C H A T T E R - YMCA of Greater Toronto

OutdoorEducationWe are in the midst of a busy fall season of outdooreducation. We have many new groups booked, as wellas returning schools that have been visiting Pine Crestfor more than 10 years. With our successful expansioninto year-round operations there are now opportunitiesfor groups to experience a Pine Crest winter! We offera 10% discount to groups that are organized by aPine Crest alumni.For more information on the programs and facilitieswe have to offer please contact D’Arcy Munn atd’arcy.munn@ymcagta.org.Registration forUpcoming WinterPrograms 2012We’re looking forward to our second year of winterprograms in 2012. Children ages 7-11 are invited tojoin us for our Holiday Camp December 26-30, 2011,and March Break Camp March 11-16, 2012.Join us for one of our two Family Camp Weekends thiswinter. Bring in the new year at Pine Crest December30 to January 2, or celebrate the Family Day longweekend February 17-20, 2012.For more information on programs and registrationplease contact Anne Coleman at 1-877-878-9622or anne.coleman@ymcagta.org.Dates toRememberSummerCamp HighlightsWell, it’s hard to believe thatanother summer is over! We’ve hada very successful 2011 season witha record number of campers. Wewere able to expand our AdventureTrip program this summer byadding three new extended whitewater canoe trips. Participantsheaded out on the Coulonge andDumoine Rivers in these new threeweekprograms. Our Leadershipparticipants headed out intoGeorgian Bay, Ontario’s provincialparks, northern Quebec and even tothe Coppermine River in Nunavut.Back on site, campers enjoyed ourtraditional camp programs such ascanoeing, kayaking and woodcraft.We had a couple new additions thissummer — a garden and the newstatic high ropes challenge course.Our program team started thesummer off with a bang with aBatman-themed all camp day, andduring session C we brought insome special judges to help us withthe Pine Crest Olympics. All in all it’sbeen a great summer, and we wentout with a bang thanks to the hardwork of all the campers and staffat the Pine Crest Games, wherethe Voyageurs were victorious!Thanks to Madlen Reid, who led theLumbermen, and Joey Miller withthe Voyageurs. Great job guys!October 1October 18October 21-23November 1December 8Dec 26-30Dec 30- Jan 2Feb 17-20March 11-16Financial assistance applications are availableLeadership registrationVolunteer Work WeekendTraditional camp registrationAlumni pub nightHoliday CampFamily Camp WeekendFamily Camp WeekendMarch Break Camp

Ontario HighSchool CreditsYMCA Camp Pine Crest has teamed up with the YMCAAcademy to offer the option of a high school credit duringthe summer. We were able to offer courses to thoseparticipating in the LIT, CIT, Four Week Adventure andSenior Adventure Leadership Programs.120 credits were awarded to participants throughout thesummer. Thank you to the staff whose hard work madethis possible. We look forward to continuing to offer creditcourses as part of the leadership program in the future.Pine CrestHistoryBooks areavailable.A Big Thank You toAll of Our Volunteers!Each summer we have a number of volunteers who returnto help out in our kitchen, Wellness Centre, and withmaintenance tasks, counselling and program areas. We’reso thankful for your time and energy. We wouldn’t be ableto do this without you!PeterAndersonIt is with great sadness that we saidgoodbye to one of our beloved staff,Peter Anderson, who passed awaythis summer. Peter made everyone around him laughwith his quick wit and dedication to developing creativeprograms.Don’t miss out onthis beautiful, 300page, hardcoverbook celebratingPine Crest’s first100 years.We will be introducing the Slimey Limey award for staff in2012 in Peter’s honour. Stay tuned for more details andhow you can make a contribution to this award.Winter AlumniDrop-in SocialJoin us Thursday, December 8, 2011 to reconnect withold friends and reminisce about your days at Pine Crest.Keep an eye out for venue details to be posted online.Please contactAnne Coleman at1-877-878-9622or anne.coleman@ymcagta.org tobuy your copytoday!

Where areyou now?A Letter from Mari PeepreMari Peepre’s grandson, Jonathan Assassi (secondfrom the left), has fun with friends at camp.Our grandson Jonathan will be attending YMCACamp Pine Crest this summer, and as we filledout his application forms I remembered whatan important part the camp played in ourfamily history.Our family immigrated to Canada in 1951, andthe first job my parents had was at Camp PineCrest. My father was dishwasher and my motherran the laundry. Father stayed with the YMCAin Toronto for several years and for two happysummers I played around the laundry and didmy best to pretend I was a little boy who couldjoin in the fun and excitement of camp life.My parents moved on to successful lives inacademia and elsewhere but we always hada soft spot in our hearts for Camp Pine Crest,and some years later they returned to workwith their friend, Camp Director Ted Yard,this time as dietitian/head cook and I believeoutdoors program director. I was of course bynow relegated to girls’ camps nearby but stillremember the day off I visited my parents andTed asked me to lead the noon hour sing-song— what a thrill! I could pretend to be a boyagain.Ours is a typical immigrant story, but onewhich in this case is interwoven with the longand rich history of YMCA Camp Pine Crest. I’mglad my grandson will also have an opportunityto experience a happy summer there. I’ll askhim to say a special hello to the people in thelaundry and dishwashing areas!Camp Contact1090 Gullwing Lake RoadTorrance, ON P0C 1M0Fax: 1-705-762-5961Phone: 1-705-762-3377 or 1-877-878-9622Email: camp.pinecrest@ymcagta.orgWebsite: www.camppinecrest.caFollow us on Facebook!YMCA of Greater Toronto42 Charles Street EastToronto, ON M4Y 1T4Your YMCA’s charitable registrationnumber is: 11930 7080 RR0001