Dowler’s dream came closer to fulfilment this summer when a property lease was signed and an ambitious fund raising campaign launched. Agur Lake Camp, slated to be located in the heart of the Okanagan 15 kilometres west of Summerland, is a unique facility in the province. “What makes it different from other camps is that it will include families and be open year round,” said Brad Hope, who prepared the camp’s business plan. According to Hope, Alberta’s William Watson Lodge, which has been in operation for 25-years, is the only other such all-encompassing camp in either Canada or the United States. In July, a 99-year lease on four acres of land was signed between the landowner, the Robin Agur family, and the Agur Lake Camp Society. The cost is one dollar per year. “I’m pleased this property will be used for such a wonderful purpose. It’s been in our family for over 100 years,” Agur said. A registered charity, the society is composed of volunteers who are aware of the trauma and stresses faced by families with disabled children. Earlier on the day the lease was signed, the rural board of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen approved amending a rural use bylaw to allow for construction of the proposed camp. In mid-June, approximately 40 community members attended a public hearing to support the amendment, “There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” said society president Penny Ritchie. Agur became involved in Dowler’s dream in 2002.Dowler, with the support of fellow Kiwanis members, placed a small advertisement in a local newspaper seeing a donation of a suitable piece of property for the camp. Florence McArthur, an administrator at the time for the Penticton Indian Band, told Dowler she knew of someone who might be interested in donating some land. “My hat is off to Robin Agur. He has a heart bigger than this world,” Dowler said. Once the lease was signed, Agur kick-started the $5 million fund raising campaign with a cheque of $10,000. “Along with seeking contributions from the public, businesses and corporations, we’ll be applying for government grants,” Ritchie said. When completed, the camp will have a central lodge and numerous individual cabins and RV sites. There will also be a workshop, playground, fishing dock, baseball field and barrier-free trails. “Barrier-free also means free of psychological and social barriers. The camp will be a place where special-needs kids are not a minority group, but the norm,” said society board member Amanda Lewis. Lewis, 19, who has cerebral palsy, is a resource person and speaker for the society. The camp will help kids build confidence because they will become more self-sufficient by learning what they’re good at, according to Lewis. She is currently studying for a career in disabled advocacy and promotion. “And don’t forget that people who are able-bodied during most of their lives, often develop special needs as they age,” she said. For information visit the website www.agurlakecamp.ca or call Penny Ritchie at (250) 494-7453. Contributions made payable to the Agur Lake Camp Society can be sent to Box 1723, Summerland, BC, V0H 1Z0.

September 2007, Susan McIver