Camp Bowen

Those of you on Bowen Island who have headed down Cardena at Bowen trunk Road may have noticed two new signs. Those signs were put in to replace the sign that used to sit further up the road and cautioned drivers of the presence of blind and partially sighted pedestrians.

On behalf of all of us at the Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired, we would like to thank Bob Robinson, Sue Ellen Fast, the Public Works team, the Bowen Island Municipality, and everyone else involved with the implementing of the new signs posted for our organization on Cardena. We appreciate the hard work everyone at the municipality has put in to ensure the safety of our staff and program participants.

Dear Community,

This #GivingTuesday, we desperately need your help!

Please note: In the spirit of #GivingTuesday, which is to harness social media for change, be sure to share this post, even if you are unable to make a donation.

We are the Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired, a Chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind and the non-profit that took over the visually impaired summer camp programs on Bowen Island, BC from CNIB in late 2010. Last year, we were unable to hold child and youth programs because of a funding shortfall. The only reason the adult program was able to run was because several adults were able to help cover the program costs. This was helped by the fact that the adult program has a smaller overhead because it does not require as many resources to run.

We need your help to ensure this valuable program continues. Program costs have risen dramatically and Many of the families we serve often face disability-related expenses, leaving limited income for recreational activities.

Next year, we plan to run child, youth and adult programs, open to all Canadians, and we can only do it with your help.

Please donate to our fundraiser on Canada Helps and help our campers be able to continue to call Camp Bowen their second home. We are in desperate need of donations ahead of the December 31, 2016 deadline for the fundraiser. Whether you can help with one dollar or more, every donation is greatly appreciated.

To donate, visit our fundraising page on Canada Helps

For more information about Camp Bowen or the fundraiser, please visit www.campbowen.ca or call +1 (844) MYBOWEN (692-6936).

Thanks in advance for your support.

Warm regards,

The Camp Bowen Team

Update: If you can’t be at the meeting in person, you can participate by calling +1 (844) MYBOWEN (692-6936) and pressing 6.

Hi everyone,

This is an official notice of the CCB Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired Chapter’s annual general meeting.

As required by the Society Act of British Columbia, and in accordance with the CCB BC-Yukon Division bylaws, this is the official announcement for the 2016 Annual General Meeting of the CCB Camp Bowen Society for the Visually Impaired Chapter.

When: Saturday, November 5, 2016

Time: 3:30 – 5:00 P.M.

Where: 7311 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC

Our AGM will be held in the Adult Program Room at the Tommy Douglas branch of the Burnaby Public Library. The library is located on the north side of Kingsway, just west of Edmonds Street. Take the Expo line to Edmonds station, or take the 106 or 129 bus. Free parking is available underground. Enter the parking garage off Arcola Street, which is off Walker Street.

The purpose of our AGM is to review the activities of the last year, pass any necessary major resolutions, and elect a new Board of Directors for the coming term.

Please consider joining the Board or one of our committees. We have many projects planned for the coming year and could use your assistance.

You must have a currently valid paid membership with a CCB chapter ($10) to vote for the directors and on any resolutions, but memberships will be on sale before the meeting starts.

So mark your calendar, and try and attend. We’re looking forward to a good turnout.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer but can’t attend, call us at +1 (844) MYBOWEN (692-6936). Alternatively, you can send us an email through our contact page.

Thank you for your participation,

The Camp Bowen Team

Our sing-along ended with “Good Night Irene”.

A discussion about eyes leads into us singing “The Corner Master’s Store”.

We sang another camp favourite, “Down By The Bay”. In true Camp Bowen style, we came up with verses for each camper.

And here is us coming up with more verses for “Down By The Bay”.

This is where the sing-along really got started. Some of the younger campers, led by Peg on guitar, introduced Adult Camp to the Camp Bowen Song, which was traditionally played at child and youth camps. Partway through, Danielle came out and joined us.

Here are more verses for the Camp Bowen Song, including a new one from Peg.

Liz, a nurse by profession, had another idea for the verse about the nurse.

Here is a video of some of us singing John Denver’s “Country Roads”.

And here’s part 2 of us singing “Country Roads”.

On Thursday night, we had a campfire and sing-along on the patio. Here’s a clip of a few of us singing James Taylor’s “Fire & Rain”.

On the morning of Thursday, August 11, everyone gathered on the patio for a group photo. This photo was taken by Lorraine Ashdown from Bowen Island.

Pictured in the photo are Alex, Byron, Clement, Danielle, Donna, Jessica, Jocelyn, Matthew, Monica (with guide dog Ash), Nelson, Owen, Peg, Roi, Salvatore, and Vera.