Kids' camps a big hit

Photo: Contributed

Kids' camps at Okanagan Mission Community Hall this summer have been a hit with young and old.

The hall is popular venue for weddings, family reunions and evening activities, but this summer marked a first with sold-out themed camps for six weeks. 

Three hundred youngsters participated in the camps, which included activities on site as well as H20 swimming days, playground visits, fire truck visits, beach days and more. 

The camps complemented tennis lessons already offered by the hall's operating association at the Okanagan Tennis Club, next door. 

“Our daytime programming was lacking, and we felt the hall was not being utilized to its fullest potential,” said manager Beverly Dawe. “Parents were thrilled to have one more summer option for their kids close to home."

A Canada Summer Jobs grant funded three full-time university students to run the camps. 

“With an aging facility, it is always important to stay open to new revenue-generating ideas but to also keep a balance of meeting the needs of other community groups and non-profits needing space,” Dawe added. 

The hall recently added daytime fitness classes, and a new after-school kids program starts this fall for parents of students at Anne McClymont and Dorothea Walker elementary schoools.

The Okanagan Mission Community Hall Association was founded in 1907.