A popular summer camp in Ridgetown is looking to the community for support after a costly and tumultuous year.
Kenesserie Camp is currently assessing options on how to continue to operate after finding out that a large portion of camp land was unsafe to use.
Back in mid-June, two weeks before camp staff was to attend training ahead of the summer season, the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit ordered the Kenesserie Camp to cease the use of a section of land and all buildings on that land due to shoreline erosion. This included six cabins, the staff lounge, Vesper Point, the campfire, as well as the dining hall and kitchen.
With more than 400 campers already registered, camp organizers were forced to come up with alternatives, which included renting a commercial kitchen trailer, purchasing large wedding-style tents for dining, and purchasing a 20-foot container for dishwashing. Interior renovations were also completed in the Environmental Learning Centre, which was repurposed as a double cabin.
While the full financial impact of these stopgap measures has not been fully calculated, camp officials said they need to raise close to $75,000 to end the year with a balanced budget.
Camp officials are expecting to launch a fundraising drive in the coming weeks in an effort to raise those funds. In the meantime, they are asking anyone in the community who wishes to make a donation toward the continued operation of the camp to do so online by clicking here.