Month: May 2021

💌 May 8th is Provincial Camp Letter Writing Day!

Posted on by Alec Amato

Dear Manitou Community,

Tomorrow, Saturday, May 8th, the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) is calling on every camp community to take part in the Provincial Camp Letter Writing Day. As we continue to plan and hope for another summer at Manitou, we need your support in reaching out to Doug Ford to safely reopen overnight camps. Every letter will make a difference in showing our Premier the profound impact that a camp experience has.

We’re asking you to add your voice to this specific cause and share your story. Help our Provincial Government understand what camp means to the people who love it the most and why we need to continue to work towards operating safely for Summer 2021.

We know how many of you have already written letters to your MPP asking for overnight camps to be reopened, which we are incredibly grateful for. To help amplify the collective voice of the Ontario camp community, we ask that you please resend your letter to the contacts listed below.

We need all friends of camp – campers, parents, staff, alumni and more – to write to Doug Ford, the Ontario Premier, on Saturday, May 8th telling him why camps need to open this summer. Thoughtful and heart-felt letters will help make this campaign successful, and support camps in Ontario!

WRITE YOUR LETTER

Write to Premier Ford and send it on May 8: premier@ontario.ca

Please CC the following people:

EXAMPLES

CAMPER LETTER

“Dear Premier Ford,

I’ve struggled a lot over the past year. Here’s how…

In fact, kids are struggling all around me.

It’s so important that you find a way to let me be with some friends this summer!

The best way I can think of is my camp. Here’s why…” 
PARENT LETTER

“Dear Premier Ford,

My child(ren) has/have struggled a lot over the past year. Here’s how…

In fact, children and youth are struggling all around me.”

DETAILS TO INCLUDE

  • The mental health impact on camper-aged children in your family
  • The critical loss that children and youth have experienced is social time with friends a.k.a. “social malnutrition”
  • Camps have been planning all year so that the summer can be delivered carefully and responsibly.
  • CLICK HERE for more inspiration on what to write

When we write these letters, please know that while we are certainly doing this on behalf of our own campers, we should also be aware that there are children who are less fortunate who rely on camp as their only way to leave the city. It is estimated that 1 million kids from every possible background, are eligible to experience camp this summer and we are working on this initiative on behalf of them as well.

We really hope that you will take a few minutes on Saturday to participate in this important initiative. While camp should only operate if health conditions permit, let Premier Ford and his colleagues know that you trust and are confident that we will deliver this experience carefully and responsibly.

Mark and Jeff

🏒 The Manitou Hockey Playoff Pool is Back!

Posted on by Alec Amato

Dear Manitou Community,

After much demand, the Manitou Hockey Playoff Pool is back! With more time spent at home right now in our Manitou sweats cheering on the Leafs, we have become even more invested in this year’s NHL season!

We are excited to announce that we have joined forces with The Playoff Hockey Challenge & Auction for Wishes to bring the biggest prizes to this year’s pool: a $5,000 Grand Prize to the winning team and over $9,000 in prize money available!

So get ready to join in on the action! Get your household on board, pick your dream team together and submit a family entry, complete with the team name of your choice. The cabin with the most entries will get an additional prize of a movie night this summer – now that is something worth playing for!

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM RON MACLEAN
The best reason to get involved is that you are also supporting a great cause. This year net proceeds from The Playoff Hockey Challenge will benefit Make-A-Wish Canada. As you may have learned during our Virtual Fireside Series last summer, this incredible organization has a mission to create life changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Even through the challenges of COVID-19, Make-A-Wish Canada has remained committed to their vision of granting the wish of every eligible child – a wish has a positive and lasting impact on the children and their families, beyond the experience of the actual wish.

HOW TO SIGN UP
Register your Team: CLICK HERE

Cost: $100/team

Deadline: May 20, 2021

We hope our entire Manitou community will get involved this year’s exciting playoff pool challenge. You don’t need to be a hockey expert to join, as either way you helping to grant wishes for children in need. We thank you in advance for your support.

Jeff and Mark