Camp Cosmo on Jackfish Lake has been enjoying some TLC and Saskatchewan Hospital patients, staff and supporters spent a summery afternoon recently celebrating its updates.
An open house Aug. 12 marked the completion of renovations to several buildings plus the purchase of a new stove and the unveiling of a new sign followed by a cake and ice cream party.
Camp Cosmo is located in the Battlefords Provincial Park with a view of Jackfish Lake and is the heart of Saskatchewan Hospital North Battleford's summer program for patients. The camp provides a summer vacation camp experience for SHNB clients May through August with day trips and overnight stays of two or three days.
SHNB's director, Linda Shynkaruk, said, "Camp Cosmo has been around for a long, long time and there have been many patients who have enjoyed the vacation program, to get away from the hospital for relaxation time, rejuvenation time, just like we all need."
Over the last several years, however, it became clear Camp Cosmo itself was in need of rejuvenation, and recent donations to the hospital's auxiliary, AMGITS (stigma spelled backwards), have helped pay for materials needed to rehabilitate shingles, siding, deck railing, windows and other general improvements.
Donations included a $25,000 contribution from the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses, funds from SUN's community support donations, which are rotated around various communities. According to SUN provincial board member Lorna Tarasoff, it was the Battlefords turn to benefit. AMGITS, (as well as Concern for Youth, which also received a $25,000 donation) submitted detailed proposals to SUN for the funding and were selected in a competitive process.
Funds also came from the Saskatchewan Hospital Reunion Committee and the Registered Psychiatric Nurses Association of Saskatchewan raised at the annual Champions of Mental Health Awards held by the North Battleford Branch.
The Battlefords District Co-op, from where renovation materials were purchased, also made a donation, said Linda Shynkaruk during her welcome address. Also contributing were Battleford Furniture, where a new stove was purchased, and Sign of the Times, which prepared new signage for the camp, she said.
Once the funding was in place, said Shynkaruk, they needed someone to do the work. Thankfully, she said, the Prairie North Health Region trade staff, working with SHNB maintenance, took on the renovations and project co-ordination.
As always, she added, the camp staff "hit the ground running" in May, preparing for another summer season as renovations were being done.
"We couldn't have done it without all of you," she said.
She offered a special thank you to Carol Funk and Coralie Kuntz, co-presidents of AMGITS. They were "the brains behind the operation," she said.
As SHNB's auxiliary, said Shynkaruk, AMGITS raises money so patients can have the kind of things that can't be afforded through the budget, such as Christmas presents for everyone, tickets to the fair and to hockey games, recreation equipment and more.
"It goes on and on," said Shynkaruk.
Camp Cosmo is a community effort, she added.
She cited the SHNB physical activity group for coming out to the camp to keep up the grounds and hauling wood for the campfire as well as the industrial therapy department for building furniture.
"Nothing like this, whether it's a big project or things that need to go on, on an ongoing basis, can be done without community."
The open house was attended by numerous clients, some there for a several-day stay and some just for the afternoon event. Ruby Agema was among them and had positive things to say about both Camp Cosmo and the Saskatchewan Hospital.
Agema said she has been out to Camp Cosmo for a two-night stay and several day trips.
"We go to the beach, we have campfires, play mini golf, nature walks, sports on the grass, all kinds of things," she said.
If it's cold outside, they watch movies or play games in the main building.
"The meals are excellent," she adds.
Camp Cosmo consists of five buildings including the main cabin where cooking, eating, playing games and socializing take place, as well as a women's dorm, a men's dorm, a bathroom/shower house and a storage shed.
A large yard allows campers and day visitors ample space for activities including volleyball, berry picking, campfires and sitting in the sun. The camp also offers easy access to the beach and the grounds of the provincial park.
Camp Cosmo was founded by the Cosmopolitan Club of the Battlefords in 1980. AMGITS "inherited" Camp Cosmo when the Cosmopolitan Club disbanded.
