Christmas Camp 2025
Where Open Ice began. Four days of free hockey over the winter break at Ted Reeve Community Arena, for children from St. Paul Catholic School in Regent Park, led on the ice by professional coaches.
Key facts
The pilot at a glance
- Dates
- 29, 30, 31 December 2025and 2 January 2026
- Arena
- Ted Reeve Community Arena175 Main Street, East Toronto
- Hours
- 9:00 am to 4:00 pmEvery day of camp
- Campers
- St. Paul Catholic SchoolRegent Park, referred through UCC Horizons
- Programming
- 250+ hoursOf free hockey programming
- Equipment
- $4,500 in valueBrand new, fitted, kept
- Sponsors
- Platform InsuranceWith MCW Consultants
- Cost to families
- $0Zero cost, as reported by Beach Metro
The story
A school project that became a camp
Open Ice started as founder Andrew Adair’s IB Personal Project at Upper Canada College. Over the 2025 winter break it put children on the ice for the first time.
Andrew Adair started Open Ice as a Grade 10 student with a simple idea: the reason many children in Toronto never play hockey is cost, not interest. The first camp set out to prove that removing the cost would put children on the ice.
Campers came from St. Paul Catholic School in Regent Park, referred through Upper Canada College’s Horizons program, which works with high-priority schools across the city. Every child was new to hockey, and most were stepping onto the ice for the first time in their lives.
The camp ran at Ted Reeve Community Arena, where professional coaches led the on-ice program and Open Ice funded every place and every piece of equipment. Each child received brand-new, professionally fitted gear, from skates to helmet, and every one of them took it home to keep. Families paid nothing.
Funding came from Platform Insurance, MCW Consultants and the families, friends and neighbours who gave to our first fundraiser.
Four days over the holidays
Each day ran 9:00 am to 4:00 pm at Ted Reeve, with small-group coaching on the ice and a midday break off it.
Monday 29 December 2025 · Day oneFitting and first strides
Campers were fitted for brand-new equipment, then met the coaching staff and stepped onto the ice. For most, these were the first strides of their lives.
- Gear fitting for every child, skates to helmet
- Small groups so each camper had a coach close by
- Learning to stand, glide, fall and get back up
Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 December 2025 · SkillsSmall groups, real progress
Campers worked in small groups for personalized drills matched to their level, with full coaching support on the ice and a midday break for lunch and time together off it.
- Balance, stride and stopping for brand-new skaters
- A stick and puck for the groups that were ready
- Teamwork and confidence built into every session
Friday 2 January 2026 · Closing dayA new year, and gear to keep
The final day of camp, and the first hockey of 2026. Every child went home with the equipment they wore all week, ready to keep playing.
- Full sets of equipment taken home
- Camp alumni invited to keep skating at Saturday sessions
What it proved
The model every camp still follows
Cost is the barrier
Once cost was removed, children who had never played took the ice. Every camp since has been in higher demand than the last.
Students can run a camp
A student founder and the team that became the Headquarters Team took a camp from idea to ice: fundraising, registration, medical forms and equipment.
Owned gear keeps kids playing
Equipment that belongs to the child, not borrowed for a week, is what lets them keep skating after camp ends.
What campers learned
From first steps to first games
Standing and gliding
Balance on skates, a first stride and the confidence to let go of the boards.
Falling and getting up
How to fall safely, get back up alone and stop under control.
Stick on the ice
Handling a puck, passing to a partner and taking a first shot.
Small groups, new friends
Working in small groups with the same coaches and teammates all week.
Lessons beyond the rink
Teamwork, communication, responsibility and perseverance, the transferable skills Open Ice was built to teach.
A place in the game
A full set of equipment and an invitation to keep playing on Saturdays at Upper Canada College.
What people said
From Beach Metro Community News, 28 January 2026, and a public review from a camp parent.
“I am fortunate that my family was able to support my involvement in the sport, but through research and direct community engagement, I became aware that many families do not have that same access due to financial barriers.”
Andrew AdairFounder and President, to Beach Metro Community News, 28 January 2026
“The week-long hockey training with Open Ice Initiative was an outstanding experience for my two children… We are already looking forward to joining again during March Break and the summer.”
Messi FassilCamp parent, Google review
“Hockey gave me confidence, structure, and a sense of belonging and responsibility, and Open Ice is my way of passing those lessons on to others.”
Andrew AdairFounder and President, Beach Metro Community News
“For me, this project is about giving back to my community and making opportunities possible for families who otherwise would not have access to them.”
Andrew AdairFounder and President, Beach Metro Community News
Leadership
What our students gave and learned
The pilot built the systems every camp since has reused.
A first campaign
Our first fundraiser and our first corporate partners, Platform Insurance and MCW Consultants, paid for the places and the equipment.
Registration and records
Registration, medical and waiver forms for every family, filed in the folder structure later standardized for March Break and Summer.
Working with professionals
Students learned to work alongside professional coaches and a school partner, UCC Horizons.
Made possible by
Thank you to our Platinum Partners, MCW Consultants, Platform Insurance, Rockland Resources, TorontoToday and HockeyStickMan; to our Pilot Sponsors, Pizza Pizza and the PHPA; and to our program partners, Upper Canada College, Stronger Together Hockey, the Leaside Hockey Association and the Toronto Leaside Wildcats; and to the twenty-two Community Referral Partners who share our application with the families they serve. Every hour of ice, every set of equipment and every lunch at an Open Ice camp is theirs as much as ours.
Our partners and sponsors
Community Referral Partnerswho share our application with the families they serve
At this camp
The people who made it possible
- Founding sponsorPlatform Insurance Contributed $2,000 toward the first camp.
- Founding sponsorMCW Consultants Cash support for ice and equipment from the very first camp.
- Program partnerUpper Canada College Referred campers through the Horizons program and hosted Saturday sessions after camp.
In the news
Coverage of the pilot
Beach Metro Community News reported more than 250 hours of programming and $4,500 in equipment value, with zero cost to families.
Jan 28, 2026
Feb 15, 2026
Jan 1, 2026
Mar 1, 2026
Camp page
Get involved
It started with one camp
One year on, Christmas Camp 2026 is planned at four arenas across Toronto.
Apply for Christmas Camp 2026. Applying takes about 15 minutes, and every place is free.
Apply nowVolunteerLead a house group on the ice, help with gear fitting, or run the front desk. Student volunteers earn community service hours.
Volunteer with usSponsor a campPartners fund the ice, the equipment and the lunches. One child’s full camp place is $1,060.
Become a partner