IN THIS ISSUE

• Summer 2005 in review
• Dawson & Kanawana on tv
• Kanawana's website is a winner!
• Kanawana looks to the future
• A new challenge for Kanawana's Arleen Boyer!
• Alumni reunion weekend 2005
• Sam Lazarus Jamboree 2005
• Summer 2005 Kanawana International
• Campers' picks of the top 10 activities at Kanawana summer 2005!
• A reflection on YMCA Kanawana...
• Goodbye Christian, we'll miss you...
• Kana-Wonderword
• Mark your calendars with these upcoming events
• Stay in touch!

SUMMER 2005 IN REVIEW

As the cold air of fall begins to chill the air, we hope you stay warmed by thoughts of last summer just as we are. Summer 2005 was a great success thanks to the laughter, cheer, and warm spirit each of you brought to Kanawana this summer – and your enthusiasm is having an impact. This summer we had a 10% increase in camper registration and doubled the amount of campers who received financial assistance or camperships to attend camp. Remember a few highlights from summer 2005...

• 1st session's Vinyl Café, hosted by Stuart McLean, a Kanawana Alumni, was recorded on site with the full participation of the campers & staff and aired on CBC national radio.
• The introduction of Kanawana School of Rock
• The new water trampoline & ropes course
• New built in bunks and mattresses for Pioneers (Junior Girls)
• Extremely popular one week sessions for junior campers
• The SUNNY weather - what a change from last summer!
• 4^th session's 58^th Annual Lumbermen & Voyageurs games, won by the Lumbermen.
• and our NEW website that now has Summer 2005 photos posted - check them out at www.ymcakanawana.com

Keep reading for all the exciting stuff that's coming in summer 2006 & the calendar of events that allows you to remain connected to Kanawana throughout the year! We hope you're as excited about it as we are – because we miss you, and hope to see you all very soon!

DAWSON & KANAWANA ON TV

The partnership of Kanawana and Dawson's Community Recreation Leadership Training (CRLT) Program is continuing to grow. For the second consecutive year, CRLT students came up to Kanawana to implement a reforestation project and learn more about planning outdoor activities. In a matter of half a day, 100 students moved 35 tons of materials, planted approximately 320 trees, and built 40 steps in this reforestation effort in our Woodsmen (Junior Boy) Section. In fact this partnership was highlighted on CTV, which you can take a look at if you follow this link http://dc37.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/crlt/

(Click the first icon on the right-hand side. The second icon also has an interesting story of Dawson CRLT also filmed at Kanawana.)

KANAWANA'S WEBSITE IS A WINNER!!!

In September we found out that our NEW website, designed by TWIST IMAGE, won the 2005 WebAward for Outstanding Achievement in Website Development. So go check it out at www.ymcakanawana.com!!

To read more about this award visit:
http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/000312.html
http://www.webaward.org/winner.asp?eid=3978

KANAWANA LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

As many of you are aware, the development of Kanawana is a major strategic priority for the YMCA. Kanawana's proximity to the city and diversity of fauna and flora offer a unique potential for outdoor and environmental education and leadership development for children and youth. The YMCA is committed to sharing Kanawana with a broader and more diverse community. We also believe that we must act as stewards of the natural environment we have inherited, and will lead by example by becoming a model of environmental practices and sustainable development.

The Development Plan for YMCA Kanawana will focus primarily on (i) revitalizing the current site and reducing its ecological footprint, (ii) becoming a model of environmental sustainability, (iii) introducing 3-season and eventually year-round outdoor and environmental education opportunities and (iv)ensuring equal access and opportunity for all children and youth, regardless of socio-economic status.

One critical first step in this process is the conception of a master plan - a long term implementation plan that describes structures, infrastructures and site characteristics required to meet future programming needs.

The master planning process began in earnest this past June when a team of professionals, volunteers, Kanawana and YMCA staff and volunteers met for 2 days to tour the site and share ideas for development. Subsequent to that initial meeting, the Montreal architect firm l'Oeuf was engaged to lead the master planning phase. L'Oeuf recently won a prestigious international award for sustainable (green) construction (the Holcim Award) for its architecture work on the Benny Farm project. www.loeuf.com

Numerous site visits and planning meetings were held this summer and fall. The master plan should be completed by the end of the year in order to begin the detailed construction planning phase in early 2006. This is a very exciting time for Kananawa and we will keep you informed through this newsletter and our website. As the project progresses, we will invite you and all alumni and friends to help us make Kanawana once again, as it was 110 years ago, a leader in camping and outdoor education in Quebec.

A NEW CHALLENGE FOR KANAWANA'S ARLEEN BOYER!

As you all know, YMCA Kanawana is entering into a critical stage of its development. The principles established for the future of Kanawana's development are the following: offer year-round facilities to welcome a larger and more diverse user group, increase accessibility to children and families in financial need, offer quality programs in leadership development and outdoor and physical education, and become the first residential camp and outdoor education centre in Quebec based on the principles and practices of environmental sustainability. One can now imagine the scope of this undertaking.

It is with this in mind that we, Arleen & I, both agreed that a revision of Kanawana's team structure and responsibilities was in order. The current position of Director of YMCA Kanawana needed to be reclassified to reflect the new management requirements brought about by the development project.

Over the last two years Arleen Boyer's responsibility was to contribute to an overall positive evolution of Kanawana and take it as close as possible to its next phase, before passing the torch on to a successor who will handle the critical stage of implementing the development project, which requires a very different set of skills.

Arleen has met this challenge head on, with the mandate and determination to make a positive difference especially by reinforcing a child-centered culture at camp. Furthermore, Kanawana has seen a record number of campers this past summer. I wish to thank Arleen for her contribution to the continuing evolution and success of Kanawana. She will now move on to the role of Director of Child and Youth Program Development for the YMCA of Greater Montreal with an initial focus on residential camping.

Thanks again for all your great work, Arleen and we look forward to your continued involvement with Kanawana.

Stéphane Vaillancourt

ALUMNI REUNION WEEKEND 2005

September 10^th & 11^th was the 2^nd Annual Alumni & Friends reunion weekend. The weather was gorgeous and the Kanawana spirit filled the air. We had about 130 visitors to camp including, neighbours, current Kanawana families, Kanawana Alumni families, friends, recent staff and staff from many summer's past. The weekend was a great success, with alumni of various generations coming together, sharing stories and wonderful memories of their days at Kanawana. Here's an excerpt from one alumnus' feeling of the weekend:

"I hadn't been back since the 100th celebration in 1994 and it brought back all those amazing memories of my time up at Kamp. (86, 87 & 90). Getting an opportunity to return to Kamp and see old friends again, especially with my family, meant more to me than I can explain. Kamp is such a happy part of us later on in life that getting a chance to come back once in a while is kind of like "chicken soup for the soul". It's a happy place in my memory that I very much cherish and value."
– Darcy Motomura

If you are interested in joining the Alumni ReConnect committee, or to become a 'Decade Rep' and help to relocate some old friends, or to just get back in the KK loop, we'd be glad to hear from you (or someone you know). Please contact Wendy Khan: (514) 718-8266 or kanawana.alumni@ymcamontreal.qc.ca

SAM LAZARUS JAMBOREE 2005

The 2^nd Annual Sam Lazarus Hockey Jamboree was held Saturday September 17^th, 2005. Despite the heavy rain, which did not seem to faze the players, many people of all ages came out to support the wonderful cause. A fantastic game was played by both teams, but was won in the end by the Kanawana 'Old Boys'. With great raffle prizes, an awesome BBQ, and new 5-hole Sam merchandise for sale, $4,875.00 was raised to put towards camperships, with still more donations coming in.

SUMMER 2005 KANAWANA INTERNATIONAL

This summer, we had campers come to us all the way from:

Canada (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia); USA (Florida, Maryland, Maine, New York); Arab Emirates; England; Mexico; France; Germany; Israel; South Korea; Spain; Thailand;

CAMPERS' PICKS OF THE TOP 10 ACTIVITIES AT KANAWANA SUMMER 2005!

1. Kayaking
2. Rock climbing
3. Canoeing
4. L&V games
5. Archery
6. Arts and crafts
7. Overnights
8. Ropes course
9. Canoe trips
10. Swimming

A REFLECTION ON YMCA KANAWANA...

The inspiration and persistence of Joseph McKeown put me on my way to Kanawana on a fine June afternoon. And even though this guy had predicted that I would do a good job as a counsellor and have the time of my life, I could not shake a feeling of fear and excitement. This feeling is the same feeling one may have experienced as a youth on his or her first day at school. It is the feeling that fills you with great expectations yet worry is never far away.

Prior to this fine June day, I'd had a meeting with my soon to be co-counsellors on two occasions. At both meetings I noticed a minor visual difference which sometimes maybe an intimidating difference. Little did I know that the only person who could see this difference was me. There would be nothing to worry about. Everything would be just fine.

I had already been acquainted with an energetic and lovely young woman who is simply known to he peers as "Carpool". Upon seeing Carpool ( born Caroline Pool) on this day as she was waiting for the bus that would transport us to Kamp Kanawana, I was glad to see someone I knew and this was actually a breaking point for me as far as feeling settled is concerned.

We arrived at the place where good friends go later on that day. This beautiful five hundred and fifty acre creation of mother Earth would be my home for the following nine weeks.It would be the place that would introduce me to large camp fires, to the culture of camping, to swimming in the lake, to canoeing and to kayaking. As if that was enough, it would introduce me to a dynamic group of people who have an endless determination to ensure that the kampers have the time of their lives in a healthy and safe environment. It would introduce me to the Canadian wildlife including a notorious racoon who goes by the moniker "Megatron". But most importantly, this place would introduce me to an amazing group of children who are eager to have a memorable and enjoyable experience. I would have the privilege of helping the children have the best one,two,four,six or eight week experience of their summer.

Within this 9 week period I would have the best Canadian summer of my life, I would see smiles, cheers, celebrations, intense competitions, different activities, new friends being made, silly pranks like Guy and Dean's prank on Warren, a live CBC radio show with Stuart Mclean as the host and me as the star. I would see tears of sadness and of happiness, I would be witness to Kanawana playing Cupid and to my surprise I would receive the most prestigious award in the name of one of the greatest human beings to come out of this five hundred and fifty acre paradise.

This is the Power of K.K .
Non nobis solum.
Ayanda Dubé

GOODBYE CHRISTIAN, WE'LL MISS YOU...

As some of you may already know, Christian Leblanc (1996-2005) & Annie Ferland (2002-03) are the proud parents of a baby boy, Antoine. He was a healthy baby born on September 26^th 2005. @ 8:39 am. Sadly this means, Christian, a 10 year Kanawanian, and our head chef for the past 5 years, will no longer be with us this summer. We would like to wish Annie & Christian all the best with the new road ahead, and hope they come back to visit us soon!

KANA-WONDERWORD

MARK YOUR CALENDARS WITH THESE UPCOMING EVENTS:

STAY IN TOUCH!!

Would you like to submit an article for the next Heron?
Do you have any questions about the upcoming summer?
Do you know any Kanawana alumni (camper or staff) that would like to receive this newsletter?

If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes', please contact us! We'd be glad to hear from you!