The Lord Reading Yacht Club (LRYC) in Beaconsfield was abuzz recently with club members swabbing the decks, polishing their boats, and making final tune-ups to ensure everything was just right for the arrival of the guests of honour.

For the first time, the LRYC hosted a Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada Great Escape on June 20, offering up an afternoon of boat tours, on-land activities, and plenty of food to just over 20 seriously ill children and their families.

“When you have a sick child, it’s not easy to do whatever you want,” said Starlight Children’s Foundation of Canada executive director and West Islander Brian Bringolf. He explained the Great Escapes – one of the Foundation’s numerous programs -- were created to give families of seriously ill children the opportunity to relax and spend a fun time together, while giving them a break from the day to day struggles of caring for a sick child.

Past Great Escapes activities include adapted water skiing, snowmobiling, and go-karting, among many others. Bringolf explained outings are held once a month and touch about 5,000 children and their families in Quebec alone.

“The mission is to brighten the lives of seriously ill children and their families,” he said. “These are the memories you want.”

As the families arrived at the club and signed in, each child was given a captain’s hat as a souvenir of the day. At about 1:30 p.m., complete with fireworks and plenty of noise from the crowd and surrounding boats, Beaconsfield Mayor Bob Benedetti officially declared the day open, thanking all of the Starlight Foundation and LRYC volunteers for their efforts to make the event happen.

“They make it all possible,” Benedetti said.

While some were a little nervous about being on the water at first, all anxiety seemed to drift away as the boats captained by LRYC members made their ways from the club to the lock in Ste. Anne de Bellevue. Families and friends waved at each other as they passed, exclaimed as they went over waves, and even got to try out their own boating skills behind the wheel. In the end, everybody had a smile on their face once they returned to dry land, where face painting, music, and a barbeque spread awaited them.

“They thought it was great getting to Ste. Anne de Bellevue. When we went fast, they didn’t want to stop,” said LRYC member and event volunteer Wesley Reed, who had 10 people on his boat that day. “It’s really nice to have someone who appreciates adventure on the boat.”

Carmen Djemalian, Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada director of operations, said judging from the reaction to Saturday’s event, the Great Escapes program will be back at LRYC next year.

“Everybody loved the idea. People got so excited about it,” she said. The foundation also has a boat docked at the LRYC, which they will use to take Starlight families out boating throughout the summer. “We try to put a smile on everyone’s face,” Djemalian said.

Bringolf pointed out the Great Escapes activities allow families going through similar events to connect with each other and form support networks, and also give seriously ill children the chance to do the things kids love.

“The word I use is magical. We create magical moments. That’s what we do,” Bringolf said. “They’re kids. We give them the chance to be kids.”

For more on the Starlight Children’s Foundation Canada and their various programs, visit www.starlightcanada.ca.

Chronicle, Jacques Pharand