At Amsted and Promus, giving back is a big part of what we do and one of the ways we do that is by volunteering at Camp Smitty every fall.
For 15 years now, we have set aside a weekend in September to go up with family, friends and trade partners and upgrade the aging infrastructure at this well-used and greatly needed kids camp. For those who aren’t aware, Camp Smitty is a Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa initiative that ensures kids of all means have access to the summer camp experience.
This year we had a record 80+ people take part. They worked on projects such as demoing and rebuilding a bathroom, installing insulation (the camp is used year-round), building an outdoor kitchen, staining decks, plus chopping down and cutting up what seemed like a forest’s worth of dead or damaged trees, which were turned into firewood, stump chairs for the amphitheatre/large bonfire area and mulch for the new “interpretive trail” that runs through the camp along the water.
Despite the 30-degree heat – which made jumping in the lake for a swim oh so enticing – a good time was had by all.
Special thanks go to the following trade partners/businesses for generously donating materials for the projects: Boone Plumbing, Sunbelt Rentals, House of Fine Carpentry, Eastern Roofing and Stittsville Home Hardware, as well as to Algonquin College and its carpentry students, who built a new cabin for the camp chefs that was delivered and installed by crane.
Here’s to next year!
