The Outdoor Centre
The Quebec Lodge Outdoor Centre, offering summer programs since 2016, is a secular camp with charitable status for the purposes of education. That status was granted to the camp by the Canada Revenue Agency in 2015. The camp program emphasizes active, hands-on, small-group Environmental Education and Healthy Living Skills Education.
From 1943 until its closure in 2005, Quebec Lodge was an Anglican church camp that welcomed campers of all backgrounds. After a period of summer camping in Leeds, Quebec, Bishop Philip Carrington, in 1943, led the establishment of the Lake Massawippi camp at a site in North Hatley. In the early 1950s, the camp moved halfway down the east side of the lake where hundreds of children enjoyed their summers year after year.
Unfortunately financial difficulties forced the Diocese of Quebec to close the camp and sell a portion of the property. Following the closure of the camp, the Quebec Lodge Foundation, composed of a number of concerned local citizens and several former campers, worked for many years to obtain a new charitable status as a secular, educational camp and to reestablish the camp on the still significant remaining property.
The Quebec Lodge Foundation
Foundation Board Members: Ruth Sheeran (President), Tom Matthews (Vice-President), Kylie Côté (Treasurer), Johanne D'Iorio (Secretary), Avril Aitken, Sarah Heath, John Moses, Peter Provencher, Stephen Stafford, Andrew Wanka, Brian Wharry (ex officio).
Camp Management Committee: Avril Aitken, Shanna Bernier, Karen Dymond, Wendy King, Lorne Lemarquand, Tom Matthews, Melanie Roarke (ex officio), Ruth Sheeran (ex officio), Brian Wharry (ex officio)
Foundation Members: Nils Bodtker, William Crooks, John Hoblyn, Kelly Hurdle, Bill Letteney, David Oliver, James Oliver, Duncan Plaunt, Tom Redpath.
Staff: Brian Wharry (Director), Melanie Roarke (Financial Administrator).
Recent History
Brian Wharry, Director of the Quebec Lodge Outdoor Centre, presents a multi-year development plan. Brian has been involved with Quebec Lodge since 1990.
Ruth Sheeran, President of the Quebec Lodge Foundation, inspiring support in the local community.
Brad Mitchell, Bill Crooks, and David Oliver. Quebec Lodge Foundation luncheon.
Ann Mitchell helping clean up the old lodge before that portion of the property was sold. Ann has been a source of constant support and encouragement.
Early planning work on a completely forested Main Site.
Discussing the site plan.
Supporters of Quebec Lodge rally.
Brad Mitchell, Lead Gifts Chair (facing camera) and others gather in support of Quebec Lodge
Bill Letteney and John Moses, both strong supporters of the project. John has been a member of the Quebec Lodge Foundation board for many years.
David Oliver, an early and enthusiastic supporter. David helped spread our message and made key connections early in the fundraising campaign.
Margot Graham Heyerhoff, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Massawippi Foundation, speaks in support of Quebec Lodge. Check out the Massawippi Foundation's incredible work (they have preserved important stretches of the West Ridge across the lake from Quebec Lodge and are adding public access hiking trails, with lake access! Perfect for off-site trips from Quebec Lodge.) http://www.fondationmassawippifoundation.org/
Nils Bodtker, Lead Supporter, speaking with enthusiasm about his boyhood camp.
Paul Bode, Staff 1997 & 1998, puts in a terrific effort removing old tent platforms at the Pioneer site in the summer of 2015.
Steve Hinton, James Oliver, Paul Bode, Catherine Irwin-Gibson, and Erica Harris - all staff alumni from the years 1995 to 2003 - take a well-deserved break after helping at a work day in 2015. James has also volunteered his time and counsel year-round since the early days of the campaign to save the camp.
Brian Wharry cutting the new Quebec Lodge out of the forest!
Steve Stafford helping at a fall workday.
Jim Wharry has volunteered countless hours at the site.
As a volunteer in early 2015, Bill Crooks wrote the detailed curriculum document that secured Canada Revenue Agency charitable status for the purposes of education for Quebec Lodge. This was a critical step in the process to re-start the camp. Bill then joined the Quebec Lodge team as the first Program Director. Bill previously worked at the camp from 1998 to 2005.
Steve Hinton has driven from Montreal to help at every single workday since we started them in 2015. Thank You, Steve!
Steve Stafford, Elizabeth Robinson, Steve Hinton, Brian Wharry, Nate Wharry, Jordan Wharry, David Oliver and Jim Wharry, all helping to advance the project.
Clearing the entrance to Main Site.
Creating the playing field.
Bishop Dennis Drainville transfers the land for the Outdoor Centre to the Quebec Lodge Foundation.
Kate Harris and Mohammed Bukhammas welcome visitors to the site. They assisted with parking that day, and clearly brought the camp spirit to their task! We can all bring the camp spirit everywhere we go, and bring it to the work we do.
Barbara and Tom Matthews, supporters. Tom is Vice-President of the Quebec Lodge Foundation and a former camper. He has brought insight to the staff hiring process in recent years. In spring 2016, Barbara, Tom and Mary Martin (http://www.msmartin.com/) led a hike in the Pioneer section of camp that yielded the photos of plants and trees that we have added to the "Site Tour" page of this website. Mary identified different types of ferns, a Jack in the Pulpit, and Starflowers.
Page and Beverly Dame. Supporters, Past Board Members, and donors of our most durable canoe!
Quebec Lodge supporters on the best beach on the lake.
Johanne D'Iorio, with John Moses and Bruno Grassi. Johanne has done outstanding work as Secretary of the Quebec Lodge Foundation.
Betty, Cathy, Al and Richard Salt, former Directors and leaders at Quebec Lodge, and current supporters. Speaking to Al is Louise Moses, who has helped with our website and social media presence. Louise is a strong advocate for healthy living practices, a growing focus at Quebec Lodge. Louise's website is: www.healthcoach611.com
Ruth Sheeran, President of the Quebec Lodge Foundation, relates the story of the Foundation's work from 2006-2016 (July 3rd, 2016).
Steve Stafford, Board Member and Campaign Co-Chair of the successful Major Fundraising Campaign.
Norman Webster, Supporter. Norman's work with the remarkable Massawippi Foundation has led to the creation of hiking trails - soon to reach the shoreline of the lake - on the West Ridge across from Quebec Lodge. Access to the hills that campers have gazed at for decades - and on high-quality, professionally-made trails - is truly a dream come true for Quebec Lodge. http://www.fondationmassawippifoundation.org/
Nils Bodtker, Lead Supporter, and Al Salt, Camp Director when Nils was a camper at Quebec Lodge.
Brian Wharry, Camp Director, and Duncan Plaunt, Program Director. 2016
Lead Supporters thanked. L-R: Ruth Sheeran, QLF President, Nils Bodtker, The Right Reverend Bruce Myers, Bishop of Quebec, Mary Wells for the Tunnell and Wells families, Hilary and Norman Webster for the R. Howard Webster Foundation, and Stephen Stafford, QLF Major Fundraising Campaign Co-Chair.
Duncan Plaunt, Bill Crooks, and Nick Rasytinis, all staff alumni, singing a Nick Rasytinis composition about Quebec Lodge. The performance took place at the Bishop's University Choir Concert a few months before the inaugural summer of the new camp in 2016.
First Yurt Platform. Early May, 2016.
Mohammed Bukhammas, Staff 2016, helping promote Quebec Lodge on Canada Day in Hatley. Mo brought a special positive spirit and a knack for getting along with campers to our first summer.
We were very lucky to have Ben Stickles help out as a volunteer in 2016. Here he is towing the QL float on Canada Day in Hatley. Ben also helped build the main path to the lake and taught the staff team that using an axe "is all about accuracy". Ben is happy to consult about the menu at Wood's Snack Bar (Ayer's Cliff), about which he possesses extensive knowledge.
Camp Fun Begins! Firelighting with Brian and Mo at Pioneer.
Part of a challenging relay race! Set up by the always enterprising Emily Williams (Staff 2016).
Thanks to Jess Meadows (Staff 2017) who got the help of her Bishop's Environmental Science professors, campers were able to take tree core samples using the the proper (and expensive!) tools called "increment borers."
Cardboard boat-building challenge. 2016.
Classic Camp Fun! 2016.
Camper-led games. An unexpected but not unwelcome surprise for the staff!
Emily Williams (Head Teacher, 2016) speaks with campers. Emily's solid lessons and well-prepared activities, planned without the benefit of past summers' resources or experiences, formed the backbone of the program during our first summer.
First Quebec Lodge Outdoor Centre Day Camp Group. July 2016
Anneka Roach, the one program staff member who worked both 2016 and 2017, helped to build up the program from scratch and provided "institutional memory" in her second summer. Here, Anneka is leading a Design-Thinking-Building challenge, one of her areas of interest and expertise.
Jess Meadows, Staff 2017, helped improve our Environmental Science offerings, developing lessons related to soil layers and tree core sampling. Jess also made a special effort to lead the planting of a new vegetable garden.
Camper Birthday, 2017. Kelly Hurdle, in green T-shirt, is the 2018 Program Director. Kelly, graduating as a Physical Education Teacher from the University of Sherbrooke this spring, is adding a "Healthy Living Skills" focus to the program to complement the camp's Environmental Education mandate. Kelly is an experienced rugby player, coach and referee, is bilingual, and led the building of the impressive new low-ropes course at Quebec Lodge in the spring of 2017.