Easter Seals Camp Winfield is reaching out to the community. After 51 years of welcoming campers with diverse abilities, there is a desire to do more. There are visions of a facility that offers year-round programs. But it's going to require fundraising, so the operators held an open house tour to help the public get a better idea of what it's all about.
After more than half a century of welcoming campers with diverse abilities, Camp Winfield is showing it's age a bit, but there is an energy about it and some new ideas about how to make it even more relevant for the people it serves.
Community Relations Manager Michelle Webber said the camp needs to change with the times when it comes to fundraising.
"Our focus is on bringing us into younger organizations so they know and appreciate what we're doing," she said. And as for operations, there is a desire to go beyond running week-long summer camps.
"We want to have options and resources available for people with diverse abilities throughout the year," said Webber, "some job training and even maybe training places of employment to hire people with diverse abilities."
Today, the camp welcomed some of their community partners and media to have a look at a typical day at Camp Winfield. This week is a teen week.
"Just look around, you can see the joy that these kids have. You can see their independence start to flourish," said Webber.
There is a 3 to 1 ratio of counsellors to campers, so visitors get lots of attention, but Camp Co-ordinator Ryley Erickson said sometimes it's about just letting them be free to do what they want.
"At a camp, it's the one time a year where the kids don't have those structured rules that they have the rest of their lives," said Erickson.
Century 21 raises funds for the Easter Seals and Camp Winfield.
"It moves me to tears," said realtor Jason Newman, "because some of these kids have never had that opportunity until they attended the camp."
Webber said the organization has some big plans to watch for.
"Keep your eyes on us," she said. "We're only going to grow and get better and better. You're going to hear our name everywhere."
