Camp Bryerswood purchase an `investment for kids'

A local community youth group fighting to save Camp Bryerswood in Amherstburg has successfully negotiated its purchase from Girl Guides of Canada.

A not-for-profit group spearheaded by Kathi Poupard, a longtime area Girl Guide leader, announced the agreement with GGC in mid-december. The Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club has reached an agreement to purchase the 25-acre camp off Texas Road for $430,000.

The plan is to make the campground available year-round to any youth group in Windsor and Essex County.

“We believe in it, we believe in what the future can be,” said Cathy Robertson, the BYCOC'S vice-president.

“It's for kids and there aren't that many venues available that operate year-round for kids.”

Poupard, Robertson and others have been working to save the camp ever since Girl Guides of Canada announced in 2017 its intention to close and sell 17 of its provincial campgrounds by 2020, including Bryerswood.

They formed the Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club in May 2018 and achieved incorporation as a not-for-profit with charitable tax status by October 2019.

To date, the group has raised $95,000 toward the purchase price despite the significant obstacles to fundraising during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There's a lot of good places in Windsor-essex that are very interested in youth,” Poupard said. “Tapping into those places is one of the key things we plan on doing but a lot of companies and foundations that we would have gone to for sponsorships have had to cut back.”

According to terms of the deal, the purchase must be completed by October.

“The main thing people need to know is this is a one-shot deal, if it's gone, it's gone,” Poupard said. “It's a good investment for our kids. One of our main goals is to keep it as affordable as we possibly can.”

Camp Bryerswood was established in 1992 to offer Girl Guides an opportunity for outdoor recreation, leadership and environmental awareness. The camp has three buildings, five cabins and a number of tent sites. There is a pond, an archery range, a picnic pavilion and space for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The group has applied for several grants to help with a long-term development plan, a marketing campaign and fundraising efforts.

Pandemic restrictions limited the group to holding a one-week virtual camp last summer.

Poupard said the group is hopeful it will be able to hold an in-person summer camp this year or, if not, hold day camps at various locations within Essex County. Girl Guides of Canada will maintain control of Camp Bryerswood until the sale is completed in the fall.

The Bryerswood Youth Camp Optimist Club is hosting its annual chicken dinner fundraiser at the Knights of Columbus in River Canard Jan. 30 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Instead of eating in, the dinner will be takeout only.

Tickets are available on the website at www.bryerswoodcamp. com. Donations can be made on the website, and commemorative Bryerswood drinking glasses are available for sale online as well.

Donations toward the camp purchase can also be made at CanadaHelps.org.

“It's still so scary,” Robertson said. “It's not over until we raise the money we need to make this happen.”