This award was established to recognize the contributions of volunteers and volunteer members. The award is presented to individuals whose service and commitment to the organization have merited special mention and to acknowledge a significant and special contribution to the work of the Ontario Camps Association in the year of presentation.
The 2025 Recipients of the Volunteer Recognition Award are Autumn Elzinga, Jon Fredrick, Cassidy Gillmore, Jack Goodman, John Hannant-Minchel, Joshua Legault, and Nathan Whan.
Autumn began her camp journey at Camp Muskoka as a counsellor in 2019 and was instantly hooked- camp even introduced her to her long-time partner of five years. She went on to complete her Practical Nursing diploma at Niagara College and returned to camp life as a Camp Nurse at Camp Pathfinder in 2022 and 2023.
The quick thinking, adaptability, and organized chaos of camp nursing proved to be excellent preparation for her off-season role in the Emergency Department. Driven to continue growing her practice, Autumn returned to school at McMaster University to complete her BScN, achieving her Registered Nurse designation in December 2025.
Since 2022, Autumn has been an active member of the OCA Health Committee, contributing to conversations and initiatives that support safe, effective healthcare delivery across Ontario camps. She is deeply passionate about leadership and believes camp plays a unique and powerful role in fostering confidence, resilience, and growth in both youth and emerging leaders.
A long time ago at a camp far, far away Jon began a journey that would shape who they have become. On the shores of Canoe Lake at Camp Ahmek, Jon found refuge from the school bullies and was able to start his journey of discovering the joys of camp and being authentically themselves.
Through many years, trials, tribulations, careers, lay-offs, Jon arrived back on Canoe Lake working for the first time as a camp professional at The Taylor Statten Camps with his family by his side. Their journey continued to the shores of Lake Ontario as the Sailing Office & Camp Manager at the Royal Canadian Yacht Club. In 2019, Jon arrived at Sparrow Lake Camp as the Associate Director and has been thriving there ever since.
As Jon’s Camping Career progressed so did his exploration of their identity. Inclusion and equality have always been important to Jon, yet the realization that they were part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as a Non-Binary individual, focused their desire to ensure that all camps embrace Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The EDI Committee has benefited from Jon’s commitment and passion.
As a mentor of EDI for everyone at SLC, he carries this into their OCA work. Jon advocated for, and now chairs the 2SLGBTQIA+ Affinity Group. A new space for 2SLGBTQIA+ Camp folks to share their experiences and feel safe. Jon has created a safe space for all, truly accomplishing the goal that the EDI Committee set out to achieve.
Cassidy has been part of the Camp Walden community for 11 years and currently serves as the camp’s Registered Nurse and Healthcare Coordinator. She loves working in the health centre and is passionate about creating a safe, healthy environment where both campers and staff can thrive. Cassidy is always looking for ways to strengthen camp healthcare and enhance the camp experience.
For the past four years, Cassidy has been a dedicated member of the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) Health Committee, where she is recognized for her strong commitment to advancing camp health education and support. She has helped plan and deliver the annual OCA Health Care Conference, including hosting sessions and supporting the conference experience. Cassidy has also contributed to the OCA Health Bulletin and supported OCA Health webinars, helping share practical, relevant resources with camp health professionals across Ontario.
Cassidy is honoured to receive the OCA Volunteer Recognition Award and is proud to contribute to strengthening camp health and wellness across the province.
Jack began working at Camp New Moon in the mid 1970’s, becoming director in the late 1980’s, assuming ownership from his father Al, in 1993. While Jack continues to provide leadership at New Moon, he feels privileged to see his son Zack become a 3rd generation director and owner. Jack has contributed to the OCA in various ways, including serving on the Standards Committee along with being a member of the OCA Board of Directors. He was one of the founding board members of Kids in Camp, where he continues to serve as Vice President. After 34 years of service to the University of Toronto, Jack retired his Professorship and currently maintains an appointment as Professor Emeritus. In 2020, Jack was asked to serve as Chair of the OCA’s COVID-19 Task Force, where he provided leadership to a tremendous team of camp leaders, who worked with numerous government officials and organizations, enabling camps and outdoor centres to reopen and operate safely after the pandemic in 2021. The following year, he continued to serve as a member of the OCA’s Industry Recovery and Sustainability Committee.
John began his camp career in 2013 as a counsellor at Olympia Sports Camp and joined Camp Tamarack in 2015, where he spent eleven years in various roles, including Counsellor, Unit Head, Director of Outdoor Education, and Summer Assistant Director. Across these roles, John became known for his people-centered, values-driven leadership and his ability to design programs and systems that supported campers and staff with diverse ages, backgrounds, and experience levels.
At Camp Tamarack, John provided innovative leadership by revitalizing the Outdoor Education program with skill-based learning, developing mission-driven staff training, and creating onboarding and support structures that helped new and international staff feel connected and prepared. His leadership emphasized relationship-building, intentional programming, and honest feedback, fostering a culture where campers and staff felt safe, supported, and seen. In November 2025, John joined Camp Robin Hood as Assistant Director, where he continues his commitment to youth development and community building.
Beyond camp, John is an active volunteer with the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) and the Canadian Camping Association (CCA). With the OCA, he serves as a standards visitor, member of the Conference and Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committees, Co-Chair of the Outdoor Education Committee, and contributor to the Young & Emerging Professionals group. With the CCA, he serves on the Communications and National Partnerships Committees. Whether leading youth at camp or supporting the broader camp community through volunteer service, John is driven by a deep belief in camp’s power to positively shape young people’s lives through connection, purpose, and intentional leadership.
Josh Legault is a camp health leader and a dedicated volunteer within the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) community. With more than a decade of experience in camp healthcare supporting camper wellbeing, Josh brings a steady, practical approach to strengthening health and safety practices across the sector. Josh serves as a Healthcare Coordinator at Camp Walden, where his work centers on medication safety, staff support, and creating systems that help health teams run smoothly—especially when camp is moving at full speed.
Over the past two years, Josh has been a committed and reliable member of the OCA Health Committee, consistently showing up prepared, contributing thoughtful ideas, and stepping in wherever support was needed. He played an integral role in advancing key initiatives, including planning and coordinating the annual OCA Health Conference in 2025 and helping develop and organize online webinars that provide accessible, relevant health education for camp professionals throughout the year. Over the past year, he has also contributed to the OCA/Food Allergy Canada working group developing a camp anaphylaxis guideline, supporting efforts to strengthen consistent, evidence-informed practices that help camps prepare for and respond to serious allergic reactions. His calm, collaborative style and genuine commitment to continuous improvement have strengthened the resources available to camp health teams and the broader OCA community.
Outside of camp, Josh works as a pediatric float pool nurse in Detroit, Michigan, and is pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice–Family Nurse Practitioner (DNP-FNP) degree at Wayne State University.
Nathan is part of Camp Quality Canada as their Sr. Coordinator of Programs, where he inspires and supports camp leaders around the country! Known for his positive energy, collaborative spirit, and steady stream of fresh ideas, he continually pushes projects and conversations to the next level. His passion for uplifting others and strengthening the camping movement reflects the very best of OCA values and has made a lasting impact on those who work alongside him. He understands the transformative power of camp, allowing both campers and staff to grow, learn, reflect and play!
He takes this approach with him in his time co-chairing the OCA Young and Emerging Camp Professionals group. During this, he works to create welcoming spaces for connection and professional growth, ensuring new and developing leaders feel seen, supported, and inspired within the OCA community. Furthermore, he served on the 2025 OCA Conference planning committee, where he took lead on coordinating all conference volunteers and room hosts. He finds it is such a pleasure to support such an incredible camp community.
