Chatham-Kent parents looking to enroll their children in St. Vincent de Paul's summer camp are once again out of luck.
Despite thousands of dollars in donations and hours of labour put in for upgrades, President of the Kent Deanery of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul Connie Badour, said there's not enough staff to keep the camp running.
"We have some older members of St. Vincent de Paul that are no longer able to physically help us keep the camp going," said Badour. "We have to be very cautious about how we spend our current funds which will be directed toward insurance, taxes, and pest control."
This year marks the second season the camp has been closed to guests since COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.
"Last year, we only had eight staff and we needed 40," said Badour. "We only had 200 campers and we needed 550. There is a lack of funding this year because we had used up all the grants preparing the camp for last year's season."
Without camp counsellors or enough campers, the camp simply could not operate, according to Badour. This would have been the camp's 52nd year of operating in the community of Bothwell.
"It breaks our heart that we can't open for the children," said Badour. "That was our main purpose. Getting children from the inner city out into nature and enjoying the camp atmosphere."
When asked about the future of Camp Vincent, Badour said she was unsure what that may look like, but still remains hopeful.
Camp representatives have been in contact with a charity specialist lawyer, who is looking into different options for the future of the camp.
Badour said that could include renting the camp to a group who could run it or designate it as a day camp instead of an overnight camp.
"We thank all of those who have donated and helped fund the camp," said Badour. "We want them to know we are still looking into options for the camp and for them to know that their donations were not in vain."
