“Camp Homewood on Quadra Island has been contributing to our community since the 1940s and now it’s time to give back,” says camp supporter Kim Stevens.
The camp lost $50,000 in revenue this spring because of the government dispute with teachers and “the crunch” has hit home this fall, says Camp General Director Irwin Harder.
A group of Camp Homewood fans are gathering Saturday, Sept. 22 from 8:30 a.m. - noon at the Church on the Way on 7th Avenue across from Phoenix School to do their best to help out.
The fundraising event will be both festival and garage sale. There will be several families participating in the garage sale which will include everything from an antique bed to sports equipment and household items. All the proceeds will go to help Camp Homewood meet its obligations.
Stevens says, “Homewood has found itself in a financial shortfall this year, due in part to the unexpected and regrettable cancellations from the teachers’ job action this past spring.” School District 72 has always been a great user of the facility but was forced to cancel many bookings, Stevens says.
Harder says the camp refuses to go into debt to finance operations and is currently having difficulty with its program of offering $1,000 schooling bursaries to its camp volunteers.
Camp founders Alf and Margaret Bayne started the Pacific Coast Children’s Mission in 1944. A permanent base was established in 1948 when the Baynes moved onto a portion of the present Homewood property on Quadra.
Over the years the camp program has expanded involving more campers and reaching out to more people every year. The Woodsman Camp was started in 1965 on the freshwater Village Bay Lakes. The site was later moved to its present location on Mine Lake. In 1979 the main lodge opened enhancing year round programming. Since then other buildings have been added including the bunkhouse, a guest house, uphill and downhill wash houses, three uphill cabins, bus barn and indoor riding arena.
Stevens says, “Changes have been continually taking place but the most important changes have been in people’s lives.”