An enthusiastic crowd of Agur Lake Camp Society members and supporters gathered to witness the cutting of the ribbon opening the camp’s third totally accessible cabin.
Beth Bonten, president of the camp society board, explained how all three cabins were started on the Penticton campus of Okanagan College through a partnership of Okanagan College, the Okanagan Skaha School District, CM Edwards Construction and the camp society.
The cabins were moved to the lake by truck, finished and then furnished.
Cabin 3 was brought to its site in July, 2012.
Agur Lake Camp, 15 kilometres west of Summerland, is a wilderness camp designed to meet the needs of families and care-giving groups who have members with disabilities.
Accessible cabins, camping sites, a picnic pavilion, a barbecue, trails, a dock and lake-viewing area are available to people planning their own barrier-free holiday.
Summer students Leonie Zang and Levi Godard assisted founder, Bonnar Dowler in the ribbon-cutting.
During the 1970s, after a personal tragedy in his family, Dowler dreamed of a camp for families in crisis, and 30 years later set about to make it happen.
Donated land, building materials, volunteers and overwhelming community support resulted in a non-profit camp which meets a unique need in British Columbia.
Bonten said Ken Carlson, Doug Cade, D’Arcy Dunn, Wayne Nevins and Gilbert Thor of the Penticton Adventure Club had volunteered their time to finishing Cabin 3.
Thor had served as supervisor for this work.
Other donors and sponsors included Summerland Timber Mart, Summerland Rentals, Summerland Thrift Shop, Mountain View Growers, the Chometsky family, Gorman Brothers, Summerland Rotary Club, Rona, The Central Okanagan Foundation, 8th Generation, NuFloors and Barry Beecroft.
Families or groups wishing to rent cabins at the camp can contact the office by mail at Agur Lake Camp, Box 1723, Summerland, B.C., V0H 1Z0, by email at info@agurlakecamp.ca or by phone at 1-250-809-7130.