Camp Endobanah in Norland recently announced it is using a $117,200 Ontario Trillium Foundation grant to transform a 1940s Toronto Transit Commission women’s quarters to the camp’s updated main lodge.
Camp president Matt Welland said there was a ceremony Oct. 26 to mark the milestone.
He said MPP Laurie Scott was on hand to see what the non-profit group had done with the money it received last fall.
The year-long grant was used to renovate and update the camp’s main lodge, which has been reconstituted from one of the TTC’s temporary structures rebuilt at the camp in 1946 and now a permanent feature at Camp Endobanah.
“Funding provided to Camp Endobanah, by the OTF, will provide improved accessibility allowing all campers to enjoy this wonderful facility,” Scott said.
She added, “these improvements will enable the camp to offer activities to the community year-round, taking advantage of nature throughout the seasons.”
The funds were used to upgrade the camp’s main lodge and kitchen insulation, heating systems, LED lighting, windows and doors to provide better energy efficiency and more comfortable year-round use. Door hardware and washroom upgrades have improved accessibility and efficiency.
Welland said the OTF grant allowed them to transform the focal point of the camp, the main lodge, to make it more accessible, energy efficient and comfortable. “A building that started its life as a TTC temporary women’s quarters at Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto, has had new life breathed in to it to support the local communities that operate their camps from Camp Endobanah,” he added.
Camp Endobanah is a not-for-profit camp run entirely by volunteers. Since 1932, the camp has offered a rental space for youth and family groups to operate their camp programs.
