COMMUNITY

Every year, for more than a dozen years, The POINT’s generous seasonals, guests, and staff, excitedly donate tons of toys for kids in the Norfolk area. There’s everything from bikes and skateboards to dolls and education toys. We are always blown away by the enthusiasm and generosity of our guests.

These gifts are distributed by Haldimand-Norfolk Women’s Services for the December holiday festivities. This helps not only the kids who receive the gifts, but their families as well, who will have one less thing to worry about in a stressful time. The amount of toys grows every year showing our park’s commitment to support the local community in which we are situated.

We start the big push for the Annual TOY Drive by the end of August, but you can donate anytime by just inquiring at the park office. The normal practice for giving, is to place the gifts on the stage of the Rec Hall. We will take it from there! If you are donating anything that is used, it must be in like-new condition for the agency to accept it. We also accept cash donations at the store. Park staff will go out and shop for new toys on your behalf with all the proceeds.

Norfolk County, just like so many places in Ontario, has many folks that need our help to eat. All season long, The POINT collects and delivers collected donations to our local community.

All donations are given to the Simcoe Caring Cupboard Food Bank. They provide food assistance to individuals and families in need on an ongoing, seasonal and emergency basis. The dedicated volunteers at The Simcoe Caring Cupboard allow their clients to select their own food from their inventory, limiting the potential for waste.

In the park’s Rec Hall, you will always find a Food Bank donation bin, an excellent place to put your unused food items at the end of your camping trip or near the end of the season. Please also consider picking up a few extra items at the grocery store to drop in the bin when shopping for your camping visit. We can only accept non-perishable food items. Thank you for supporting the folks in our community who can use a little help.

Every year, we pick a charity to support the broader LGBTQI+ community. For 2020, the organization chosen was Rainbow Railroad (rainbowrailroad.org), a very worthy group, who helps LGBTQI+ people escape persecution and violence from almost anywhere in the world. In past years we have supported the Delhi District Secondary School’s Gay/Straight Alliance and Toronto’s PWA Food Bank and Organization.

We host many events to raise money for our Annual Charity of Choice. One of the biggest of these events is the Annual Jockstrap Auction, where in 2020, all records were broken when more than $3000 was donated. We are overwhelmed by the generosity of our guests and are inspired to raise money year after year.

Read the park newsletter to find the events where we are raising funds or you can inquire at our office to donate directly. Any amount you care to give is always appreciated and helps our resort contribute to the greater good. Encourage your friends to participate, or come up with ways in your groups to raise money.

We are so lucky to be in the Carolinian forest of Ontario’s Long Point Region. The Carolinian forest once had a range from above Toronto to Niagara and Windsor. But, despite it’s rapid decline in the province, this region has historically tried to conserve this beautiful deciduous forest and the unique flora and fauna within it. This can be seen in the plantation tracks of white pines, beech, and oaks throughout this property and beyond. It is because of this history, that The POINT luckily finds itself nestled in The St. Williams Conservation Reserve. Our closest neighbours are many land conservancies, Turkey Point Provincial Park and the Forestry Farm that once reforested much of Ontario. It is so important that we help conserve this delicate environment.

There are some things you can do, while here, to help with this important habitat. Please stay on trails to avoid damage to the flora and fauna. Keep your pets leashed and away from animals, plants, insects and sensitive waterways. Minimize water wasting and Leave No Trace. Let’s help protect this place and let it flourish by keeping it clean and undisturbed.

We can all enjoy the diversity of The POINT’s nature, and the areas around us, while caring for it and educating ourselves about it’s treasures. There are a large range of trails of all kinds, starting directly off our property. Many others are just a short hike or drive away. There is no better way to understand the need for conservation than to see it for yourself first-hand. For those with further interest in this area’s ecological history, The St. Williams Forestry Farm Interpretive Centre is just around the corner. Ask the staff to guide you and get out there to enjoy it!

Here, at The POINT, we would like to keep our little piece of paradise as pristine as possible. We create as little garbage as possible to limit adding to local landfills. We are fortunate that the people that come to The POINT use our recycling facilities to their fullest extent.

Aside from promoting composting, and minimizing usage in the first place, we achieve this by collecting all recyclable/reusable materials. The county collects much of it, but we also recycle all batteries in the park. Other materials, such as metal and metal composites, are collected, and donated to local families who then reuse or recycle the materials. Here, at The POINT, we donate any unclaimed lost and found items as well as reusable discarded items to local charities for resale. We encourage our guests to make as little garbage as possible and to allocate waste to it’s appropriate place.

The most important way to help us here at the camp is to only bring what you will use or take home. We only accept a kitchen garbage bag full of waste per site per weekend. Items larger then this require approval from the store. They will let you know if we have the capacity to accept it and the applicable fee. For larger objects that you think we might be able to donate, we ask that you do that yourself on your way home. When we all work together, our community is a better place!

The city or town you live in takes care of the essential things that the population needs, but it’s the members of the community, through neighbourliness and volunteerism that give the place it’s spirit. The same is true here at The POINT. The business keeps the place running smooth and makes everyone’s stay as pleasant as possible. But the extras or the ‘icing on the cake’ is often the work of volunteers and neighbours. The POINT’s community is vibrant and exciting because people work together for fun, support, and safety. We are so lucky to have so many seasonals, campers, and even staff, that go above and beyond to make this place what it is.

Being a part of a community is fulfilling and fun. Helping others and achieving common goals feels great and elevates the whole place. You get to know your neighbours and make great new friends. Nothing feels better than being a part of something bigger, and a pat on the back from those around you.

Talk to the people around you in the park. Many of them know how to get involved. Talk to staff about what you can do. When you see others decorating the pool or someone is struggling with their tent, ask to help. They’ll appreciate it, and you will get to know them. Who doesn’t want to meet a handsome new man?