Meet Mary Jessica Burns
City girl who loves glamping
You have already had the opportunity to sit down with Liam from the LEAP program. For those that do not know, the Leadership, Experience and Adventure Program is held here for two weeks every summer. We also had the opportunity to sit down and talk to MJ.
Mary Jessica, or MJ, as she likes to be called has been coming to Sorrento Centre since she was four years old. That’s 10 years! While MJ would describe herself more as a city girl from Vancouver, she does like to come to Sorrento Centre to get away from the hustle and bustle in the city. She considers coming here glamping because of the comfortable Cabanas, delicious cafeteria food available at her convenience and because she can see all her friends from Alberta and other parts of BC. While she does miss her Starbucks, she wouldn’t trade summer at Sorrento Centre for anything else in the world!
“I really like the community mostly. I love the people. No matter if you’ve been coming here your whole life or this is your first year, you’re going to get welcomed very nicely.”
MJ was the fashionista of all the LEAP kids, and while she may look like she’s ready to walk a red carpet at any given moment, this girl does enjoy the simple things in life. MJ loves the lake here at Sorrento Centre, she especially loves the campfires. For her, it’s a time to sit and relax in nature, something that’s really hard to do in Vancouver due to the overcrowding at the beaches.
“Sorrento Centre is a retreat centre where you get away from reality for a little bit, there are meal plans so you don’t have to worry about cooking, there are so many activities and there’s a lake! And you’re going to feel welcome there’s no way you’ll feel disincluded.”
During her stay at Sorrento Centre, MJ was able to learn more about indigenous culture through the LEAP program, she was able to camp with her friends in Kamloops and she of course got tons of photos for her Instagram by Shuswap Lake. MJ already has plans to come here next year, and she aims to be part of the Summer Youth Staff one day working with children. She was already a hit with kids this year helping facilitate outdoor games, water fights and craft projects alongside the current Summer Youth Staff.
We can’t wait to have MJ back again next year and continue to see all the adventures she will have at Sorrento Centre.
