Camp Trillium part of re-branding exercise
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An iconic name in the local area goes by the wayside in the new year as officials at Camp Ooch in Toronto complete their merger with Camp Trillium in Waterford to become the Campfire Circle.
Camp Ooch and Camp Trillium got their start in the early-1980s providing camping and outdoor activities for young people recovering from cancer.
Alex Robertson, CEO of Camp Ooch-Camp Trillium, says the organizations have co-operated for years given their identical missions and have talked of a merger for nearly a decade. The formalizing of their partnership in January, 2020, was a low-key affair because the COVID-19 pandemic postponed in-person programming until this summer.
“We have a real history of friendship and working together,” Robertson said. “We really complement each other. There’s a natural friendship there. There is so much potential unlocked by the two organizations acting as one.”
Camp Ooch-Camp Trillium brings together five camping-recreation facilities in Norfolk County, Prince Edward County, Toronto, Minden and Muskoka. Robertson said the merger is attractive not only for the savings arising from increased buying power, but also in how it positions Campfire Circle for future growth.
Robertson noted that specialized camping and recreation facilities in Ontario are only within reach of 25 per cent of young cancer patients. He said Campfire Circle’s long-range plan is to extend this option to as many eligible young people as possible.
“We weren’t looking to make our organization more lean,” Robertson said. “We want to grow. We’re trying to extend our reach.”
The Long Point Region Conservation Authority made Camp Trillium in Waterford possible in 1984 when it granted the organization a 99-year lease on Rainbow Lake on Thompson Road West. Intensive fundraising in the years that followed raised millions of dollars for the construction of cabins and common facilities.
Robertson says this investment is secure given the demand for camping services for young cancer patients in Ontario.
“Rainbow Lake is a critical part of our future,” he said. “And Rainbow Lake is part of that plan. We love the site.”
The new Campfire Circle moniker was unveiled Oct. 21.
“We aren’t changing what we do,” Camp Ooch-Camp Trillium said in a news release. “We’re just changing our name.
“At Campfire Circle, we create a safe space for kids to be kids so families can be families.”
Camp Ooch-Camp Trillium responded to the pandemic in 2020 by offering virtual programming to youth over the internet. On-site camping in Waterford and elsewhere in the network resumed in August with COVID-19 protocols in place.
Robertson expressed hope that the worst of the pandemic is over and that Campfire Circle can return to regular programming next spring.
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