Camp Kinkora: New Horizons

Counsellors Amanda Masse and Mat Fleming were among the hundreds of supporters who turned up at the Crowley Centre last Thursday evening for the  KinkoraPalooza,  a fundraiser which brought in close to $6,200 to  help those who can’t afford it to get to the camp this summer.  The money was raised through a silent auction as well as ticket sales for a benefit concert staged by a number of musicians who are Kinkora Alumni - Shane Murphy, The Echo Hunters, The Choir Boys, 3.5 Men, Craig Hodson and Aurora Chorealis. 

For the first time in 20 years, the camp will no longer be operated by Catholic Community Services. Catholic Community Services became Collective Community Services at the end of 2022.

Camp Kinkora proved to be a profitable venture for CCS which received  $120,000 in Centraide & MELS (Ministry of Education) funding  to operate the camp. It paid the Foundation $75,000 a year in rent.  With CCS now out of the picture, the Foundation (FCCS) is responsible.  

“We are working on a whole new model. We have a plan in place,” said FCCS spokesman Michael Palmer.  “We are not counting on the money  from  Centraide,  We can’t bank on it, but we are working with our clients to make sure the camp remains viable. There are certainly no plans to sell it. We are booked for most of the summer.  What is on our radar now is to fill the four weeks that remain vacant.”

The camp is open for ten months of the year and is rented out during the winter.

Groups who use the facility each summer include Visions Camp, Youth in Action, Diocesan Family Camp, Diocesan Liturgy Camp, the West Island Association for the Intellectually Handicapped, Melissa Sunshine and Nazareth and Anne’s House. 

FCCS vice-president Bob Vaupshas says the Foundation will try to secure funding  from  Centraide 

”The same people who used the camp when Catholic Community Services were  running it are still using it, so  Centraide  should continue to support those programs. There is no good reason they should not.” 

Camp Kinkora observes its 90th anniversary next year. It was founded in 1926  by the pastor of St. Patrick’s church,  Gerald  McShane who bought the 100 acres property  on Lac Beauchamp near Ste. Adolphe d’Howard as a summer camp for underprivileged children  in the parish.

Catholic Community Services assumed responsibility for running it in 1996.

Anyone wishing to sponsor a camper or make a contribution to the camp is invited to call the Foundation at  514 937 2301, local 279.