A summer camp in Alberta that caters to underprivileged kids says it needs to expand to meet high demand.

Every year, around 800 children go to Brightwood Ranch, west of Edmonton, where they take part in archery, horse-riding and other activities. Dozens more are turned away from the camp.

"To put a child, registered into camp and then phone him on Friday and tell him I don't have enough staff as well, which has been the case sometimes ... that gets hard too," said Brent Ankrom, director of Brightwood Ranch.

Many of the camp’s visitors stay for free, while others pay a low fee.

Ankrom says it can be difficult to find staff who know how to supervise kids with troubled backgrounds. He says he’s training older campers to become counsellors, but that they still need to expand.

"Our staff share their stories ... it gives the kids a chance to realize that, you know, there's other people that have gone through the stuff that I'm going through,” he said.

“No matter how difficult the situations we go through are, there's hope ... And there's a future for them.”

Hope Mission, which owns the camp, has started raising money for the expansion.

With files from the CBC's Niall McKenna