Dear Presbytery members and fellow church congregations,
Thank you to everyone for your prayers and support for Camp Keir’s ongoing camping ministry. This past camping season was a successful and incredibly fun summer. Camp Keir consisted of 10 staff and hosted over 100 campers throughout the summer and with your generous donations, we were able to sponsor 12 of those campers. The gratitude and positive feedback received from guardians and parents whose children were able to experience camp is very rewarding and encouraging. At camp we have activities that vary from crafts, to wacky science, to mountain biking. We have opportunities to spread the gospel and we encourage campers to know Jesus Christ and foster an awareness of God’s presence in their lives.
We also have a Leader in Training program for those over the age of 15. The LIT program is specifically designed to teach youth important leadership skills they can use at camp, school, and within the workplace. The program consists of two-weeks of in session training where LITs learn specific leadership skills. Upon completion of the two week training, the LITs volunteer during a week of camp where they can put those learned skills into action under the guidance of one of the senior counselors. This is a fantastic program to be able to invest in these youth as they enter their highschool years.
This past summer, the camp was able to work closely with Child and Family Services to include several children who are within PEI’s child protection program at camp. One of the social workers reached out to the camp at the end of the summer and said, “Thank you for being able and willing to bring some of these kids to camp this summer. It was definitely the highlight of their summer and something they would not have been able to do without your generosity. I have only heard great things from the kids and again want to thank you for your work.”
Camp was able to provide a safe and loving environment for these children who do not receive that in their day to day life. Camp was able to be the church and minister to these children in a way that they have rarely experienced. So again, thank you to everyone who made donations to the sponsorship fund because without your generosity, we would not be able to offer this aspect of ministry at camp. Our sponsorship program is still ongoing so if you are interested in helping, please feel free to reach out and contact myself or Rev. Torrey Griffiths.
To continue our work at Camp Keir, we have dedicated Sunday February 19th, 2023 as Camp Sunday. Our goal is to raise $12,000 to help the camp renovate and update the kitchen, to replace the floors in the Chapel area, to replace the electrical panel, and to help cover the cost of a $5000 deductible fee from the insurance company to repair the damage the camp sustained from Hurricane Fiona.
I want to thank you all in advance for your help with this ministry.
With kind regards,
Chloe Hamilton
Camp Keir Director