TORONTO -- There are a few things 8 year-old Jake missed about going camp this past summer. 

“The swimming’s pretty great,” he tells CTV News Toronto. “They have shark fins you can wear. They also have a polar dip where you can swim the second you get up.” 

He usually visits Camp Oochigeas – a place for families affected by childhood cancer. The charity organization had to quickly pivot their operations when the pandemic began, and added programming to help families suddenly encountering an uncertain situation. 

“All of sudden none of us were going back to school,” says Candice, Jake’s mother. “The first people to reach out to us as a family was Camp Ooch.”

Every week since, the organization has been helping families get through the time at home during COVID-19. 

“Since March, we’ve been serving 100 to 150 families every single week through virtual programs,” explains Alex Robertson, CEO of Camp Ooch and Camp Trillium. “We do programs where kids sign up in their age group and do arts and crafts, drama and sports.”

For Jake and his family, the virtual gatherings have brought joy to an otherwise difficult time. 

“It gave us an opportunity to feel normal in the craziness of what was going on during the pandemic,” Candice says. “It was so nice to see the faces you would see down at the hospital, and the same faces you would see at camp when you’re dropping [Jake] off.” 

The virtual camp experience has been made possible thanks to volunteers, and fundraising initiatives like ‘The Paddle Project.’ What used to be an initiative at a gala has shifted to an online auction to raise money for the camp. 

“We have 100 beautiful paddles that have been designed by artist and celebrities alike,” Roberston explains. 

Some of the paddles have also been designed by frontline workers and former camp attendees. 

“The funds raised will go towards bringing kids like Jake and his sister Kate virtual programs until its safe for us to get our kids back to camp,” Robertson adds. 

As for Jake, he says he looks forward to returning to Camp Ooch in person, but knows that the virtual camp is a way to still have fun while staying safe. 

“Once your child has had cancer, you are prepared for this kind of situation,” says Candice. “It has been wonderful having Camp Ooch support us not only during regular days, but especially through the pandemic.”

You can find out more about The Paddle Project here.