Community Spotlight: Camp Smitty

Still going strong

KIDS CAMP HAS WELCOMED ALL COMERS FOR MORE THAN 80 YEARS

BY CORINA MILIC

OFF MINK LAKE Road near Eganville, Ontario, a tree-lined lane meanders until it opens into a huge green field. If you listen, you’ll hear children laughing. Welcome to Camp Smitty.

Keep going down the road and you’ll find “The Rock”; it’s huge (about 4½ metres by nine metres). Perch on top of it and you can see Mink Lake in all directions. When evening comes, follow the sounds of singing to the campfire.

Back in 1924, a social worker named Fred C. McCann started Camp Smitty as Camp Minwassin. “Minwassin” has long been rumoured (but never confirmed) to mean “driven by a steady breeze” in a First Nations language. In 2001, the camp changed the original name when the Brian Smith Foundation stepped in with major financial assistance. (Smith had been a camper and counsellor at Minwassin, and had loved it.)

In its first year, 66 boys from the brand new Ottawa Boys Club – as it was then called; now girls are part of it – arrived for their allotted 10 fun-filled days. Local businesses supported the camp.

By 1937 electricity arrived, and in the 1950s the camp moved from tents to permanent cabins. In 1979 it became co-ed.

“This place has a real history,” says director Tom Patrick. “Every original piece of Camp Minwassin we could gather is still on display – much of it in the “Spirit of Minwassin” dining hall. “There’s a beautiful birch bark canoe, all the signs, logos, flags and plaques.”

Patrick attended the camp in the early 1980s, then became a counsellor at 14. He says he learned a lot from those early experiences.

“Some of the toughest kids turn out to be our biggest success stories,” says Patrick. “They’ll give you grief for the whole 10 days, and drive you crazy. Then on the last night, they’ll sit right beside you saying that you are the best friend they’ve ever had.”

Camp Smitty offers four sessions for youths aged eight to 15 years old. Campers vary widely in their ethnic, economic and educational backgrounds, as well as life experience. Patrick claims that this kind of diversity improves the camp, making it really beautiful.

“Who goes to camp? Kids who need it,” says guidance counsellor Hartt Danford. “Some are coming for the first time, others have been coming forever. Many kids come who don’t have the same benefits and opportunities of others in the city. Here, we’re all equal.”

Camp Smitty is tied together by traditions. One of its most honoured, as well as oldest, is the Canadian Pioneer Council. Near the end of each session, eight or 10 campers are chosen to participate in a series of challenging tests. Only those who adhere to the camp’s code – help your fellow campers, give everyone a chance, stay safe, respect others, try hard – are picked for these tests. “For people going to camp for the first or second time, it’s a huge deal,” says counsellor Daniel Rodriguez. “They get to do all these things they just wouldn’t have been able to try in the city. It’s really seen as an honour.”

It’s also a lot of fun.Among other things, the tests include good deed challenges, a marathon and an attempt to not speak for two days.

“First, they wear this piece of wood around their neck,” says Rodriguez. “And it gets a notch every time you speak. It’s a very tough test. You fail after seven notches.”

This all comes to a very messy conclusion just before everyone returns to the city.

“It used to be the cocoa and lard fight. Campers on one side of the field would have Crisco in their hands, while campers on the other side would have cocoa powder. And the kids would just go at it. Great fun! I guess it got too expensive because now the campers ‘fight’ with mud.”

Canadian Pioneer Council members go first and then boys against girls, starting with the youngest campers.

Patrick says camp gives the youth a taste of independence, but also it gives them a chance to learn about leadership and co-operation. “If you’re a kid, this place can be a paradise.”

Camp sessions begin in early July and end inlateAugust. Application forms are available online or at any Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa location. How much does it cost? Whatever a family canafford, thanks to subsidies available when needed. The most even a wealthier family pays is $795.

All campers speak English, although some only barely. You’ll hear kids speaking languages ranging from Russian, Serbian or Somali, to French, Arabic or Cree – a beautiful mix.

For more information please visit their website at www.campsmitty.com. ≈ Corina Milic is a volunteer with the Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa.