Campfire Chat 🔥
Get to know the incredible leaders helping make camp memories at Vivo.
Devon Parkinson: Inclusion Lead
Devon’s area of specialty is inclusion and disabilities – she holds a degree in elementary education and has been a preschool educator at Vivo for two years. She spent two summers working at a summer camp for children, teens, and adults with a variety of cognitive and physical disabilities and diseases such as cerebral palsy, autism, acquired brain injuries, epilepsy, burn survivors, kidney disease, and ostomies. Devon was a home supervisor at a respite house for children and teens with a variety of disabilities, predominantly working with children with high behavioral needs. Her passion for inclusion has only grown with her experience and we are thrilled to have her on Team Vivo – ensuring all campers – and their parents – feel at ease, confident, and comfortable.
If you could bottle up one smell or sound from camp forever, what would it be?
“That’s an easy one for me — the smell and crackling sound of a campfire.”
For Devon, some of her favourite camp memories were made sitting around the fire as both a camper and a counsellor.
“From singing songs, performing skits, and acting out Robert Munsch stories to roasting marshmallows and chatting with campers about their dreams… some of my best memories happened around a campfire.”
It’s those moments of connection, laughter, and imagination that continue to make camp feel so special.
What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done in the name of camp spirit?
Devon laughs remembering one particularly memorable moment from her summers working at a camp for people with disabilities.
“During those summers, I did a lot of ridiculous things in the name of camp spirit, but one of the most memorable involved attending the camp ‘spa.’”
Her campers styled her hair into what became known as the Q-tip stegosaurus braid and paired it with full zombie clown makeup before sending her off to a camp-wide activity called Kangaroo Court – all in 40-degree heat.
“As part of my sentence, my campers gave me a shaving cream hairstyle,” she says. “It took over an hour to wash my hair afterwards, but it was completely worth it to see all the smiles and laughter.”
If you were a camper today, what would you be the pro at — and what would you secretly try to skip?
“I’d definitely be a pro at arts and crafts,” Devon says confidently.
But climbing activities?
“My feet prefer to stay on the ground.”
Fair enough.
What song instantly puts you into “camp mode”?
“It may sound strange,” Devon says, “but the song that instantly triggers my camp brain is Get Low.”
Why? Because nearly 20 years ago, her camp group created a campfire remix version of the song — and she still remembers almost all the lyrics today.
Honestly, that feels like a peak camp memory.
For Devon, camp has always been about connection, creativity, laughter, and creating moments campers carry with them long after summer ends — even if that includes shaving cream hairstyles and unforgettable campfire remixes.
