Article Source: Aug 27, 2013, Peterborough Examiner, Rob McCormick
https://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/news-story/8202406-anonymous-donor-helps-camp-kawartha/
An anonymous donation of $25,000 in early summer has allowed Camp Kawartha to upgrade equipment and make purchases that would not have been possible in what was to have been a season of restraint.
“Our outdoor education program suffered a bit because of teachers not doing extracurriculars,” said Adam Strasberg, Camp Kawartha’s summer camp director. “It was looking like a year when we were going to have to tighten our belts a bit in terms of ordering new stuff. But this donation allowed us to go out and get what we needed.”
Strasberg said he was “surprised and very grateful” when he opened an email from an individual who said they wanted to make the donation.
The donor specified that the money was to be spent this year on items related to water-based activities, Strasberg said.
The camp purchased five new canoes, five kayaks, basketball polls, backboards and hoops, four new tents and safety equipment such as spinal boards. There is still some money remaining, which Strasberg said will likely be used to purchase more canoes.
“Because we had the freedom to buy whatever we wanted and had to do it right away, it sort of felt like being a kid in a candy store,” he said. “The day after I got the email, I was on the phone, ordering canoes.”
Strasberg said he knows who the donor is, but wouldn’t say whether the person is local.
“They were pretty strict about keeping it anonymous,” he said. “So I really can’t reveal anything.”
The donor was well informed about the camp’s needs, Strasberg said.
“There were getting information from a staff member or a camper that some of the equipment was getting old and needed replacing, and they took it to heart,” he said.
Strasberg has been in touch with the donor to report on the expenditures, he said.
“We wanted them to see what we’ve done with that money, that we have followed their wishes,” he said. “You want to demonstrate that you have taken all their requests and thoughts seriously, that the money was well-spent.”
While they don’t happen every day, large donations by individuals have been received in the past, Strasberg said. A recent $10,000 gift from a camp board member, for example, was used to put new roofs on some of the cabins.
