Building a legacy

Camp Stephens looks very different this summer. No kids are on the island.

Due to the pandemic, in the best interest of the health and safety of campers, staff and the surrounding community, camp and the wilderness canoe program was cancelled in May.

So camp looks and sounds like nothing we’ve seen. An empty dining hall, a quiet swim dock – the normal sounds of a normal summer at camp are missing.

Camp staff and volunteers are using this time to get several repairs done on the island that haven’t been possible in past years.

The largest project at camp is the new 4,507 square-foot depot. It will be a welcome addition to camp when kids return. While the depot is almost finished, funds are still required to pay for the cost to build it.

More needs to be done. 

Fixing staff and camper cabins, repairing the main boat dock, upgrading the kitchen and dining hall windows and a building a fence for the new shop are but a few things. Upgrades to the shower house and washrooms, built in the early 1980s, are another priority.

The financial need to pay for some of this work has increased. With no campers, camp has no income. Yet the work still has to get done.

You can help by donating to Y’s Build a Legacy Campaign. Your donation will ensure camp is in a stronger position when campers return, providing young people with unique and challenging experiences to grow in spirit, mind and body. 

To donate to, or talk to someone about the capital campaign, please see Capital Campaign: Help us Build a Legacy.

The new depot will be a safe, welcoming place when campers return.

 

What the new depot looks like inside.

New depot interior.

Inside the new depot.

Dining hall windows need repairs.

The balcony on the lodge is partially rotten and closed for use.

A fence needs to be built at the new shop building for camper safety.

Staff cabins required major repairs if not replacement.

The interior washrooms were built in the early 1980s and need to be upgraded.