Mutasim's Story
25-03-2025
Meet Mutasim.
Mutasim and his twin sister immigrated to Canada with their parents when they were just four years old. Mutasim and his sister are fraternal twins, and Mutasim has a disability that affects his mobility.
Their mother wanted to find them a summer experience where they could be together, but she also wanted it to be a place where they could both learn and grow. That’s when she discovered YMCA Day Camps and the Helping Hands program—a summer camper inclusion program for children with disabilities.
The YMCA was able to find space for Mutasim and his sister at Camp Chippewa, and the Y was also able to find a Helping Hands staff member with enough time to properly learn about Mutasim and train for his exceptionalities.
According to their mother, when speaking with staff, she was met with kindness and a genuine sense of care for her son's development and well-being.
Finding a YMCA Day Camp and the Helping Hands program not only gave her children a safe space to grow—it also allowed her to continue her education with confidence that her children were being properly cared for. “I don’t leave my son anywhere,” she says.
“At the YMCA … I feel like you really care, and you take your time and effort to learn what works best for him.”
Both Mutasim and his sister love camp, but Mutasim tells us he really enjoys canoeing. His sister doesn’t like walking through the water to get into the canoe, but Mutasim, who is carried to the canoe, loves it.
But it was Mutasim’s Helping Hands buddy Corben who really made a difference. Mutasim calls Corben “his best friend” and says he wants to be like him when he grows up.
“You work with kids like my son, you care about seeing a smile on their face at the end of the day. For me, that’s what makes me happy, for them, it makes a huge difference because they feel included, it’s not an easy thing to do,” says Mutasim’s mom.
“I really appreciate your time and everything you do, it is invaluable.”
#ShineOn #IgnitePotential #TheYSavesLives
YMCA Day Camps ignite potential in children, helping them grow into caring, inclusive, resilient individuals.
