On Tuesday, December 15th, Camp Kawartha hosted its first ever virtual Annual General Meeting. Registered guests watched in safety as Board Chair, Jason Huffman delivered an overview of the Camp’s challenges and accomplishments over the past fiscal year (October 1-September 30).
“I am amazed at how much has changed in one year.” remarked Huffman. “For one of the few times in our long history, because of COVID-19, we were unable to offer summer camp. Also, all outdoor education programs were cancelled. However, I am proud of how flexible and adaptable Camp Kawartha staff were. They responded by creating a virtual summer camp and starting a Forest School for those parents whose children were not ready to go back to regular school. Our organization also took the opportunity to build during a time of relative quiet. We are constructing an innovative Health Centre, an exemplar of sustainable building in action.”
This was Huffman’s last term as Board Chair. Myke Healy moves into this role and he thanked Huffman for his dedicated service for so many years. There were no other changes to the Camp Kawartha’s Board of Directors.
Board members have designated a camper subsidy fund in Huffman’s name to honour his service. The Jason Huffman Fund will provide financial support for one camper each year so they can participate in Summer Camp.
Brad Collyer from McColl Turner LLP reported on the financial health of the organization and noted that Camp Kawartha weathered the financial storm of 2020 which in his words “had the potential to devastate the Camp.” With the help of loans, insurance coverage as well as Camp Kawartha’s fundraising efforts, Collyer congratulated the staff and board members for their hard work and quick response. The auditor’s report is available on Camp Kawartha’s website.
Executive Director, Jacob Rodenburg also provided a summary of all of Camp Kawartha’s accomplishments over the past year, despite the pandemic. He spoke about the Pathway to Stewardship and Kinship Program, a Camp Kawartha initiative that encourages our whole community to provide stewardship experiences for each phase and stage of a child’s development. He spoke about Camp Kawartha’s Eco Mentor Program in partnership with Trent University which provides training in environmental education for student teachers.
Rodenburg also recognized Stephen Ambler, who recently passed away. Ambler was one of the founding Board members of Camp Kawartha as it exists today. Ambler encouraged a group of Rotarians to purchase the Camp from the YMCA in 1985 so it could stay in the hands of children. “We owe Stephen and the others a debt for their courage and vision.” Rodenburg went on to explain.
The keynote address was delivered by renowned naturalist and author Drew Monkman. Monkman provided an overview of the impacts of Climate Change in the Kawarthas. Monkman’s intimate knowledge of the timing of natural cycles has provided him with insights into how nature is reacting to increasing temperatures and erratic weather patterns. He referenced the increased number of 30+degree temperatures this past summer (there were 35 of them this past summer!). His temperature archive of 10 years confirms dramatic differences year over year. Even in this month, we are four degrees warmer than previous years at this time. Monkman provided some practical ideas on what we can do to respond to climate change.
We thank all who attended. Now, on to 2021!!
For more details on Camp Kawartha’s 2019-2020 year at a glance, take a look at our Annual Report.
