Executive Director Report – Summer 2025

E.D. Message – Summer 2025

Happy summer everyone! We hope yours is off to a great start.

It’s been a busy start to summer for the Children’s Foundation (CFM). Here are a few highlights.

This summer, the CFM will send over 150 kids to camp, both residential and day camps! This is nearly 50 more kids than in 2024 who are enjoying all the great things that over 40 local camps can offer!

The CFM recently teamed up with Santa’s Village and Muskoka Marathon for the annual Colour Fun Run at Santa’s Village in Bracebridge. It was a beautiful, colourful day with Santa and over 800 runners. Over $6000 was raised to support kids in Muskoka!

The 2nd annual “Brownie”, the Mike Brown Cottage Country Classic, was held later in June and once again was a huge success. The Mike Brown Fund for Youth in Sport which runs through the CFM received $25,000 to support kids participating in sports and recreation across Muskoka.

At the start of July, Santa’s Village officially opened their fantastic new roller coaster, ‘The Yeti’, and held an auction for the first official ride. Over $4000 was raised for the CFM!

The CFM was happy to be part of Hospice Muskoka’s, ‘Leave a Legacy Cruise’ aboard the historic Wenonah II last weekend. It was a great opportunity to connect local charities with folks who are passionate about charitable giving.

Make a note on your calendar for the upcoming SWS Boatworks Ladies Night and Ski Shows. Come visit us at Ladies Night on Thursday July 20th and the August 5th ski show.. See you there!

Two local golfing groups, Men of Grandview and the Silver Slicers continued their giving ways by very generously raising funds to support local kids and youth. Their friendship and support makes such a huge difference to our community.

It is evident that everywhere we go and every conversation we have, Muskoka full-time and seasonal residents are both alarmed and saddened to hear first hand about the challenges and financial hurdles facing so many local families. There always seems to be such a disconnect between the beauty and opportunity of Muskoka and the socio-economic climate facing lower income families. For so many kids, the chance to be part of a baseball team, take dance or horseback riding lessons, go to camp, or just simply have a bed or proper winter clothing can be out of reach. While we continue to make headway in our efforts to support the kids in Muskoka who need us most, there is a long way to go to bridge this gap of opportunity and accessibility.

If you’re able, we’d love to hear from you and get your support now or perhaps down the road as legacy funding to help us get kids to camp, access sports and recreation opportunities, participate in the arts, meet basic needs like a bed, get much mental health supports or attain post-secondary training and education. Visit www.childrenofmuskoka.com for more information or email me at dlyons.cfm@gmail.com to chat and learn more.

Take care, be safe, and have a wonderful summer!

Dave Lyons, Executive Director, Children’s Foundation of Muskoka.