By Caroline McConnell, Special to the Examiner
Mon., June 29, 2020
The hiking trails at Camp Kawartha, both at the main site on Clear Lake and others behind the Environment Centre in Peterborough, just became more accessible thanks to a generous donation of two specialized trail chairs by The Kiwanis Club of Peterborough and Motion Peterborough.
“We are absolutely delighted to add these chairs to our accessibility equipment,” said Jacob Rodenburg, Camp Kawartha’s executive director, in a release last week. “These chairs are much more robust than the average wheelchair, and this means any camper or student can join with their peers and friends in an exciting hike through the woods.”
Two chairs were donated, so both the Camp Kawartha and Outdoor Education Centre site and the Environment Centre site will each have a chair.
Camp Kawartha’s main site, located at 1010 Birchview Rd. on Clear Lake, has five trails traversing through the Camp’s 185 acres of forest, fields, and wetlands. The trails are equipped with QR codes that enables hikers to access an online trail guide that explains the natural history of the area.
The camp’s Environment Centre, located at 2505 Pioneer Rd., backs onto the Trent Trails system that is used regularly by the staff there for teaching purposes.
“The Kiwanis Club is so pleased to help out with this purchase,” said Terry McLaren, spokesperson for the Club. “Helping children access a woodland trail, maybe for the first time, is something the whole membership responded to, and we had no trouble making the investment. We know Camp Kawartha will make good use of them.”
Motion Peterborough, located at 329 McDonnel St., helped source the chairs, and recognizing that Camp Kawartha had two sites, donated a second chair to ensure both sites were outfitted, the release stated.
“We thought it was an important contribution to make,” said Shelley McNamara, a Mobility and Accessibility Consultant at Motion Peterborough.
Consultant Rob Carleton agreed. “Motion is a leading provider of mobility solutions, and when we heard the Camp’s story from Terry, it wasn’t difficult to make the decision to help out,” he explained.
“The door is now open to adventure and new experiences for everyone!” Rodenburg said.
Camp Kawartha is an award-winning facility that offers year-round programming for children, youth and adults, focusing on “outdoor education, environmental stewardship, and building leadership skills.” The camp will celebrate its 100th anniversary during 2021 and plans for celebrating this special occasion are underway.
Camp Kawartha is also a registered, not-for-profit charity and has been hit hard financially this year by disruptions to its outdoor education programming and the cancellation of its summer camp. If you would like to help, consider making a donation. Visit http://www.campkawartha.ca and click on the donate button to make your donation safely through CanadaHelps.org. Charitable tax receipts are issued for all donations over $25. Donations can also be designated in memory of or in honour of a special person.