Ontario

CNIB Lake Joe has been a “second home” for 49-year-old Julia Stevenson from Bowmanville, Ontario. When she recalled her most recent visit during the new Holiday Week program, she gushes that “It was the best experience…just phenomenal.”

Welcome to Let’s Go! CNIB Lake Joe e-newsletter! This quarterly e-newsletter will provide all the news you can use about CNIB Lake Joe: new and exciting programs, fabulous events, staff and volunteer opportunities, and fun facts about life at CNIB Lake Joe.

David Demers, Executive Director CNIB Quebec, thanks about the Know your Rights project.

“My parents say that Lake Joe saved me because I was angry and miserable when my vision changed," says Derek Thompson. "But once I was at Lake Joe, those feelings dissipated, and my maturity started to develop.” 

Nearly 35 years later, Derek Thompson still remembers his first visit to CNIB Lake Joe.

An advocate, student, teacher, and music specialist, Stela Trudeau started volunteering with CNIB summer camps when her eye condition was formally diagnosed in 2015.

Ollie has a compromised immune system, and to keep him safe during the pandemic, he has not been able to spend time with friends. But that changed when Ollie arrived at CNIB Lake Joe with his sister and parents as part of Holiday Week, a new offering at CNIB Lake Joe. Ollie met Mason, an 11-year-old boy, and as Ollie’s mum puts it, “The two became fast friends, inspiring each other to try new things.” When Mason told Ollie he was going to try kayaking all by himself – without a parent, Ollie wanted to try, too.

“I was totally surprised when I got the award. It never even crossed my mind,” says Fred. “I’m very thankful. I’ve been a Lion for over 50 years, and CNIB Lake Joe is one of the areas that I’ve most enjoyed in all my years of being in Lions.” 

Fred says that the love of CNIB Lake Joe runs in the family. 

CNIB Lake Joe has become a family vacation destination for the Knip family: Sarah, Josh and their children Caleb, Keagan, Avery, Hudson, and Nora.

Three of their children live with sight loss. After learning about the camp from an Early Childhood Intervention Specialist in 2015, the family now visits every summer.

Jaclyn Pope is determined to not let COVID-19 railroad her education and professional ambitions as she expands her online business, Sewing in the Dark. When a sewing course at Durham College was cancelled due to the pandemic, Jaclyn, 39, viewed it as an opportunity to reconsider her educational plans.

“I started to think about other things that I could learn that would ultimately help my business and help me achieve my goals,” says Jaclyn. “I realized one of the ways I can promote my business is to have a website, but I didn't want to pay someone to create a website for me. Because I like to have control, I decided to learn how to build my own.”

“I knew CNIB Scholarships existed, but I never really thought of myself as someone who could get a scholarship because, frankly, my grades are not stellar,” says Tait. “But the scholarship application said they were looking for someone who likes to do things outside the box. It wasn't just about academics and grades, so I took a chance and applied.”