As Jews across the world begin their preparation for Chanukah – the Festival of Lights – the premier sleep away camp in northwestern Ontario is getting ready to bring back its own light to Lake of the Woods.
Today, B’nai Brith Jewish Community Camp (BB Camp) is pleased to announce that the iconic lighthouse that once stood on the eastern point of Town Island, welcoming all visitors is being rebuilt thanks to a generous donation by the Stoller family. Brothers Danny, Bobby and Michael, along with their wives Cara, Alyssa and Miriam respectively, will be funding the lighthouse reconstruction.
The Stoller family has long been associated with B’nai Brith, with three generations spending their summers at the co-ed resident camp on Towne Island as campers and counselors.
“I can’t think of a better way to give back to a community that has done so much for our family,” says Michael Stoller. “BB Camp was so integral to our development from Jewish boyhood to full members of the Winnipeg Jewish community. We can’t think of a better way to come together as a family and take part in a special project.”
The lighthouse will replace the former structure, which stood for over fifty years on Town Island and was destroyed by a July 2011 storm that ripped through the small community. The new lighthouse, designed by alumnus Tomer Diamant, an architect currently residing in Toronto, will be built on the site of the former structure, near the main dock on the island, located in Lake of the Woods. Constructed with a structural steel frame and sheathed in a combination ofpolycarbonate paneling, metal roofing and cedar siding the Lighthouse will become a showpiece of lake architecture. The buildingwill also include a lower level program space overlooking the lake for campers and staff to enjoy. Construction of the new lighthouse will begin in spring 2013.
“Everyone who went to BB Camp remembers the lighthouse that stood on the island,” Bobby Stoller reflected. “It’s going to be really special to see the new lighthouse stand tall once it is complete. All three of us vividly remember the old lighthouse being one of the first things we would see as we went out to BB Camp in the summer. We’re glad that a new generation of campers won’t be denied that same visual.”
BB Camp is pleased to announce that the lighthouse will be named in memory of their parents’ Leonard and Elaine Stoller.
“When the family approached me with their idea, I was overwhelmed. The generosity shown by the Stollers is truly unparalleled,” says BB Camp Executive Director Brenda Tessler-Donen. “I can’t think of a better way to honour the memory of Leonard and Elaine, two exemplary parents whose guidance has shown what our camp community is all about.”
B’nai Brith Jewish Community Camp programs are open to youth ages eight to 16 years. The Camp also operates a day camp program for children ages four – to 12 years and is available to rent by school and private groups during the spring and end of summer.
Affiliated with the Jewish Community Centres Association (JCC Association), programs at BB Camp emphasize everyday fun with values-based education, recreational activities and challenges, individual growth, environmental stewardship, leadership and community development. It strives to teach the values and ethics of Jewish living by example, experience, and creative expression.
BB Camp is a creative Jewish community where campers and staff strengthen their Jewish identity, their connection with each other in the Winnipeg Jewish and broader community, their leadership, good citizenship and appreciation of nature. BB Camp is committed to providing the finest summer experience for today's campers while preparing them to be tomorrow's community leaders.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Please contact Brenda Tessler Donen
Executive Director