Agape Valley Day Camp
(Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada)
Niagara Shorthills Christian Ministries owns and operates Agape Valley Bible Camp for children ages 7-13 in the heart of the Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, Canada. Agape Valley was founded and is supported by the Brethren Assemblies in Niagara and throughout Ontario. It offers children in the nearby community an opportunity to enjoy a day-time camping experience which includes hearing and learning about the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Other activities throughout the year include group rentals of our camp building, hayride bookings, harvest activities, and church picnics.
One of the largest outreaches the camp has takes place in the spring during March. The property at Agape is 140 acres and God has blessed them with a maple syrup sugar bush. For six weeks during the months of March and April, the property is open for maple sugar bush tours and the camp lodge turns into a pancake house. The camp is open every Saturday and March Break to the public so they can see God’s hand in creation and to give opportunity to families to learn more about camp and what is done there. During these weeks, the camp also offer tours to the Catholic and public school boards to educate the students on the history and how maple syrup is made.
Operating the sugar bush is not only exposure to our community, but also the largest fundraiser for the camp. With this fundraiser Agape is able to keep the cost for children coming to camp at $75 per camper per week. However, due to Ontario’s lockdown measures in early March, the sugar bush was mostly cancelled. This shutdown has resulted in approximately a 35-40% decrease in revenue. Regardless of whether camp can be held this summer, the lack of revenue will have a serious impact on the camp’s ability to meet its basic monthly costs. If day camp is not allowed to open, this would mean an additional 15% decrease in yearly revenue. The camp is not eligible for any Canadian Government Funding programs because Agape Valley relies on volunteer help and does not have paid employees that would otherwise qualify them for some assistance.