Rotary Club of Erin Supports EDHS Grade 9 Camp
The Rotary Club of Erin recently presented $3,000 to Erin District High School to support its Grade 9 Residential Camp, helping ensure that financial barriers do not prevent students from taking part in this long-standing school tradition.
For 22 years, the Grade 9 Camp has helped new students begin their high school experience by building friendships, confidence and a sense of community. This September, approximately 175 Grade 9 students will travel to Camp Pinecrest in Bracebridge for two nights and three days of activities, workshops and opportunities to get to know their new classmates.
The camp is completely phone-free, giving students a chance to step away from phones and social media and focus on face-to-face connections. Activities include nature walks, fire-building, ropes courses, archery and community-building exercises.
The camp also brings back Grade 12 students as mentors, giving them an opportunity to help new students make the same connections they did when they were in Grade 9.
“I was scared to go first in Grade 9. But camp let me meet some of my best friends, and it’ll give you yours. It’s your first step to getting involved, and you’ll look back and thank yourself for going.”
— Grade 12 student mentor
The $3,000 contribution was made possible through the generosity of the sponsors of Family Day 2026, a free community event hosted by the Rotary Club of Erin. Their support helped make the event possible while also allowing the club to direct funds toward local youth.
For the Rotary Club of Erin, it is another example of how community fundraising and partnerships can create opportunities to support local youth beyond the events themselves.
We Energize Erin!
Photo: Representatives of the Rotary Club of Erin present a $3,000 contribution to support the EDHS Grade 9 Camp. From left: Tyler Bruce (EDHS), Rotarians Nina de Vaal, Deanna Bell, Liz Baldock and Claire Bell, and Grade 9 Camp participants.
Story by: Neil Baird
On Behalf of the Rotary Club of Erin