The little wooden medal on a string is still in his room. Michael earned it, at 13, for his archery skills at summer camp. But it also marks the year he found his long-sought target: a place where he can be comfortable - and among friends. "He's had a lot of trouble developing appropriate social interaction skills," his mother, Margaret, says. So many times before, the brown-haired boy with blue eyes and an easy laugh would try, and so many times be rebuffed. Michael, who wants to be a journalist or a police officer or a pilot, has attention deficit disorder as well as a learning disability. That meant he was often out of tune with others, poor at picking up on social cues, never quite knowing the right thing to say. He's gotten better, but when he was younger, he "had difficulty, especially in big group situations, just being appropriately social," Margaret says. Camp experiences didn't help much, until he found Camp Ekon. The site near Port Carling, open each summer from July 3 to Aug. 26, is run by the Jesuits, a Catholic order. Once, it boasted a 19th century resort hotel. Today, it brings together an eclectic mix of children from many backgrounds, including some with special needs, who visit for one- or two-week stretches. There are no separate social circles here - just one big circle of friends. Indeed, kids who bring food, even candy, are expected to share it. "Their whole philosophy is very inclusive," Margaret says. "I just feel very grateful that there is a somewhere that is prepared to take individual kids for what they are and work with them." As a not-for-profit organization, Ekon relies on funding from The Toronto Star Fresh Air Fund, which aims to raise $575,000 to send children to camp this summer, the fund's 106th year. Michael's parents dropped him off at Camp Ekon one summer day in 2003. They lingered until the camp's executive director, Father Erik Oland, strode out to meet the boy. Turning to his parents, Michael said, "Okay, you can go now." From that point on, the boy's wide-eyed odyssey spanned canoe trips and story-telling and rock-climbing and, of course, archery. There was also the game with the rope - with two children holding ends of it tight enough for a third to stand on. Like so many aspects of Camp Ekon, it's an act of faith. Sometimes, in that water-girded peninsula of trees, stars and scampering children, there's even a small miracle. In August, Michael will return to Ekon for his fourth year. It already has him bubbling with anticipation. This special year, he's training to be a camp leader, taking other young campers under his seasoned wing. "I'm scared a little bit because it's a new thing for me," he admits. But then comes that old familiar laugh. And you know that, again, Michael will find his mark.