To celebrate 10 years of working at Camp Couchiching, and to raise crucial funds for the 75-year-old camp for youth, the facility's director of community initiatives, Ross McIntyre, will be shaving off his beard.
“I haven’t had a clean shave in over 10 years, so I figured this would be a great way to raise money for the camp,” McIntyre said.
“As an independent camp, we are feeling the effects of the lack of camp last year as well as the uncertainty this year. This is definitely a time when the camp would benefit the most from a fundraiser for sure.”
The beard fundraiser launched just over a week ago with the goal of raising $3,650. So far, McIntyre and Camp Couchiching have raised 75 per cent of the goal.
“There has been a lot of great support from family, friends, and different parts of the community,” McIntyre said.
“Someone even reached out and said they would match dollar to dollar for the last $500 of the campaign, so it’s really exciting to have the opportunity for people to see their donations doubled.”
The money raised from the beard fundraiser will be used for operating funds and helping send kids to camp.
“We always pride ourselves on having a substantial campership program and that relies on subsidies that if a family needs any sort of additional support, then they can access that,” McIntyre explained.
“We want to make sure there are never any financial obstacles to participation in our programs at Camp Couchiching.”
The funds will also ensure that this year’s camp experience will be memorable regardless of how different programs might be during a pandemic.
“It’s been a challenge for all camps and many organizations across the province over the last year. For Camp Couchiching, as an independent charity, we don’t have any larger affiliations or groups to rely on for support, so it’s made things even more challenging,” McIntyre said.
“The majority of our camps run in the spring and summer and they generate the majority of our revenue, so the uncertainty over the past year has been a challenge, to say the least.”
Despite the challenges and camp programs being closed last year, officials are optimistic that camps will resume in some capacity this summer. Registration for Camp Couchiching officially opened last Friday.
“We aren’t accepting any money for that right now, but people are able to register for our day camp programs because we are hopeful that we will be able to run those this summer. It’s optimism that everyone needs right now,” McIntyre said.
A return to camp this summer is more important than ever for the health and development of local youth, McIntyre says.
“We know that camps are so much more than canoes and campfires, they have positive impacts on personal self-development, confidence, positive social interactions, and physical activity - all things we see every day in the programs that we do run,” he said.
"We see how significant it is to be able to run programs. Everyone in Ontario knows the value of camps.”
Camp Couchiching is committed to opening this summer in any capacity possible if it’s deemed safe to do so by health officials.
“We’ve spent a lot of time diligently planning alternatives and options, so once we get more guidance or insight from the government then we will have something that will fit,” McIntyre said.
To donate to the beard fundraiser, click here.
To register for day camp, click here.
