The Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club (BYCOC) put the call out to the community for donations and the community delivered.
In late November, Bryerswood put out the call for its “Let’s Make Bryerswood Youth Camp Even Better” campaign. They wanted to raise $10,000 by Jan. 1 and when New Year’s Day rolled around, they not only hit that goal, they surpassed it.
The camp raised $22,673 and that will be put towards upgrades at the campground.
“We had donations online but we got one very nice donation,” said BYCOC president Kathi Poupard. “That was very exciting to get that amount of money.”
The camp has looked at various upgrades, but Poupard indicated they are still taking a look at their priorities overall.
“Some of it we have not decided where it’s going to go,” she said of the money.
Bryerswood held the latest day camp for children Jan. 3, this one being the latest in the “Kids in the Kitchen” series. The theme of the most recent “Kids in the Kitchen” camp was “Dough Much Fun,” where youth created “Fairy Toast” using food colouring, their own version of pizza pockets, cheeseburger bites, miniature pies and more.
Pam Zeman, a camp director at Bryerswood, said they had 25 children.
“We are full,” she said. “They had a full day. This is always a popular series.”
Zeman said they could use volunteer hours from high school students or ECE students looking for experience. Caitlin Gonneau, also a camp director, said they hope to get funding to hire staff in the summer for paid positions through the Canada Summer Jobs program. They are hoping for as many as 14 people to be hired, but they won’t find out if their application is successful until spring.
Upcoming camps include a Lego Day Camp Jan. 17 and another PD camp in February entitled “Sugar Rush,” where kids will focus on candy making.
The next fundraiser will be the rib or chicken dinner Feb. 1 at the K of C Hall in River Canard. Eat-in or take-out options are available. A silent auction and 50/50 draw will be available. Tickets are $35 each and available through www.bryerswood.com and clicking on the “Events” tab.
Bryerswood fundraises, offers day camp
By Ron Giofu
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