Welcome Back to Quin-Mo-Lac!
We are so grateful for the community of supporters who have helped Quin-Mo-Lac get through an incredibly challenging time. Together, yet from a distance, we managed to uphold the QML enthusiasm while readying ourselves for the changes 2022 would require. The money you helped us raise and the careful planning of our Board of Directors set us up to create a comfortable program for our campers and Staff.
Our Assistant Directors, Mackenzie Billen and Hannah Mills, were returning QMLer’s who carried over a wealth of knowledge having been on Staff up until 2020. Their understanding of how camp works was incredibly helpful when guiding so many new leaders. The Staff learned quickly and did an incredible job in our first year back.
In order to restart camp we needed to update many of our buildings and procedures. We are incredibly blessed to have Bill Chambers as our contract builder because he understands the functionality of our spaces and the need to save money. This year, he restored the Sinclair Leadership Cabin to have private change spaces, a new floor and updated paint job. He removed a wall in Kanata House to increase the size of our First Aid Station. This space is now ready for social distancing and easy sanitation.
Bill also worked hard to get a roof structure in place so we could dine outside. This was a very important measure to help our community feel comfortable eating in a crowd, and we didn’t have to worry about sweating in the Dining Hall! We are particularly grateful for those supporters who made donations towards the cost of this project. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the Jones family who contributed to this project in memory of their daughter and QML alumni, Meg Jones.
We made some changes to our program to avoid health issues, such as halting overnight camping in tents, and as a result we didn’t have a single run to the clinic. We also moved the dance outside, and it was so much better that we’ll likely do it that way from now on! A very special thank you goes out to everyone who assisted us with our new registration process too. We figured out a system that worked relatively well for us, and again, there are parts that we’ll likely keep in the future.
Thank you to Dan and Amanda Harper for running another outstanding Family Camp program, and to Bev Gough for leading another wonderful Women’s Rejuvenation Event! These groups are such an important part of our summer program and we love how they have grown over the years.
Thank you as well to each of our Chaplains who visited each week and added their own flavour to our program. We love having QML alumni join us to lead sessions about thoughtfulness and values in a way that works very well for us.
Finally, we held our Staff Banquet in the Dining Hall this year and it was such a special way to conclude our first year back. With the leadership of Robbie Chapman and the Women’s Event to provide our meal, and the Board of Directors decorating to transform the space, we couldn’t have asked for a better way to celebrate such an important moment in our history.
The QML enthusiasm is as strong as ever, and we will continue to build ourselves back up in 2023! We have many building projects in the works, so please help us spread the word about the amazing things that happen here, and how to help. We strive to keep our fees as low as possible, but we depend on donations and church support to make that possible. If you are interested in donating a small amount on a monthly basis, please consider signing up to our PAR program through the United Church. Your help certainly goes a long way.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/camp-quin-mo-lac/
Please also help us by spreading the word about our Campership Fund to assist families with the cost of camp. Every child should have the opportunity to experience camp and we understand these are difficult times for many.
On behalf of Office Administrator Beth McKinney and the Quin-Mo-Lac Board of Directors, thank you for your interest in our program and we’re looking forward to another fantastic season!
Trevor White
Director, Quin-Mo-Lac
Kanata's First Aid Station
Dining Hall Deck Roof
QML's Kitchen is a Cut Above!
The kitchen's first twist came when a routine inspection of the old camp stoves revealed that both appliances would no longer meet safety requirements. After some thorough research and negotiations, by Bev Gough, a new stove was purchased and a second was rented for the season. Both appliances arrived and were properly installed, just in time for training week. The convection oven was also relocated to a new spot that allows for more convenient access to the appliance.
Not wanting to be left out of the excitement, when the Women's Rejuvenation Event ladies were in camp in June and learned that the old meat slicer was no longer working, they immediately stepped up. Within minutes, the ladies had raised over $2100.00 to cover the entire cost of a new industrial machine. The new meat slicer, knick-named "Slim" arrived in time for a photo shoot with it's benefactors (shown above). Many, many thanks to Robbie, Cheryl, Carrie, Lois, Rosanne, Michelle, Dorene, Liz, Jaro, Susan, Joanne, Bev and Heather (who is taking the picture).
To the delight of our kitchen staff, the cherry on top arrived in the form of a brand new toaster, donated by Erla Jose. With the job of toasting a minimum of 630 slices of bread each week, this new appliance certainly came in handy and helped get our campers off to a great start each day.
QML's '70's Reunion
While there was no full QML reunion this summer (that’s a pleasure still to come!), on August 28-30 a group of Quin-Mo-Lac staff from the 1970s gathered at the camp for a mini reunion of our own. And what a reunion it was. A group of 25-35 folks who’d been at camp together more than 40 years ago (!) came from near and far: Lawrence and Denise Taylor from Edmonton; Peter Rice from St. Mary’s; Margit McNaughton (van de Bor) all the way from Calgary via New Brunswick, Dave and Andy Sherwin from a cottage across the lake, and – of course – Don and Johanna Genge from Peterborough. Some of us came for the day. Others stayed for a night or two at the newly refurbished Lodge (or at least newly refurbished since most of us had been there for the 50th reunion 22 years ago!), slept in bunk beds, and gathered for meals wonderfully prepared for us by Faye Jose and Liz. Lois and Carrie (formerly known as Tweety and Cinders) helped everything run smoothly, and the whole event was made possible by our fearless leader, Bev Gough, known to us all in the 1970s by her nickname Puddin, but known now as the Chair of the Quin-Mo-Lac Board! Thank you to you all!!
Before we knew it we were enjoying deeply familiar camp pleasures: hiking up to see the crevice, the “Lemon Squeeze”, and the wonderful chapel in the woods; joining in a rousing chorus of “Johnny Appleseed” before meals; canoeing at midnight in the big canoe that holds 20 or more; going for polar dips to start the day (in the lake that’s far cleaner than any of us remember it being – where’s the green gunge?); and gathering around the campfire to talk and sing. Combined with the old pleasures were several new ones. Many of us had never seen the camp’s pool or climbing wall to say nothing of the great new washrooms! And whoever heard of the chance to have a hot water shower at Quin-Mo-Lac?!
What an extraordinary feeling it was to gather with people, some of whom hadn’t seen each other for decades, for someone to start singing a camp song many of us had almost forgotten we’d ever known, and then to discover that we all still knew all the words! . As we sang and poured over photograph albums together, we had chances to reflect on both the past and the present, to savour the joy of being back with each other in that wonderful place, and to recognize, yet again, the extraordinary friendships and fellowship Quin-Mo-Lac has made possible for us all. This was our decade’s first reunion in many years, but I reckon it won’t be our last!
Jane Freeman (Tinker)
Hi QML friends! I am so happy to be writing to you all ❤ ️If I could describe my last few years in three words I would say, blessed, grateful and connections. For those who don’t know me I was a pediatric urgent care nurse during the pandemic. During this stressful time I turned to keeping positive through online friendships, making goals and keeping active by running. A few years ago, during the Magic Penny fundraiser, I was fortunate enough to cross paths with Q-M-L alumni through an app for running called Strava. We formed a group called Q-M-L Circuit club made up of 23 members. Our saying on the site was “ Miss those afternoon runs alone?..or even a run back to the cabin for bug spray”. We challenged each other to run and raise money for camp. For every kilometer I ran I donated. Brynn Rickard designed an original reversible Stones jersey for the runner with most kilometers. I was able to snag the jersey. My boys can’t wait to wear it to Stones when it is able to return !
After the Magic Penny fundraiser had finished, I kept focused by making new goals. My next was to run an in-person marathon in Georgina, Ontario during the fall . That run qualified me to run the Boston Marathon. To qualify for Boston you have to run a time based on your age and gender. I trained all winter and last spring competed in the 126th Boston marathon! Finishing was one of those special moments that I will never forget. The spirit in Boston was contagious. The city of Boston was ready to celebrate the marathon being back and celebrate each other. I was able to qualify again at Boston so I will be returning this spring to run the marathon again . I also found out today I was accepted to run Chicago marathon in the fall of 2023.
Make goals, never say never, and choose happy 😊
Shannon Bell (nee Seeley, QML 1995)
Where's the Ralph Can?
Congratulations to Ellen McKague, Lauren Mitchell, Shannon McKinney, Ange Rankine and Lois McLeod for being the first to spot the ralph cans hidden in our last issue. A prize is on its way to each of you!
Welcome Back to Quin-Mo-Lac!
The QML Alumni Newsletter is meant to bring together everyone who holds a special place for Quin-Mo-Lac in their hearts. Each camp journey is important and we would love to share yours. If you have a funny story, a special memory, a query about the camp’s history or even just a spark of an idea to share… we want to hear from you. Submissions can be sent to us at kids@campqml.org. A free gift will be sent to those who take the time to send us a story, so please be sure to update your mailing address with us. Pictures are always welcome too!