We have officially started our program at Lismore Summer Rec 2026! Our LEADers and I have been getting things ready for the 50 kids that will be attending our summer Rec program from July 6th – Aug 21st 2026.
We are proud to introduce you to this team of outstanding youth who love to laugh and create together and who have already demonstrated exceptional collaboration, engagement and planning skills.
Melanie McDuff: youthLEADArts Mentor and Summer Staff Support
Melanie is a board member with youthLEADarts and has been working with youthLEADarts Nova Scotia since the program began.
She loves to help others and feels happiest when she is at the beach, in the sun and with family.
She plans on continuing to bring in all the LEAD values this summer with a focus on listening to what everyone has to say and empathy so she can support our leaders and kids this summer.
Cohen Ross: Sports and Recreation Leader
Cohen is returning this summer as our sports and recreation LEADer and is excited about bringing in some new games and team building activities. Cohen loves to go fishing, his guinea pig, and A1 pizza. He will be going into grade 12 at North Nova in the fall and he says he will be focusing more on the LEAD value listen to ensure that all of the kids’ needs are met this summer.
Johnny Baker MacDonald: Day Camp Counselor and Recreation Leader
This is Johnny’s first summer with us as a full-time staff member. We are excited to have our 2025 Volunteer LEADer of the summer on our team for 2026. Johnny is going into Gr. 11 in the fall at North Nova and loves his family, lobster, and making people happy. He is going to focus on all the LEAD values this summer because he feels it is important to make the kids feel welcome and excited to be at Summer Rec 2026.
Maya MacGillivray: Arts and Recreation Leader
This is Maya’s 3rd summer with Lismore Summer Rec and she is bringing her love of singing, painting, being active and spending time outside to the team as part of her A-game. Maya will be entering into her first year of med school at University College Cork in Ireland in the fall. Maya’s LEAD goals for the summer are:
Listen: share ideas and collaborate with other leaders
Empathize: make sure every kid feels heard and understood
Act: Take the initiative to build relationships and plan an awesome summer at Rec!
Drive: She is driven to facilitate a fun environment and to build positive relationships with and among participants.
Lacey MacKay: Youth Mentor Leader
This is Lacey’s 2nd year with Lismore Summer Rec and she is bringing her love of mentorship, sports and the arts.
Lacey is entering into her 3rd year in engineering at Dalhousie University and will be bringing her knowledge to share at our new Wednesday Adventure/Design Club.
Lacey loves eating sushi and spending time with her friends in her free time. She is going to focus on the LEAD values of listen and empathize when she is working with young campers.
Zoe MacNeill: Youth and Family Support Leader
This is Zoe’s first summer with us and her focus for the summer is to build strong relationships with each child.
Zoe is getting her BA in Child and Youth Studies at Mount St. Vincent University. She loves being outside, her friends and her family.
Zoe will bring all 4 LEAD values with her, however she says empathy is the most important to her because it is a good trait to have, especially working with those who have different perspectives from us, and with children who need more support than others.
A big Thank you to SKILLS, Canada Summer Jobs, Lismore Hall, Municipality of Pictou County (MOPC), Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia, Free to PLay and youthLEADarts for helping to fund this program!
