COVID-19/CORONAVIRUS UPDATE FOR SUMMER 2020
Hello Kenesserie Camp Family
I hope that you and your families are healthy and safe. I have been thinking a lot about our campers and families this last while. This isn’t an email that I would have ever thought I would be writing 5 months ago. I know this isn’t an email that any of you are wanting to receive.
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that at the Monday, May 18th meeting of Kenesserie Camp’s Board of Directors, the decision was made that holding on-site programming at camp this summer in a way that was safe for our campers and our staff was not possible and that our 2020 camping season would be cancelled. This was followed by the announcement on Tuesday, May 19th by Premier Ford that overnight summer camps in Ontario would remain closed for the summer of 2020.
This difficult time requires difficult choices to be made and I believe that not holding overnight camp this summer is the right choice. It wasn’t an easy choice for us to make and I am sure it wasn’t an easy choice for our provincial government to make. It also won’t be an easy thing for you and the camper in your family to hear. We are sad and disappointed along with you and them. We know that for many, camp is a highlight of their summer if not year. I know July and August are my favourite months of the year.
Please let your camper know that it is okay to be sad about this. This isn’t normal, this isn’t what any of us were thinking of when 2020 began. To help you talk to your child about camp being cancelled this summer we have found this resource for “How to Help Your Child Cope with the Cancellation of Summer Camp”.
While this is sad, this is not the end. We have plans in the works for a combination of online and camp-in-a-box programs to keep the Kenesserie family connected. You will be getting details on that later this month. For now, we are going to keep going live with Kenesserie Connects Mondays and Wednesdays at 4 pm on Facebook and Instagram, and Fridays with an interactive Google Meet. This is a great way to connect with other campers and staff.
While camp happens for most families in July & August, there is year round work and expenditures required to make our program happen. With the cancelling of summer camp and the loss of all site rentals, Kenesserie Camp will be suffering an almost entire loss of revenue for 2020.
You have the power to make sure that Kenesserie Camp can overcome this hurdle. Please help us ensure that camp can continue building better kids for years to come. Donations can be made by call 519-674-2497 or by mail to Kenesserie Camp, 18669 Kenesserie Road, Ridgetown, ON N0P2C0 or by e-transfer to donations@kenesserie.com.
If you have any questions or need to talk about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Stay safe and stay healthy.
Dan Richards, Executive Director
I hope that you and your families are healthy and safe. I have been thinking a lot about our campers and families this last while. This isn’t an email that I would have ever thought I would be writing 5 months ago. I know this isn’t an email that any of you are wanting to receive.
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that at the Monday, May 18th meeting of Kenesserie Camp’s Board of Directors, the decision was made that holding on-site programming at camp this summer in a way that was safe for our campers and our staff was not possible and that our 2020 camping season would be cancelled. This was followed by the announcement on Tuesday, May 19th by Premier Ford that overnight summer camps in Ontario would remain closed for the summer of 2020.
This difficult time requires difficult choices to be made and I believe that not holding overnight camp this summer is the right choice. It wasn’t an easy choice for us to make and I am sure it wasn’t an easy choice for our provincial government to make. It also won’t be an easy thing for you and the camper in your family to hear. We are sad and disappointed along with you and them. We know that for many, camp is a highlight of their summer if not year. I know July and August are my favourite months of the year.
Please let your camper know that it is okay to be sad about this. This isn’t normal, this isn’t what any of us were thinking of when 2020 began. To help you talk to your child about camp being cancelled this summer we have found this resource for “How to Help Your Child Cope with the Cancellation of Summer Camp”.
While this is sad, this is not the end. We have plans in the works for a combination of online and camp-in-a-box programs to keep the Kenesserie family connected. You will be getting details on that later this month. For now, we are going to keep going live with Kenesserie Connects Mondays and Wednesdays at 4 pm on Facebook and Instagram, and Fridays with an interactive Google Meet. This is a great way to connect with other campers and staff.
While camp happens for most families in July & August, there is year round work and expenditures required to make our program happen. With the cancelling of summer camp and the loss of all site rentals, Kenesserie Camp will be suffering an almost entire loss of revenue for 2020.
You have the power to make sure that Kenesserie Camp can overcome this hurdle. Please help us ensure that camp can continue building better kids for years to come. Donations can be made by call 519-674-2497 or by mail to Kenesserie Camp, 18669 Kenesserie Road, Ridgetown, ON N0P2C0 or by e-transfer to donations@kenesserie.com.
If you have any questions or need to talk about this, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Stay safe and stay healthy.
Dan Richards, Executive Director