After five years of fighting to keep the once-thriving Girl Guide Camp from being shut down, the Camp Tewateno Optimist Club volunteers are relieved, knowing that the camp will continue to exist for another day.
According to a report, the group had put together numerous fundraisers throughout the years to raise the CA$300,000 required to purchase the 100-acre property. However, as their October 30 deadline approached, they began to lose hope. To their delight, local groups stepped up at the last moment to help save the camp.
“Communities Connecting For Children decided to help us, and they put up the $300,000 for the camp. We were able to close the deal, but it didn’t close until November 5 because they came on at the last minute, and there was a lot of back and forth with lawyers,” said Club President Joyce Goodenough.
“I have known those women for a long time as they were members of the original camp committee. I knew they had the best interest of the camp at heart, and so did we,” she said.
Communities Connecting For Children, a registered charity that offers outdoor education, cultural awareness, and wellness to families and children, plans to preserve Camp Tewateno as a campground. Goodenough added that both groups would collaborate as partners to keep the camp and the property running.
Denise Calvert, president of the charity, said that they grabbed the chance when they received an invitation from the Optimist Club about the camp.
The purpose of the foundation, Calvert said, is to help children and teens learn to preserve and protect the environment.
“The camp is a cultural heritage site … the sites are created after certain aspects of our history in Canada. When we used it for Girl Guides, it was wonderful for them to be able to camp on one site, and then come back another year and camp on a different site and get a different heritage experience,” she said. “We hope to carry that tradition on.”
Calvert stated that the organization would work on a name change for the camp over the next couple of months.
Isn’t it amazing how the Camp Tewateno Optimist Club and Communities Connecting For Children saved the Ontario campground? They’re not just stopping there. they’re sprucing up the place for families and kids. It’s all about building a welcoming space for everyone to learn and have fun outdoors!