Breaking ground at CNIB Lake Joe
In the last two years, the CNIB Lake Joe property has undergone a makeover with the additions of a multi-sport court, a 5-a-side soccer pitch, a mini-golf course, and a fully resurfaced shuffleboard court. These accessible features will keep campers busy learning new skills and building friendships with teammates and competitors alike.
None of this would have been possible without the incredible support of Roy and Mark Klementti – a dynamic father/son volunteer duo.
“It’s in our DNA. I was always involved in service,” says Roy.
Roy’s mother was an active volunteer and got him started young, selling apples as a Boy Scout. Roy was also involved in his church, the Jaycees, where he became National Vice President and his local Lions Club for 27 years.
“I always had the attachment to CNIB through Lions,” Roy explains. “I walked through Helen Keller’s home in Alabama and saw the water pump where Anne Sullivan spelled out w-a-t-e-r in Helen’s hand. I knew I wanted to do whatever I could to improve the lives of people with sight loss.”
As a volunteer with CNIB Simcoe/Muskoka, Roy worked hard on philanthropy initiatives like Night Steps and Guys that Give, raising much-needed funds for local programs. He also joined the Ambassador program, accompanying speakers with sight loss to regional presentations, raising much-needed awareness.
Roy’s volunteer work was in addition to his full-time career as founder of RK & Associates, a firm specializing in the design and project management for artificial turf and running track projects.
When Roy was approached for some quick advice on a potential storage unit at CNIB Lake Joe, he drove an hour north to see things for himself so he could give the best guidance possible.
“The moment Roy stepped onto the property, he was in solution mode,” says Monique Pilkington, Executive Director, CNIB Lake Joe. “A conversation about a storage unit quickly turned to a consult about how to manage the rebuild of our new multi-sport court. With his personal passion and professional expertise, we were able to unveil a brand new multi-sport court in record time and on budget – much to the delight of campers and funders.”
Roy brought his son Mark with him to help complete the multi-sport court. Soon after, they were talking about building an accessible soccer field.
As the head of RK & Associates, Mark has developed a lot of fields and felt he could encourage other vendors to join him.
“One way or another, I was going to do this project,” says Mark.
As a Board member of the STC, he proposed making CNIB Lake Joe the recipient of their 2021 Community Service Project.
“We do accessible projects all the time but building something close to home with the majority of the project funded by donors was really exciting,” says Mark. “The STC Board and membership stepped up and gave it strength, and the support from local companies was extraordinary. They wanted to help people with sight loss, providing product and labour at no charge.”
Mark and Roy are proud of the final results and encourage campers to make the most of the field.
“It’s there for you to play on. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. Just enjoy it!”
CNIB Lake Joe wishes to thank the local businesses who generously contributed cash, product and labour:
Brent Aggregate
Fowler Construction
Hall Construction
Hutcheson Sand
Sentry Electric
Sports Systems Canada
Rubber Trails
The Scoreboard Man - Nevco
ThermaGreen
Wes Finch & Sons
Worldwide Turf Inc.