It stays with them as they leave the home to realize dreams.
We Work With Amazing People
Our camp is an intersection of like minded partners.
Camp Banting Medical Team
CHEO is a pediatric health and research center providing outstanding family-centered patient care, pioneering breakthrough research, and training the health care professionals of tomorrow.
Camp Banting’s Medical Director, Sarah Lawrence, has been an endocrinologist at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for 27 years, and was formerly the Division Head. Many of our campers come from CHEO’s clinic. Many doctors, nurses, dietitians, residents, and interns from the hospital have volunteered their time at camp serving our campers.
Our community makes camp possible
Through generous support, we provide life-changing camp experiences.
Camp Banting is a registered charity and all donations received through our website are tax-deductible.
Our camp runs on people. You’re one of them.
Our camp exists because people believe in it, and because they step forward to help.
For generations, Camp Banting has been a place where children and families living with diabetes find confidence, connection, and community. That work continues today through the dedication of volunteers, medical professionals, alumni, partners, and donors who care deeply about keeping a local camp strong and accessible.
Our camp runs on people.
You’re one of them.
As an independent charity, Camp Banting is now responsible for raising the funds that make our programs possible. Every donation goes directly toward supporting diabetes camping in Eastern Ontario, with the vast majority used to sponsor children who otherwise couldn’t afford to attend.
You’ve read our philosophy.
You know the impact a week at camp can have.
Please consider clicking the donate button to help ensure that no child is turned away and that our campfire continues to burn bright for the families who need it most.
(Service groups and corporate sponors are encouraged to contact us directly.)
Where Can We Take You From Here?
Choose your own adventure.
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Our program information page will (hopefully) answer all of your questions!!
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