KENTVILLE, NS – The Wolfville Scouts Club is among three groups that has received thousands in donations from Valley Regional’s Physicians Philanthropic Fund.
The physicians group donated nearly $7,600 Feb. 5 to the scouts group, which has been fundraising for its ‘Preparing for Our Second Century’ campaign, aiming to bring some much-needed structural updates to their Sunken Lake Scout Camp’s buildings. Their initial fundraising goal was $60,000 by 2020, the year that will mark 100 years for the scout club.
With this donation, the Scouts’ fundraising total now sits at $61,000.
Looking at the scouts who were about to go on a tour of the hospital, club leader Ian MacDonald smiled, saying, “This is such a generous donation. This is all about you guys.”
The other groups that received like-donations were the Kentville Skatepark Association and the Kings Volunteer Resource Centre.
A total of around $23,000 was donated.
Since its inception in 1998, the group has raised more than $245,000 for local organizations.
Current committee members include Dr. Marni Goodman, Dr. Mike Rudd, Scott Campbell, Dr. Roger Hamilton, Dr. Dan Woo, Dr. JP McCarthy, Dr. Nadia Murphy and Kelli Hennessy.
Updates to the camp
Much of the changes slated for the Sunken Lake camp will be to update the structural and electrical systems.
“Our building is 57 years old. These are routine updates, and we’re really looking forward to installing things like a new electrical system and better insulation to make the camp warmer and safer for the youth,” said treasurer Floyd Priddle.
The updates will also eventually include a kitchen update, new sink stations in the bathrooms and other projects. The work is due to be completed within the next three years.
“These are important changes. The kids might not notice them right away since the camp will maintain that rustic feel – people who’ve camped there years ago will hopefully walk in and say, ‘this is just like it was when I was here.’”
Scout club member Joe Trask was one of several who attended the cheque presentation, and said he looks forward to the new camp, and the proposed anniversary hike commemorating the path soldiers and past scouts would take from Wolfville to Sunken Lake.
“It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be different, because we’re not used to doing that,” he said.
SIDEBAR
Matt MacLeod is the head of the Kentville Skatepark Association and said he was beyond happy to receive the generous donation from the physician group.
He said the donation comes at an important time for the association, as they’re trying to raise money to begin work on the park’s much anticipated bowl feature.
“The medical community is well aware of the importance of healthy active living. Through this donation they are showing our community that they recognize skateboard parks to be key components of our recreation infrastructure,” he said via email.
The project’s first phase was completed in Dec. 2017, with the bowl’s construction being its next step, set to take off once more funds can be raised.
“[This will] help to engage a segment of our youth who may not be drawn to traditional team sports,” said MacLeod.
Bruce MacArthur, treasurer with the volunteering association, was also thrilled his organization was chosen to receive funds from the group.
“In large part the generous donation from PPY will fund our 2018 Youth Volunteer Leadership Project… which wants to address the fact that many of the leaders of volunteer-based, non-profit organizations are getting old, and the need for young leaders to get involved in the sector is quickly becoming necessary,” he said.
MacArthur added KVRC will partner with existing youth groups in Kings County and organizations who wish to involve young people to determine things like what barriers exist between youth and participation in leadership roles, along with strategies to both support and engage youth who wish to develop and share organizational skills.
The goal of this project, according to MacArthur, is to engage more than 20 youth to participate in recruiting, matching, training and mentoring as part of a process where they provide leadership in their communities.
