Remembering Camp Gencheff anniversary

P.E.I.'s Camp Gencheff marks its 60th anniversary this year. Island Morning looked back at the 50th anniversary celebrations.

The CBC's Sarah Keaveny-Vos was there. She met then camp manager Cheryl Robbins and Tom Deblois, who chaired the board for Camp Gencheff at the time. She also met Barry Stewart, the camper who held the ribbon for the opening ceremony in 1961.

The camp, located in Stratford overlooking Hillsborough Bay, serves children and adults with intellectual and physical disabilities. When it opened, it was known as the Bellevue Cove Crippled Children's Camp. Stewart, who was born with a club foot, did not want to be there.

"I wanted to go home and they thought if I held the ribbon, I might stay. And I did," he said.

"The counsellors then, as they are now, they know how to make kids happy when they're here."

'Let Barry do whatever he wanted'

Stewart also played a big part in the 50th anniversary ceremony, arriving in his own fire truck, much to the excitement of the campers.

"I guess that's why I bought it, is really to be able to share it with kids and in different charities," he said.

Stewart credits his time at the camp for helping to give him the confidence to go on to achieve so much in his life, including 25 years as a volunteer firefighter. He also credits Dr. Tudor Gencheff, who was not only influential in the direction the camp took in the 1960s (and for whom it was renamed) but also repaired Stewart's foot.

"One of the things that he told my family was to let Barry do whatever he wanted to do and not to try and hold him back. And they did," he said.

"I did a lot of things that a lot of people wouldn't have expected me to do."

'They get to come and feel like they belong'

The focus on ability, not disability, is a philosophy that has grown at the camp over the decades. Deblois said it is an important part of what makes the camp special.

"It gives them self-confidence. It gives them a good feeling about themselves, their ability to achieve," he said.

"We talk about their achievements and their successes. And I think they leave any thoughts or concerns about disabilities behind once they arrive at the camp."

"They make many new friends," said Robbins.

"They get to come and feel like they belong, spend some time being an equal to their peers and being treated with respect by the staff and each other. We promote independence. We're big on letting them do things for themselves and learning." 

Like so many charities, Camp Gencheff faced challenges through the pandemic. It was forced to shut down entirely in the spring of 2020, but relaunched with day programs that June, which are continuing through the summer of 2021.

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