In the Summer of 2020 a group of Senior CK Summer Camp Staff came together to bring a little bit of classic Camp Kawartha fun to our community’s summer at home!
There were crafts, activities, campfires, and more throughout the summer, to keep the spirit of camp alive until we were reunited on Clear Lake in the summer of 2021.
Meet the Team!
Bulma
Hey y’all! I’m Bulma & this will be my 10th summer working at Camp Kawartha! Last year I was the Managing Director, and this summer I’ll be helping to bring the fun of CK to you at home. To keep the spirit of camp alive this summer I’ve been going on long walks and hikes to stay in touch with nature, and connecting online to stay in touch with camp friends!
To keep green I try to reduce my energy use as much as possible, learn about local plants and animals and exclude meat from my diet.
Fabio
Hi! My name is Fabio and I’m one of the virtual counsellors this summer. I’ve been working at Camp Kawartha since 2011, most recently as the Assistant Summer Camp Director. This past year I’ve been working as an educator at Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto. I’ve been keeping myself in the camp spirit by spending lots of time outside hiking around the GTA, mostly in the Rouge Valley. I try to be conscious of my impact on the environment, so I usually walk or take public transit to get where I’m going and have also been reducing the amount of meat that I eat. I can’t wait to see you at our next community campfire!
Bristol
Hey there! My name is Bristol and I am so excited to be apart of CK at Home this summer! This is my 4th summer “at” CK…last summer I had the pleasure of being the Tripping and Environmental Director, better known as “That One Lady Who Really Likes Caterpillars”. This past year I have been studying to be a Paramedic at Cambrian College in Sudbury. Right now, I’m keeping the spirit of camp alive by going on as many hikes and camping trips as possible! When I’m out and about, I like to keep it green by leaving campsites better than I found them, and making sure that I stick to established trails to avoid disrupting wildlife!
Gatsbi
Hey everyone, I’m Gatsbi!
I was drawn to Camp Kawartha because of their commitment to the environment and outdoor education and am excited to be entering my second year on staff! In September, I’ll be starting my fourth year at Trent University where I’m studying environmental science and biology. I’ve been keeping the camp spirit alive at home by sharing my love for the outdoors with my friends and family! By eating a plant-based diet, biking, and limiting my plastic consumption I’m trying to live a “greener” life!
Sarasota
Hey there! My name is Sarasota and this will be my 6th summer working at CK and 10th summer overall! Last summer I was the Leadership Director and this summer I’m a part of the team doing virtual programming for the leadership campers. Throughout the year I go to Queen’s University where I just finished my third year studying Global Development. This past winter I was lucky enough to go on exchange to Singapore! Due to covid I came home a bit early but I’m so grateful to have been able to go on some amazing adventures! Despite not being at camp this summer, I’ve kept the spirit of camp alive at home by going for long walks in the forest with my dog. I also have a few camping trips planned with other staff members to get some camp energy nearby! Apart from that, my family is very sustainably minded and we do our part by keeping most lights off in our house during the day and staying cool with fans rather than air conditioning.
Geller
Hey everyone!
I’m Geller, and this is my fifth summer at Camp Kawartha! I was the program director last summer, and I can’t wait to help you bring some zany CK fun home this summer! In May I completed a degree in Drama in Education from the University of Windsor. To keep the magic of camp alive this summer, I’ve been making some of my favourite camp meals (hello, first day cookies and mini pizzas ♥) and spending plenty of time going on hikes and learning about plant life in my local green space! I’ve been staying eco-friendly this year by reducing my waste through using less single-use plastics, and eating local!
Can’t wait to see you all soon and help you spark some CK magic at home this summer!
Welsh
Hello CK community! My name is Welsh, and this is my 4th summer on staff and 14th summer at camp!! Currently I am in my 3rd year studying Neuroscience and Psychology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia! Sadly last year I didn’t get to come to camp, but this summer I would have been one out your hard counsellors! One of my favourite things to keep me busy during this time is knitting and embroidering! I love to read and go on hikes with friends and family, and I have loved creating content for you guys to explore at home! Its really important in Halifax that we use the compost bin and reduce electricity, so I have been keeping my eye on how much waste I use and I make sure to turn off the lights every time I leave a room! I miss all of my CK family so much and I am so excited for next summer when we can all see each other again!!
Burnzy
Hey everyone!
I’m happy to be joining to CK at Home Team this summer in addition to my regular Camp Kawartha Communications Coordinator position. CK holds a special place in my heart and it’s been my second home since 1998! I’m excited to help this team get all their amazing content out to you this summer and bring a little bit of that CK spirit home.
I spend my non-digital hours currently exploring the neighbourwoods near my home in Ottawa, playing boardgames with my ‘bubble’ friends, knitting, and working away as a full-time Business Marketing student at Algonquin College.
Wham
Hi campers and families,
I’m Adam and I’m the Summer Camp Director. My camp name is Wham and if you’ve been wondering if the moniker comes from the 80s duo, you’d be correct. I come from the age of, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!”
In all my years at camp (going into year 42!), a summer without overnight camp is unprecedented. Camp brought so much to me as a camper that I knew I never wanted to leave. Yet, this year, although we support and understand the closure for our safety, we feel locked out and see CK at Home as a way of sustaining the camp experience; bringing those nurturing and valued traditions we’ve come to expect from camp. A community campfire can never replace that sensation of sitting with your cabin around the campfire and anticipating the week ahead, but hope it allows us to recreate some of that camp magic! It’s good for our health to connect and re-create the sense of fun we expect of camp!
I’m a high school co-op teacher in the TDSB when I’m not doing camp. Like yourselves (if you are a camper), I’ve just spend the past 4 months engaged in remote learning and online platforms. With my experiences, I know the rich connections that can still exist with online meets and look forward as we explore these platforms starting with our leadership campers…and like yourselves (if you are parent), I’ve become more of a home schooling parent to my 2 sons and have become much more familiar with their learning habits and routines. For myself, I’ve rediscovered running (I ran 3 marathons about 15 years ago) except with new aches and pains after running 10K that were not so pronounced 15 years ago.
I’ve been strongly encouraged by the great support from the OCA (Ontario Camp Association) through the pandemic with their guidance (great online meets and a great site, you can find them here) and the progress in Canada to contain the virus. We know we’ll get through this and look forward to camp being better and more important than ever to our emotional well-being when we return.
As for being green, I haven’t filled up at a gas station in over 4 months and have been working on a vegetable garden in my backyard.
I look forward to building momentum with the CK at Home website. It has been great seeing campers, staff and alumni appear in our campfires. I look forward to more camper and staff participation and surprises to come. I also look forward to the innovations and the staying power this platform can have on reaching out to our families and beyond for even greater inclusiveness.
I wish you all the best with the summer ahead. We are all in the same boat trying to make the best of our summer and feeling up to the challenge as we do every summer of presenting and giving the very best of ourselves.
