Volunteers renovate Camp Smitty ahead of summer camp season

A beloved summer camp near Eganville, Ont., has been given new life ahead of this upcoming season.

Sixty employees from Home Depot locations across Ottawa and the valley, and a number of local contractors donated their time, effort, and materials to give BGC Ottawa's Camp Smitty a facelift.

New front porches and railings were installed on 12 cabins, along with fresh coats of paint.

"Some of our decks are pretty rough," said Matt Singer, manager at Camp Smitty.

"It's obviously the main entry point of the cabin so we want to make sure the kids are always safe and everything is in good shape and looks good."

Many employees from the Pembroke Home Depot store turned out Thursday to volunteer, including assistant manager Tammie Tubman.

"When I was younger I had a cottage across the lake and I would take the fishing boat across to the camp to play with the kids over here," she tells CTV News.

"It's near and dear to our hearts. We are all from the area. A lot of us grew up on Mink Lake; some of us even camped here at the camp when we were kids."

Camp Smitty is named after former CJOH/CTV Ottawa sportscaster and community advocate Brian Smith. 

Ian Renals was one of the local Eganville contractors who took time to oversee the project, and embrace that community spirit.

"My son's been to this camp a few times. It's a good way to give back to the community, so I really did enjoy being able to come out here."

Home Depot estimates $5,000 worth of materials was donated to the project, with contractors donating another $3,000 to go along with the free labour on the day.

"One of the founding principles for Home Depot is giving back to the community," says Oksana Sikorski, Home Depot commercial account manager.

"And what a great way to do that as to giving back to the Boys and Girls Club."

Singer says just a few spots remain for kids to register this summer, as Camp Smitty gets ready to welcome hundreds of campers at the start of July.

"For a lot of kids, it's what they look forward to all year," he says.

"It's a chance to get 10 days away, put all their worries and anxieties away and just come and have fun."