Volunteer Spotlight: Inspiring the Next Generation of Campers

Marty Tannahill is one of the YMCA’s dedicated volunteers at Camp Kitchikewana and our resident canoeing expert. Every year, Marty teaches certification programs for both staff and campers, helping them improve their canoeing skills.

Marty got involved with the YMCA by pure coincidence; after he retired, he received a call from a camp director at an RKY camp near Kingston with a last minute need to help teach a canoe course. The following year, Marty received another phone call, this time from Camp Kitchikewana, needing help with its canoeing program as well as someone who could test and certify the camp’s leadership.

Marty went to help, and during the testing process, noticed that the canoeing program needed more support to ensure that the camp’s counsellors were prepared to lead canoeing programs for the campers. He immediately offered his services to Camp Kitchikewana’s Director to support the program.

Since then, Marty has been a very active member of the camp community. He currently teaches and certifies the camp’s leadership in canoeing skills, and teaches the campers a moving water course, a tripping course, and a style paddling course.

“I look forward to coming to Kitchi and seeing the results from children learning canoeing skills, and I love seeing the little ones and noticing how much they learn,” said Marty.

When asked, why he volunteers at the Y, Marty said, “At some point you have to ask, ‘why am I here?’ There must be a purpose, and I think that purpose is to serve and support others. I really enjoy my role, and I can see almost immediate results which I think is incredible. All the people I have had a chance to work with have done more for me than I ever can for them.”

“There are so many amazing things I have seen at camp on a day-to day basis,” said Marty. “The kids develop not just as campers, but also as people; they are helped immensely through the camp experience. Seeing them develop just warms my heart.”

Marty shared with us a fond memory of supporting a determined camper, and the importance of the camp community: “One camper I worked with had a disability and was really struggling on a course, but he kept trying so hard. I went over to talk him through it, and we worked on the course together; eventually he got through it, and he did it by himself without any help. The next year, he came back to camp and when he saw me, he gave me a hug. He then told me, ‘I wouldn’t have gotten here without you,’ and I said, ‘no, we got through it together.’ That was really special for me. He has since come back to camp as a counsellor, and he is really great at it.”

In addition to working with the camp’s canoeing program, Marty also dedicates his time to  fundraising for Camp Kitchikewana. “I was very unsure about doing it at first” he said. Every year, Marty sends a letter to his contacts to help kids attend camp. “I have seen so many kids who have greatly benefitted from the camp’s financial assistance. The money that people donate makes a really big difference,” he said. Every year, Marty raises his fundraising goal; this past year, he surpassed $4,000!

As a charity, the YMCA relies on dedicated volunteers like Marty to support its programs and services. On behalf of our community, we’d like to say ‘thank you’ to our volunteers for all that you do! Our work wouldn’t be possible without your support.

To learn more about volunteering at the YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka, visit www.ymcasm.ca/volunteer.