ABOUT
Belwood Lodge and Camp is a summer camp for people aged 7-99 with intellectual disabilities. We strive to make our camp a home away from home, fostering independence and lifelong friendships.
Belwood Lodge and Camp was founded in 1946 and has grown to be a place where year after year our campers and lodgers flock to reexperience the magic of camp. Many of our lodgers come for many years, it is not uncommon for a lodger to have come to our camp for 20+ years.
We work to make our camp as accessible as possible. We have pathways throughout camp making moving to different places in camp easy for those with mobility devices. We also have an accessible swimming pool which has a ramp for entrance so all people can access the refreshing pool.
Camp Director
Trudi Hagerman
Trudi joined Belwood Lodge and Camp as the Camp Director in the fall of 2021. Trudi has years of experience working at camps and values the safe space that camps make for people to be themselves.
Trudi has a degree in Therapeutic Recreation and holds the designation of Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist.
Trudi also has her trusty sidekick Charlie. Charlie is a black lab who loves meeting new people, his favourite part of camp is saying good morning to the campers and lodgers and getting pets from all the people who want to say hello.
OUR BOARD
Our Board is a group of people who all have an interest in Belwood Lodge and Camp. Some Board members are past staff, family of current and past lodgers, and volunteers from the community.
Ken Catteau
President
Ken is the retired owner of Mister Transmission, Guelph and is a past-president of the Kiwanis Club of Guelph. His support of camp is long-standing.
Cheri Fitzpatrick (Tigger)
Vice President
Cheri is a retired RN with over 40 years of nursing experience. She is a former camp nurse who chose to come back to serving the camp as a member of our board. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of our community to the board.
Kevin Tindall
Treasurer
I am a CPA in Saskatchewan and Ontario, and I specialize in financial controllership of private companies. I have a varied background that includes operations, public accounting, personal / corporate tax, and restaurant / hospitality management. I joined the Belwood board last year because of a personal connection to the camp, and as a way to give back to the community in a meaningful way. Every non-profit deserves to benefit from some level of financial oversight.
Janice Bacon
Kiwanis Club Representative
Janice is an Investment Advisor in Guelph at CIBC Wood Gundy and has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of Guelph since 2005.
Belwood Lodge and Camp is an important part of Kiwanis, and she is proud to be a member of it’s board as the Kiwanis Representative
Cathy Bruder
Secretary
Cathy is a special needs support worker for the Upper Grand District School Board. She spent many years working at camp and transitioned to her position on the board because of her passion for camp and our campers.
Lori Roth
Book Keeper
Lori is an experinced bookeeper. She works to keep all of camps finances in order.
Bev Mackenzie
Bev is a former secondary teacher and instructional leader for Health and Physical Education for the Toronto District School Board She is the mother of a multi handicapped daughter who has attended camp for the past twenty years. Bev is passionate about keeping Belwood Lodge and Camp vibrant, inclusive and accessible.
Logan Reaume
Logan is a CPA and Senior Accountant with Baker Tilly in Elora. Logan had no prior affiliation with Belwood, but upon learning about the unique and incredibly valuable experience the camp offers to its lodgers, was thrilled to offer his services on the board. He's since become fond of the camp and hopes to use his profession towards the benefit of our awesome lodgers.
Laura Clarke
Laura worked at BLC for six summers in a variety of roles (counsellor, program counsellor, outtrip director). She is so grateful for her time at camp, and had so much fun with our amazing lodgers while gaining really valuable life skills. Laura's aunt Dorothy attended camp for over 45 years, so it holds a special significance for her family. She stayed involved with camp once she left, and in 2019 she joined the board. Laura is the head of the Fundraising Committee, and works to secure grants and other fundraising opportunities to help support the camp and make it as wonderful an experience for the lodgers as she can. Outside of camp, Laura works in government policy and program development for people with developmental disabilities.
Alix Oates
Alix began volunteering at Belwood Lodge & Camp in 2009. Alix started as a Cabin Counsellor in 2010 and worked until 2020 in many different roles at camp, finishing up as the Associate Director. Alix works at a local Day Program for adults with disabilities and continues to be involved in the disability community in many different ways. Alix is passionate about Belwood Lodge & Camp and being involved as it continues to grow. Alix’s favourite summertime programs are campfire, coffee house and the annual Kiwanis vs. Belwood baseball game!
Rima Al- Salah
A mother of a camper who has been enjoying the camp for over 14 years, Rima is an educator and a behavioural consultant working in the realm of intellectual disability. She is proud to have volunteered her time at Belwood, working on various fundraising initiatives and supervising on-site upgrades to the campsite. Rima is passionate about Belwood Lodge and Camp, and the refuge it provides to campers just like her son
Alyssa Leapold
Camp has been a part of my life since 2004. I started as a Counsellor and ended as a Co-Director in 2012. From camp I moved on to work within the developmental services sector as a Group home manager in Halton and K-W.
I spent a lot of my time within specialized services. I have since moved on to a career in Emergency Services, but I still have an enormous place in my heart for what camp stands for, which has now landed me here!
I aim to lend my experience both inside of and outside of camp, to foster improvement and continue to offer access to one of the best places in the whole world