Camp FAQs & Answers

Camp Kennebec Directors are Donna Segal, Rob Deman, and Sarah Wagner who bring a wealth of knowledge and hands on experience from their many years of camping and working with campers with special needs.

They have a shared vision, inspired by Kennebec’s founder Steve Hannon, that Camp must be a fun, happy place that offers one-of-a-kind experiences and a huge sense of accomplishment that campers will cherish for years to come.

Donna has been at Camp for 41 years, and has a background in education and social services. She taught pre-school for 15 years prior to joining Camp full-time. Rob is in his 21st year with Camp and his background is in psychology and education. Sarah has been with camp for 10 years, has a background in education, and worked at schools and in the community in behavioural support for teens and adults with special needs.

Create a fun, safe and supportive environment where everyone can reach for the stars and surprise themselves with all they can achieve. We encourage all campers and young adults to take calculated risks and participate in a wide range of social, emotional and recreational activities. Each one of their successes contributes to personal growth and a strong sense of self-worth and confidence. Even the small failures help our campers learn about the value of perseverance. When success does come (and it usually does), campers get to enjoy that unique sense of accomplishment that can only come from achieving a hard to reach personal goal.

Our top concerns have always been the health and safety of the entire Camp Kennebec community.  We will continue to follow the guidance of local, provincial, federal, American, and international health authorities, adhere to government regulations and adopt policies from leading camp organizations like the Ontario Camps Association and the Canadian Camping Association.  As we have since the beginning of the outbreak, we pledge to keep our Kennebec families, friends & staff up-to-date with changes in our procedures and policies, as quickly as we can.

Camp Kennebec is an accredited member of the Ontario Camps Association, and the Canadian Camping Association. Camp Kennebec is in excellent standing with the OCA. The Ontario Camps Association has strict guidelines regarding virtually all camp operations including safety, health, staffing, facilities and activities. The OCA inspects our Camp every 4 years.

Camp Kennebec is located in Arden, Ontario on 1,000 acres with 6 miles of waterfront. We’re 3 hours from Toronto, 1 hour from Kingston, 4 hours from Montreal, and 2 hours from Ottawa.

We offer eight camp sessions that are one, two, three, four, five, six, seven or eight weeks long. Stays of three weeks or longer allow our campers to get the most benefit from our programming, while one or two-week sessions are a great introduction to camp life at Kennebec. If there is room and circumstances permit, campers may be able to extend their stay.

Unfortunately, homesickness is a normal part of the camp experience. We train our staff to spot homesickness and use strategies to assist the camper with the tough times. Homesickness occurs typically during rest period, before bed, on a difficult day, or when a camper is sick. We find the best cure for homesickness is distracting campers with fun activities, so they forget to miss home. However, if we see that a situation is not improving, we will call home and discuss the situation and coping strategies with parents or guardians.

We do not allow campers to receive or make phone calls, except for pre-arranged calls for birthdays and other special events. You are welcome to contact our camp office for a camper update. Please do not send cell phones to camp. We will confiscate and return them at the end of the camper’s session.

We are fortunate to have a core group of well-trained, dedicated individuals who have been at Camp for years. Our kind, caring and experienced head staff members are professionals who create and perpetuate the warm, caring and fun Kennebec community that leads to success. Our counselor team includes teachers, educational assistants, child and youth care workers as well as university and college students enrolled in a variety of programs. All staff must pass criminal and personal reference checks, and a series of in-depth interviews. In addition, they take part in an intensive week of training prior to the start of camp.

About twenty years ago, we developed a unique approach to Camp programming that allows campers to choose how they spend much of the day. We know that making choices can be difficult for our campers, so this approach is a great learning experience, in addition to ensuring campers choose to spend time at their favourite activities. Campers are given the opportunity to decide on the activities they want to try at Camp. Rest assured that during the season, we make sure that campers have the opportunity to try all activities that we offer. Usually, the program a camper actually follows, ends up being dramatically different from what they initially chose. Flexibility is at the heart of the Kennebec philosophy – encourage kids to try new things and to keep trying them so they can master more physical, social and learning challenges and build upon their successes.

Yes. Parents, friends and relatives can send email to campers through our camper email service – Bunk1. Once you enrol your child at camp, we will provide you with information on how to use Bunk1. We print emails daily and hand them out with regular camper mail. Please do not stop writing letters though, your kids love to receive “snail” mail. We encourage our campers to write home at least once per week.

We have a full time, on-site nurse who administers medications, treats routine colds, and keeps record of camper and staff medical needs. We store all medication in our health centre and dispense it during meals or at prescribed times. There are three hospitals and a full service medical clinic in close proximity to Camp.

We serve three nutritious, home-style meals, which we serve family-style from a large platter that the cabin shares. The whole camp eats together. We encourage campers to try new foods, but there are substitutes on hand in case campers do not feel adventurous or do not like the meal. Campers also receive snacks like milk and cookies and fruit twice during the day. Each week our campers visit our tuck shop to choose a treat like granola snacks or juice. Our kitchen accommodates special dietary and allergy requirements.

Camp Kennebec has several contacts for financial aid. Please see the funding links on our website for further assistance. Please act quickly as the funding process can be quite lengthy. We encourage you to apply as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please visit our beautiful Camp and meet Donna, Rob, and Sarah, see our facilities and learn more about our program. Going to camp can be a big, exciting, and scary step in your child’s life. Often campers worry about small details that parents would not even consider important. Seeing camp and meeting head staff before the summer, helps minimize concerns about the unknown for campers and parents alike. We will host an open house at Camp for new families in June so your family can tour camp, ask questions and meet some of our head staff.

Call us to chat with Donna, Rob or Sarah about what makes Camp Kennebec so special. Then you can decide if Kennebec is the right choice for your camper. We have a list of parents who will share their experience at Kennebec with you. We can also meet with you at our virtual or in-person information nights or arrange a time for your family to visit us at Camp.