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Verified Reviews of Variety Village

What parents and campers say about Variety Village in reviews. Starred reviews are exclusive to OurKids.net. We also collect reviews and testimonials from around the web.

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More details about property: From our 76,000 square foot fieldhouse, 200m indoor track, 3 full sport courts, rock climbing wall, a high ropes obstacle course, cardio room and weight room to our swimming pool, hot pool and full range of accessible equipment, we have something to fit #everyBody™. Whether you’re a serious athlete or working on getting fit and staying healthy, you can do it at Variety in our welcoming, family-oriented, inclusive environment.

Is your property accessible for persons with disabilities? Yes. Variety Village is Toronto’s leading inclusive community hub for fitness, recreation, and adaptive sports. For over 70 years, we’ve provided accessible programs for people of all ages and abilities — from kids to seniors, beginners to athletes.

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Stories

• Yes, Mason, there is a Santa Claus
  Saint Nick can kick back today at the North Pole safe in the knowledge that his biggest fan adores him and stands ready to protect his integrity from all pretenders. Mason Pyper, 9, is no ordinary kid. Perhaps Santa has seen Mason’s list of challenges, and checked it twice. It includes, in no particular order: A genetic deletion of the 15th chromosome believed to be unique in the world. Marfan syndrome, which affects connective tissue, gives Mason unusual height and length of limbs and can lead to things like ruptures of the heart. Epilepsy. Hypotonia, or weak muscle tone. Intellectual development delay. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Autism. Oh, and one other condition, less medically menacing. ESO. Extreme Santa Obsession. “Mason LOVES Santa Claus,” says big sister Mary, 13. “Santa is his idol,” adds his other sister Annabel, 11. “Talks about him all year,” says their dad, Andrew. It started about four years ago, when Mason saw the Kurt Russell/Goldie Hawn flick The Christmas Chronicles. He has watched it almost weekly ever since, his sisters tell me. So, Mason knows exactly what Santa looks like, which can be a problem. Sadly, Santa does not always look like Kurt Russell, including the other day at a west Scarborough mall. “He’s a fake Santa,” Mason told his sisters, and marched over to the big red chair. “You’re not the real one,” he told the un-Kurt-Russell-like Santa, in his halting way. “But, yes. Yes, I am,” replied the bemused old elf. “No, you’re not. I can see your hair.” Bystanders held their breath. “C’mon, Mason,” said Mary, calmly. “Let’s go check out the dollar store.” Thank heaven for big sisters. “They’re fantastic at keeping the magic going,” says their dad. Which brings us to Variety Village. Mason and little Anderson, 6, are off somewhere making brotherly mischief. Their dad once worked here as a lifeguard, so he knew what it could do for Mason — and the whole family. “When Mason was first diagnosed (at three months) they told us he may never walk, he may never talk,” says his mom, Jenny. “They were a bit off.” Years of speech, physio and occupational therapy have seen to that, as has Variety Village. All the Pypers are regulars here. Mary and Annabel have starred on the Flames or synchronized swim teams over the years. The boys also swim, or gambol about the playgrounds of the big fieldhouse and are regulars at the Village’s legendary summer camps. Mason does taekwondo, too. “I love that we can all do stuff in the same place,” says Mary, “and Mason’s not the only one here who needs extra help. I don’t think we could find that anywhere else. People would stare at us. Here they don’t. “He’s my little brother, so I want him to be safe.” So, what’s it like having a brother like Mason? “I’m glad in a way,” says Annabel. “I treat people with disabilities like any other person, but I know not everybody does. Maybe I’d be mean like that, too, if Mason wasn’t my brother.” I doubt it. The Pypers, each in their way, are a formidable force. They have to be. Mason’s future, frankly, is uncertain. His genetic glitches are so unusual, no one’s sure of their long-term effects. No doubt, he’ll be shopping at Big & Tall. He’s already outgrown youth clothes and his foot size nearly matches his age — a men’s size 8 ½ . I suspect a certain rotund fellow in red will long be part of Mason’s life. “Maybe he’ll believe in Santa Claus forever,” says Mary. “I hope so.”
• Why I love Variety Village
  Hello, I’m Zach and I want to tell you how much Variety Village does to support kids like me – with help from people like you. The Village is an amazing place and an amazing community. It has had such an impact on my life and the lives of many others, mainly because of the fantastic people who work there or who visit the Village every day. This is a charity that goes above and beyond to support people with disabilities. They do this in a number of ways. One of my personal favourites is the teams. Variety Village creates and supports teams for everything from swimming to wheelchair basketball. All of these programs allow kids with disabilities like me to be part of a team and accomplish our goals. For example, I am on the Flames swim team, which gives me the opportunity to go to the Paralympics one day. Several of my teammates have already gone and I can’t wait to join them. However, one of the best aspects of Variety Village and its programs is that they include everyone. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what kind of condition you have. Variety Village does its best to make sure everyone is included. A great example of this is the Volt hockey team. I know you are probably reading this and saying, “What on earth is Volt hockey?” Let me explain. Volt is hockey in a kind of go-kart with a four-way stick on the front in the shape of the letter T. We chase after a small ball, like it’s a puck. Oh, I forgot to mention that the carts can turn on a dime and go up to 13 km/h. That’s fast. We always laugh when an ‘able-bodied’ person like Mike tries to drive one of those carts, like they’re riding lightning and trying to parallel park. I love Volt hockey, and not just because it’s an amazing sport, but because anyone can play – all you need is one operational finger and you’re good to go. You may have read Mike’s stories of the Volt World Cup in Sweden a couple of years ago. I got to go with the Variety team. I was proud to represent Canada and we won a silver medal in our division. It is amazing that we have a place like Variety Village that gives people a chance to try sports who might not have a chance anywhere else. Also, Variety Village does so much more than sports. The summer camps are amazing, too, with special supports so that kids with disabilities can go to summer camp like everyone else. In addition to giving people access to all these programs, the Village is open to the public. We have a giant swimming pool, a huge gym and weight room, a courtyard that includes an entire park and rock climbing wall. Not to mention, the swimming pool has an amazing high dive. Arguably more important than all of that, even more important than the high dive, is the community at Variety Village. Everyone is always so caring, kind and accepting of other people. A lot of my friends are people I hang out with at Variety Village, like my best friend, Liam Marriage. So, I want to say thank you to anyone who’s contributed to this amazing place whether you work there as a volunteer, a coach, whether you’re an anonymous donor or a friendly face I see at the door. Thank you so much for helping to make sure we have this amazing community. I hope you get a chance to visit the Village and see for yourself its impact on kids like me. Oh, and I hope you have a very Merry Christmas.

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