Dear Parents, campers, staff, alumni, and all that identify with the Camp Kawartha experience!
Thank you for considering and choosing Camp Kawartha.
We are going into our “Wayne Gretzky,” year… that’s right, Camp Kawartha has been running summer
camps at our Clear Lake site since 1921 and we are going into our 99th summer! An appropriate title, as
our Camp Registrar, James White, with that calm and reassuring voice you are likely to discuss your
summer camp questions over the phone with is also know by his camp name “Gretskie.” Give the name
a try, the next time you call.
Our “camp names” is just one tradition that Camp Kawartha holds dear. “Make new friends, and keep
the old,” is another – the chant we sing during our final candlelighting ceremony at the end of each
session – “one is silver, and the other’s gold.” It reminds us that both the new and old are to be
cherished. Appreciate and honour the old, but don’t hold too fast to it as we look forward to the new.
This is how we grow and advance at camp, stay ahead of the current trends as we recognize and prepare
campers for growth in a progressing world. We nurture the values that keep us grounded and that
maintain our integrity while equipping us to face the challenges of the future. “Make new friends and
keep the old,” – our old friend Mother Nature and how to foster and stay true to those roots with the
new challenges and luxuries at our children’s disposable. The old camp staff, your children had as their
first counselors, moving on from their camp careers and the “graduated,” leadership campers of 2019
who are itching to become new staff this summer! It has been a great pleasure and honour to be
witness to this camp life cycle for the past 17 summers and being a part of campers’ formative years.
“Making new friends and keeping the old,” creates the conditions and drive for continual learning and
improvement to better serve you and your children and to better serve our mission. In turn, this gives us
confidence in adhering and holding fast to our values in an ever shifting climate.
For our 99th year, we are bringing back our CK Overnight, a 2-day/1-night session at the end of June for
campers ages 6-9 for a “taste of the Kawartha experience.” Our day camps remain an alternative option
for our youngest campers (ages 4-8) and for slightly older campers (ages 9-12) who like the day camp
format or are not quite ready for the overnight experience. Along with our regular Day Camp (ages 5-8)
which runs every week of the summer, we continue to offer Kinder Camp for campers in or entering
kindergarten, Twilights for our 9-10 years old’s and now our Stars Day Camp Program for ages 11-12
which includes a final night of camping with a Saturday morning pick-up. Finally, we have added an
additional tripping session, a second Algonquin Canoe Adventure (ACA 2), which will run in August.
Some other changes include adjustments to our former Intermediates program which is being replaced
with a 3-week Session AB and an adjustment to Session C with an earlier start time on the Sunday and
pick-up for Friday. In addition, many of our tripping programs have moved positions in our summer
schedule. More information can be accessed on our Dates & Rates pages and links.
2019 was a fabulous summer. We look forward to taking our successes of old and infusing it with new
ideas and energy to create an even better 2020. Your feedback and input is always welcome to ensure
the most ideal conditions are set for your child’s success in reaching their full potential. One of my
favourite parts of the job is talking with families, helping them with choosing a program and answering
questions on anything to do with camp. If you have questions, always feel free to e-mail me at
adam@campkawartha.ca. We look forward to an unforgettable summer! Our priority is excellence, high
quality programming and a commitment to the safe growth of your child.
Sincerely,
Adam Strasberg aka Wham
Summer Camp Director
