CNIB Lake Joe is a fully accessible lakefront facility in the heart of Muskoka that offers a unique blend of recreation and skills development in a safe, inclusive environment. At CNIB Lake Joe, people living with sight loss and their families can enjoy the same summer pursuits as other Canadians: canoeing, kayaking, waterskiing, swimming, sailing and fishing – as well as the skills training, confidence building, and support offered by a community that understands living with sight loss.
“CNIB Lake Joe feels like home. It’s the only place where I don’t have to explain myself or my disability. It’s the only place where people don’t look at me strange for the things I need to do to be able to see. It’s the only place where I have been encouraged to try new things I never thought I would be able to do, and then be celebrated for my accomplishments. CNIB Lake Joe is the place that has made me begin to believe that I can dream.” Nancy, CNIB Lake Joe camper.
Change what it is to be blind
CNIB Lake Joe needs you. Help us bring the magic of camp to life for people living with sight loss!
- Explore our Wish List
- Consider sending a kid like Gabriel to camp.
- Sponsor a camper experience
- Expand our programming
- Enhance our facilities
- Build a legacy
CNIB Lake Joe’s Second Century Campaign
Since 2018, we’ve been working to raise the $3.2 million needed to redevelop, refurbish, and expand our Lake Joe camp facility. We need $450,000 to finish the Elms building – a multi purpose gymnasium-styled space and learning centre – that will provide CNIB Lake Joe with all seasons programming capability! With enough funds, the sky’s the limit for people who are blind to develop the skills and confidence to navigate a world that has most often been beyond their reach.
Listen to Joan Kelly-Walker, TV personality and member of the Lake Joe Vision Team as she describes the importance of investing in the independence of people with sight loss:
There are so many ways to give
- Donate to CNIB Lake Joe to make a single or monthly gift or honour someone special
- Pay tribute to a friend or colleague with an engraved brick on CNIB Lake Joe’s Walkway to Independence
- Celebrate a special occasion through CNIB’s Brighter Gifts catalogue or the CNIB Lake Joe Online Camp Store
- Attend CNIB Lake Joe’s annual event of the summer - Cookout with Cuddy: the Encore - on Saturday, August 17, 2024 . Learn more and get your tickets here!
| Donate |
Thank you for your ongoing support. For more information, please contact Steve Smyth, Senior Manager, Philanthropy and Campaign Lead (CNIB Lake Joe) at steven.smyth@cnib.ca or 416-319-5493.
Meet our Lake Joe Vision Team
Established in 2016 by founding members Tim Hogarth and John Firstbrook (co-captains), Randall Oliphant, Sue Creasy, and Bob Buchan (honorary chair), the Lake Joe Vision Team has evolved into a group of 6-10 philanthropic leadership volunteers who raise funds for highest priority needs and bursaries to boost participation at CNIB Lake Joe. As friends and neighbours of the camp, they lend expertise and advice to support and guide the philanthropic efforts that power program development and delivery at CNIB Lake Joe, while leveraging their networks to help build, strengthen and steward partnerships.
- Tim Hogarth (Co-Chair)
- John Firstbrook (Co-Chair)
- Helen Hunt
- Nancy Simonot
- Joan Kelley Walker
Meet our CNIB Lake Joe Fundraising Committee
This group of mighty volunteers oversees our annual “CNIB Muskoka” signature events – always “the” party of the summer! – raising essential funds for CNIB Lake Joe.
- Helen Hunt
- Tom Cross
- Chelsey Penrice
- Amar Powar
- David Throssell
- Jack Creasy
- Jayne McCaw
- Liz Brown
- Sylvia Mantella