It's a place with no stress, no pressure and no discrimination. Chantal Richer was diagnosed with HIV ten years ago; at Camp Snowy Owl she can share this struggle with her fellow campers -- families with a member who is HIV positive.

"It's just freedom, freedom," says Richer.

"People are so friendly. We can talk about our HIV. We don't have to hide, and nobody judges us."

Formed after AIDS death

Away from the city, the campers can just be themselves. This place is a safe haven where they can drop the masks of their daily lives.

The camp is a dream come true for Lise Turpin, who helped start the Snowy Owl AIDS Foundation after her brother Louis passed away of AIDS.

"One of the things signed on the banner was, 'I didn;t have to keep my secret this week,' " Turpin says.

"We've seen asuch a powerful things come of it," adds Gabrielle Smith, the niece of Louis. "This wouldn't exist without Louis' passing."

Laughter to combat depression

Powerful things like laughter, for 30 people who it might seem, have little to laugh about.

"A lot of people are living alone, by themselves, in depression," says Brent Barton, a volunteer with the camp. "This is a sense of family."

A family that hopes to come together again next year.

With a report from CTV Ottawa's Alyshah Hasham