Camp Manitou is a summer camp, year-round outdoor recreation facility, and non-profit

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

located in

Headingley, Manitoba Headingley (sometimes spelled Headingly) is a rural municipality in Manitoba, Canada. It is located directly west of Winnipeg and had a population of 3,579 people as of the 2016 census. The Trans-Canada Highway and the Assiniboine River run thro ...

, Canada, just outside

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. It is operated by the True North Youth Foundation, a subsidiary of True North Sports & Entertainment. Camp Manitou was founded in 1930 by a group of six service clubs in Winnipeg: Rotary,

Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

Kinsmen A kinsman is a male relative (see kinship). The term kinsman (or plural kinsmen) may also refer to: Places in the United States *Kinsman, Illinois *Kinsman, Ohio *Kinsman Township, Trumbull County, Ohio *Kinsman Mountain, in the White Mountains ...

Optimist Optimism is an attitude reflecting a belief or hope that the outcome of some specific endeavor, or outcomes in general, will be positive, favorable, and desirable. A common idiom used to illustrate optimism versus pessimism is a glass filled wi ...

, and the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

, with the

Lions Club The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , ...

joining in 1953. It was incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization in 1949 with the mission to provide a camping experience for

underprivileged Social privilege is a theory of special advantage or entitlement, which benefits one person, often to the detriment of others. Privileged groups can be advantaged based on education, social class, caste, age, height, weight, nationality, geogra ...

/ at-risk children and youth.

History

Camp Manitou was founded in 1930 by a group of six service clubs in Winnipeg: Rotary,

, and the

, with the latter operating the camp until 1997. It was incorporated as a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

in 1949 with the mission to provide a camping experience for

/ at-risk children and youth. The

soon joined the organization in 1953. The True North Youth Foundation, a subsidiary of True North Sports & Entertainment, entered into a long-term lease and operating agreement that eventually led to the foundation assuming the operations of Camp Manitou as of January 2nd, 2014.

Location and facilities

Camp Manitou is located west of Winnipeg in a bend in the

Assiniboine River The Assiniboine River (''; french: Rivière Assiniboine'') is a river that runs through the prairies of Western Canada in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. It is a tributary of the Red River of the North, Red River. The Assiniboine is a typical meand ...

on Green Oaks Lane in

, Canada. The camp facilities include a main lodge with a commercial kitchen, dining room/multipurpose room, and bedrooms able to accommodate 72 sleepers; a gym building; six cabins which house nature education programs, music programs, games, and crafts; a swimming pool; and 28 acres of land. Some activities at the camp include zipline, mountain biking, canoeing, archery, orienteering, crafts, field games, water games, and swimming. During the summer camp programs, activities are run by trained Camp Manitou Activity Leaders. In the off-season, rental groups may rent equipment for their use.

Funding

Camp Manitou is a

charitable organization, and strives to provide subsidized, affordable rates to its non-profit user groups. As such, rental revenues cover only a small portion of the costs to run the facilities and programs. The remaining funds must be raised through grants, corporate sponsorship, private donations, special events, and other fundraising initiatives. Camp Manitou does not receive operational funding from the municipal, provincial, or federal governments.

References

External links

* {{coord, 49.86634, N, 97.34584, W, display=title True North Sports & Entertainment Headingley, Manitoba Summer camps in Canada