Meet The Directors
We have a 10 member director team with over 150 years of combined camping experience! They are mature adults who are able to use their years of camp experience, and wisdom, to allow us to track your child’s progress throughout the summer. Please read about our staff team as well as our directors message, our vision of what camp should be for each child that joins the Manitou family.
Directors
Kailee SmoskowitzHead Counsellor
Syd ShoreYouth Director
Jonah OplerCIT Director
David Sheffe (1975 - 2018)Former Director
Directors Message
Nestled in the great northern forests of Muskoka, carved out along the iridescent blue lakes and rivers, stands Camp Manitou, our “Place of Great Spirit.” It stands today, much as it has stood for over 50 years as a unique summer home where children from around the world come to unlock and enrich their interests in sports, the arts and outdoor adventure.
A successful camp must create a family-like atmosphere where humour, combined with a positive outlook form the basis of each and every day. At Manitou we foster a respect for people and an appreciation for new ideas and differences. Our goal is that every camper will feel a special sense of belonging; the feeling that “this is my camp”. With that we can then focus on accomplishing the objectives of a Manitou camp experience with fun, friends and fulfillment for each and every camper—that delicate balance of teaching children to live together but also to grow as individuals.
We see each camper as a unique person and have developed an innnoviate programming philosophy that allows for each specific camper’s individual needs to be met. Our Manitou family creates an intangible sense of belonging for every kind of child. Creating a strong, vibrant and diverse community of campers and staff is at the heart of everything we do. Inclusion and appreciation are hallmarks of the camp culture.
Your child will not just make friendships, but rather develop unique types of friendships that will last a lifetime. Our goal is for each and every camper to truly fufil their potential, to develop their self esteem and cultivate their confidence. Children leave camp bringing home a tool box full of the skills they require to function as healthy adults; resilience, cooperation, leadership , empathy and an appreciation for what they have with an understanding of how they can contribute to the world around them.
We welcome you to our special place, and hope that we can spend the time to meet you and your child. Every parent has different concerns, questions and issues; fortunately, with our detailed website we have hundreds of pages of information covering every possible issue. But more importantly, we take great pride in speaking to every parent and child personally – whether on the phone and / or even better, in your home – so we can truly start to get to know your child and tailor their camp experience to achieve what is important for your child and your family. It keeps us pretty busy to spend hours at a time with personal home visits or phone conversations, but in the long run the additional time we spend in all components of our camping model guarantees your child a successful summer!
We hope we have the opportunity to tell you how we cultivate children’s social and emotional growth while they are enjoying a positive camp experience. We want you to hear how we ensure that campers always have fun, challenge themselves at an incredible array of great activities and form the unique and lasting memories and special friendships that follow them for a lifetime.
We look forward to speaking soon,
Chris, Mark & Jeff
Mark and Jeff In Action
One of Mark & Jeff’s favourite things to do at camp is be outside interacting and hanging out with campers and staff. It is the best way to get a pulse on how things are going at camp. Check out some photos of Mark and Jeff in action from over the years.
