As the weather warms and winter turns to spring, there is always one resounding question among cottagers on Kawagama Lake—when is all this ice going to melt?
For Karin Ibscher, a longtime supporter of Moorelands Kids, the melting lake ice not only signaled the exciting change of seasons and the promise of summer, but it also sparked an idea.
In late winter, the Kawagama Lake Cottagers Association, in co-operation with Bruce MacPherson and Vanessa Slack, owners of Mountain Trout House Marina, decided to host the “Ice Out,” a friendly competition among the Kawagama Lake community that would raise money in the form of voluntary donations to send a kid to Moorelands Camp.
“The ice usually melts within a month, typically in April,” explains Karin. Each participant selected an Ice Out date, indicated by the toppling of a keg placed on the ice in Marina Bay, southwest of Moorelands Camp. With prizes donated by Muskoka Brewery and Mountain Trout House, 49 people entered for a chance to win.
Karin’s first fundraising effort was in the summer of 2019 when she swam the perimeter of Kawagama Lake to raise $24,852 for Moorelands Camp. She is also a member of the Starry Summer Night committee, organizes the annual AquaHug for Moorelands Kids and raised $4,590 through last year’s Kawagamathon. “For me, it’s always about the kids and getting more kids to camp to have that experience,” says Karin.
(Photo above) A keg donated by Muskoka Brewery topples over to signal the melting ice.
(Photo right): Karin Ibscher (right) with Kyla Hoyles (left), who was among the three winners to choose the correct date, April 13th.
Moorelands Kids invites YOU to help send a kid to camp this year.
