Q: We are considering enrolling our children in Maple Key Camp this summer. Are your community volunteers required to complete a Police Screening as part of their eligibility assessment?

A: Yes, our volunteers must pass the same screening process as our staff do, including police screening and a personal interview. We do not accept very many volunteers – the few we do have are usually high school students looking to complete their volunteer hours or completing a summer co-op program.

Our volunteers are not included in our staff to camper ratio, are not left alone with campers, and do not perform the duties of staff. Volunteers support the MKDC staff by helping individual campers, setting up activities, and assisting with clean-up.

Have a question about MKDC? E-mail us or comment below!

Hope - Sr Counselor

Hope is one of the new additions to our staff this year, and will be our Sr. Counselor in the Heartwood – Sports group. She comes to us with lots of prior experience working with children through babysitting and co-op placements at local schools. In addition, she has some had some very unique volunteering experiences building schools and working with children in the Dominican Republic. Hope plans to become a teacher in the future. Welcome to MKDC, Hope!

Hanna - Arts Jr Counselor

This is Hanna’s third year at MKDC and her second as a member of staff. After a successful summer as a counselor-in-training in 2010 she is returning as a Junior Counselor, and will once again be working with the arts group in the Senior Unit. Hanna’s biggest strengths are her calm demeanor and her ability to come up with really interesting art project ideas. Welcome back, Hanna!

Because Of Camp

This video by the American Camping Association is such a great example of why camp is important in the lives of kids & adults!

Because of camp, I am learning to become a better leader.

What’s yours?

This past weekend we managed to finish putting in the carpet. Getting the underlay to adhere to the floor was one of the most difficult parts, because the concrete was bumpy and sandy, even after sweeping and vacuuming.

Laying the Underlay

Now it looks like this:

The final phase is to tile the counter, finish the shelves and organize the rest of our stuff. The finishing touches will be adding Cait’s generous loan of her loveseat & coffeemaker! Anyone have a microwave they could donate? 🙂

The Project

It all started because we needed a proper camp office – for two reasons. Last year we held our pre-camp meetings in the Perth Library, and were continually “shushed” (despite the fact that we were *ahem* often the only ones there). So first of all, we needed a proper place to make noise and create without fear of shushing.

Secondly, the paperwork and supplies for camp are quickly overrunning my house. There are no rooms left in our home (except maybe the bathroom) that are safe from the papers, and camp-related magazines, and art supplies, and promotional material, and… I think you get the picture.

The Space

Attached to my grandfather’s old barn is what was once a workshop. In the years before I inherited the place it became somewhat of a dumping ground for the various things that various tenants hadn’t bothered to get rid of. And so we come to the before picture:

Before Phase 1

The really sad part about this picture is that we had actually taken quite a few things out before I realized that a before picture should be taken for posterity. So it was actually much worse than this.

Phase One

Phase One was to clear out all the junk. This took most of Sunday afternoon. It was not my favorite job. The dust was incredible and my sinuses were very displeased. However, we managed through and the junk is now temporarily in a pile on the lawn under a tarp until we can make a dump run. Here’s what the space looks like at the end of Phase One:

After Phase One

After Phase One

Now we can see the floor! It’s amazing. Stay tuned for Phase Two, in which we will be covering the floor in fabulous grey indoor/outdoor carpeting from Home Depot (at a discount because we were quoted the wrong price!)

Mikayla

We love our returning staff! Mikayla came to us as a late hire last summer, and quickly became a special part of our team. She is generally known as one of our “cuddliest” counselors and can often be found with at least two sprouts campers sitting in her lap! She also has a very competitive sports background (especially hockey) and will be attending an Emergency Responder college program in the fall. Mikalya will be working as a Sr Counselor in our Junior (Sprouts & Shoots) unit this summer. Welcome back Mikayla!

The 2011 MKDC Camp Calendar!

Finally, here it is! Our Summer 2011 Calendar is now finalized and ready for your downloading & printing enjoyment! It will look great on your fridge. 🙂

You will notice that all our Fridays have “?” marks on them. MKDC Friday events are carefully guarded secrets and will be fun surprises for our campers. Three of these will be Colour War days, and the others will be other exciting all-day events. You’ll have to be there to find out!

Download the 2011 Camp Calendar Now!

Cait - Arts Counselor, Unit Leader, & Marketer Extraodinaire!

Cait was first introduced to the wonders of MKDC last summer as our arts counselor, after performing with me in Orion Theatre Company’s production of RENT. After throwing her in the deep end of camp life in 2010, I think she just might be on her way to becoming a “lifer” – she’s been helping me with planning for summer 2011 since back in January!

This year, Cait will be returning to MKDC in a new dual role of Sr Arts Counselor & Unit Leader. In addition to leading the arts portion of our programming, she will also be overseeing all of the staff & campers in the Senior Unit. She will make sure that schedules run smoothly and that all of our older campers are happy and healthy. She also has some GREAT top-secret ideas for colour war! 🙂

During the spring months, Cait will be assisting me with various marketing activities, so you’ll probably see her at our spring community events.

Welcome back, Cait! Give’r!