Christie Lake Kids serves economically disadvantaged children and youth by providing recreation and skill-building programs at no cost and with all barriers to participation removed.
THE BEGINNING
Christie Lake Camp was started in 1922 by a young Juvenile Court judge who wanted to take a new approach with youth in trouble with the law. Judge Jack McKinley first called his venture the Ottawa Boys’ Camp. He felt that many boys he saw in court needed “adjustment and reclaiming” rather than punishment, and wanted to create a place that would focus on “giving the boy responsibility, handling him with friendship, teaching him the general principles of good citizenship and doing so with the help of the open air.”
Soon after the purchase of the property on Christie Lake in 1923, the name changed to Christie Lake Boys’ Camp. Within a few years, the camp expanded its mandate to include boys from low-income families, who were not involved with the Juvenile Court.
THE BEGINNING
Christie Lake Camp was started in 1922 by a young Juvenile Court judge who wanted to take a new approach with youth in trouble with the law. Judge Jack McKinley first called his venture the Ottawa Boys’ Camp. He felt that many boys he saw in court needed “adjustment and reclaiming” rather than punishment, and wanted to create a place that would focus on “giving the boy responsibility, handling him with friendship, teaching him the general principles of good citizenship and doing so with the help of the open air.”
Soon after the purchase of the property on Christie Lake in 1923, the name changed to Christie Lake Boys’ Camp. Within a few years, the camp expanded its mandate to include boys from low-income families, who were not involved with the Juvenile Court.
THE STAR PROGRAM
The founders of Christie Lake Kids always intended to keep in touch with campers throughout the year. But winter get-togethers were sporadic through the 1940s and ’50s. In the ’60s and ’70s, a modestly funded Winter Program was formalized, and began to incorporate Dr. Dan Offord’s structured skill development that was becoming the basis of the camp program. Brothers, sisters, friends, and neighbours of our summer campers became involved.
In 1985, the Winter Program became the STAR program (Skills Through Arts and Recreation). A co-ordinator was hired, and STAR expanded to offer community-based skill-development programs from the early fall to late spring. The variety of the programs and the number of children served increased substantially. Summer campers and other children from low-income housing projects were invited to attend, and their acquisition of skills was carefully tracked.
Building Skills.
Transforming Lives.
Christie Lake Kids focuses on building skills as a pathway to enhancing protective factors in children and youth.
GIRLS COME TO CAMP
Though STAR was always open to both boys and girls, the summer camp served only boys until 1991. In the exciting summer of 1991, the first female campers arrived at Christie Lake Camp. Today, the camp has equal numbers of boys and girls in all programs.
NAME CHANGES
To reflect the integration of girls in 1991, the camp name changed from Christie Lake Boys’ Camp to Christie Lake Camp for Boys and Girls, and is now called simply Camp. Our organizational name changed from “Christie Lake Community Centres” to “Christie Lake Kids” in 2002.
DR. DAN OFFORD
Christie Lake Kids programs were largely developed under the guidance and direction of the late Dr. Dan Offord, renowned child psychiatrist and founding director of the internationally recognized Offord Centre for Child Studies located at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Before his passing in April of 2004, Dr. Dan (as he was affectionately known) was volunteer summer Camp Director for 47 years and co-director of the pilot PALS program in Ottawa that led to the development of the Christie Lake STAR program. In 2001, Dr. Dan’s research, his work at Christie Lake Camp, and his advocacy for all Canadian children earned him the Order of Canada.
TODAY
Christie Lake Kids continues to develop programs based on the spirit of equity, caring, and best practices that has made CLK such a positive milestone in so many successful lives. We seek out the children who most need support, work in the most at-risk neighbourhoods, and encourage personal growth beyond all expectations.
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