Camp Opening 2008

A big thank you to everyone who was out to help at Camp Opening this past Saturday. We had about sixty people and a lot of work got done. New roofs and doors were put on Etesian and Eagle's Wing cabin, and the strapping is all set to go on the Nature Nook. The Nature Nook, Tundra, and Bonsai are all cleaned out and ready for new bunk beds. Many of the cabins were given a thorough cleaning. The kitchen and dishroom were cleaned and are almost ready for the summer. About seventy trees were planted around the site. Special electrical work also got done. The office was also cleaned out.

Thanks to the help of so many dedicated volunteers, the camp is starting to look more ready for the summer! If anyone wants to come and help out with maintenance this spring, just give the camp office a call. We are always happy for volunteer help!

Some staff, alumni and campers at opening.

Part of the tree planting team.

New roofs at Kumbayah!

Church Services and Full Camps

Camp Kintail Staff and LITs at the Knox, Listowel Camp Kintail Sunday. Over the past few Sundays, the Kintail staff has been on the road, helping to lead worship at New St. James in London, Central in Brantford, and Knox in Listowel. We love to meet the campers and past campers, staff, and volunteers who have made such a difference to Kintail. Look at our calendar on the front page for a listing of the churches will be at throughout the spring.

More and more registrations come in every day. A few of our camps are now full. K3 Explorers, K1C - Canoe Seekers, K2V - Volunteers of Kintail, and K8V - Volunteers of Kintail are all full. The other VOK weeks are close to being filled as well. While there is room in the rest of our camps, please do not delay in sending in your registrations in order to avoid disappointment. They will be filling up quickly now that the good weather has arrived!

First Trip in to Camp

On Saturday, some members of the maintenance committee took a trip into camp to see how the site made it through the winter. The good news is that everything looks great! As you can see, there is still a lot of snow on the ground up at camp. Camp opening is in less than a month - so we need it all to melt!
Cabins

Harmony House

Beach Stairs

LIT Program Day 2008

On Saturday, the program staff and the LIT applicants gathered at Elmwood Avenue Presbyterian Churhc in London. We had a great day filled with games and activities and the first campfire of 2008. It was a wonderful group of LIT applicants, who will be at camp this summer learning leadership and counselling skills. We are outside playing a game in the parking lot.

The program staff are introducing themselves.

Leader in Training

This summer Camp Kintail is offering three unique Leader in Training programs. All three programs teach skills in leadership, communication, conflict resolution, camper behaviour, special needs, and worship planning. In each program, participants have the opportunity to work with counsellors in a cabin to develop their counselling skills. The age range for this program is 16-17 (can be 15 and completed grade ten).

The programs that run through the month of July and the month of August include a week of out-tripping. One month will go on a canoe trip while the other group will go hiking. Through these trips, participants will learn outdoor leadership skills and develop their confidence in tripping. The leaders of this program are the amazing Cirque and Chimpanzee.

The program that runs through the middle of the summer has a special emphasis on music and art leadership. They will go on a short overnight, but their main emphasis will be on developing skills in music, art, drama, and guitar. During Kintail Express, these LITs will put on a musical production and help lead camper activities. They will also have special guests come to teach them about their areas of expertise in various art disciplines. The leaders for this group are the creative Pacific and Desert.

Please see the Kintail website – www.campkintail.ca – for an LIT application form. The deadline is extended to March 7th and the LIT Wannabe Day is March 15th.

Kintail Connections

One of the best things about camp is the Kintail connection that joins us, even years after we attended a week of summer camp or spent a summer on staff. Recently, I had two neat connections with past staff that happened randomly. On Saturday, February 9th, the counselling staff applicants met at New St. James Presbyterian Church in London for a program day and interviews. While we were getting our boots and coats off, a group came in to the church to hang up posters for a local theatre group. One of the group members was Fraser Allen, a former Kintail staff member and camper. And then this past Saturday, my family was in Mountain Equipment Co-op in Toronto, and we bumped into Tyler and Jesse Ledger, two former staff members.

What are your best Kintail connection stories? If you would like, leave a story in the comments below.

Announcing the Program Staff of 2008

On January 26, the program staff hopefuls of 2008 were interviewed. There were a lot of talented and skilled applicants and the decisions were difficult to make. The program staff for this summer are a wonderful group with many incredible gifts and a lot of camp experience. Here is the program staff of 2008:

Assistant Directors: Alison "Algae" Podio & Amy "Forest" Reinders
Outtripping LIT RC's - Jo "Cirque" Taylor & Alison "Chimpanzee" Woodley
Soujourners/ Music & Art LIT RC's - Meagan "Pacific" Down & Megan "Desert" Garner
Outtripper - Shelagh "Flame" O'Neill
Program Director - Cory "Stump" Vos
Music & Drama - Laura "Monsoon" Johnson
Arts & Crafts - Jill "Kowari" Fergusson
Nature - Catherine "Calyx" Lamoureux
Waterfront Team - Heather "Flare" O'Neill & Liam "Wombat" Reilly
Babysitter/Adventure - Elizabeth "Aphid" Cripps
Maintenance - Ben "Yeti" Zavitz

They are an amazing team! Look for their bios and pictures on the main staff page shortly.