Camp Lau-Ren is supported through volunteer labour and generous donations. We are always looking for people who are willing to spend an hour or a day to help maintain our facility – cleaning, painting, clearing brush, woodworking or carpentry. Our first priority is camper and staff safety so our Property Committee has a list of jobs which need to be completed at camp.

If you are interested in volunteering some of your time or expertise, please do not hesitate to contact our Executive Director, Steve McCulloch, at ExecutiveDirector@camplau-ren.rocks or call him at 705-862-1565. We’d love to hear from you! 

The camp runs a work week to complete all the jobs that need to be done before camp opens.

The work week this year is scheduled for June 3 – 7, 2024.

You are welcome to come for a day or the week.

Meals and accommodation are provided.

The Camp Lau-Ren volunteer Board of Directors provides governance to the camp operations. As a Board member you must be willing to commit approximately 5 hours each month to serve the Board. We welcome enthusiastic applicants who reflect the broad diversity of the Ottawa Valley community and show a strong commitment to providing a unique summer camping experience for children in a Christian setting. Applicants do not have to be members of the United Church of Canada to apply.

As a member of the Board of Directors you will:

• Provide governance to camp operations
• Ensure outcomes of camp planning and programming are implemented by Management
• Monitor and assess operational risks
• Provide oversight of camper safety and fiscal accountability
• Assess Board and Management effectiveness.

Letter of interest, including qualifications, should be sent by email to:

ExecutiveDirector@camplau-ren.rocks

or by mail to:

Steve McCulloch

Executive Director, Camp Lau-Ren

48 Mikkola Road

Lively, ON P3Y 1A5

We are looking for Volunteer Leaders to help run our weekly programs during July and August.  Being a Leader at camp involves a commitment to planning an exciting and rewarding camping experience for a young person.  In return, Leaders enjoy free meals for the week, a private room/washroom facilities in Smyth Hall and access to a marvelous beach during Free Swim.  Young families with dependents are welcome!

We need leaders to run the Craft program, Sports, Bible Study and act as Health Care Provider.  If you are interested, please email our Executive Directors, Ron and Joanne Hartnett.  All new Leaders must complete the application process (including providing 2 references), provide a current Police Check and attend our  two-day training session in May. 

Make a difference in a young person’s life and consider volunteering this summer! We promise to provide you with a very rewarding experience in return.

Things needed to become a leader

Application and Reference Letters — Visit our volunteer portal by clicking the link below.

Training Weekend — Since we are a youth camp, there are strict regulations for everyone involved with Camp Lau-Ren. We are accredited by the Ontario Camps Association and every volunteer (leaders), counsellor (paid and volunteer) and staff member (cooks, lifeguards, caretaker) needs to attend a weekend training session. Camp Lau-Ren will run its Training Weekend (all day Saturday and Sunday morning) in May (the weekend after the long weekend) and all the new counsellors, leaders and staff attend. Training includes basic first aid (triage), how to deal with difficult campers (only child, bossy, hyper), age characteristics, how to run a campfire, etc. You only need to attend the Training Weekend once, not every summer.

Police Check — Everyone over 18 needs to have a valid police check. Frankly, many people who volunteer with youth already have one because school volunteers, coaches and community leaders also require police checks. Police checks are valid for three years so that task doesn’t need to be done annually.

To start the application process, complete an application using our CampBrain application process, click here. 

Here is general information on some of the common Leader roles:

Craft Leader: Campers usually rotate through a daily schedule (Canoeing, Swimming, Crafts, Bible Study, Field Games) and the Craft Leader is responsible for helping campers complete 2-4 crafts over the week.  The Craft Leader gets a budget of $7 per camper but there is already an excellent base of supplies (glue guns/sticks, feathers, pine cones, paint brushes, scissor, hammers, some paper, etc) in the Craft Hall. The Director and Craft Leader decide on the crafts well in advance and typical crafts include tie-dye shirts (campers bring their own white shirt), dream catchers, rain sticks, bird houses, treasure boxes, origami, instruments and stick mobiles/chimes. Now that Pinterest is around, the crafts have become a lot more creative.

Sports Leader: Campers love team building, sports and field games and the Sports Leader is the popular leader for these activities.  Examples of activities include ice breakers, scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, water balloon games, slip ‘n’ slide, tug of wars, talent nights and field games (baseball, Capture the Flag, parachute).  Similar to the Craft Leader, the Sports Leader has dedicated time slots (45-90 minutes) during the week, usually in the afternoons and the evenings.  Camp Lau-Ren also has a well-stocked “locker” of sports equipment, including balls, pylons and hula-hoops.  During the archery periods, the Sports Leader is well-supported through qualified archery instructors (summer staff), rules/guidelines and equipment such as arrows, targets and shooting boundaries.

It should be noted that the Sports Leader is different than the Life Guards. Life Guards only do beach activities such as Beach Day, canoe outings and Free Swim. The Sports Leader does all the other activities OFF the beach. Camp Lau-Ren hires four lifeguards every summer.

Bible Studies or Life Studies Leader: — Because we are a United Church of Canada camp, spiritual programming is a key part of camp. Some volunteers are often nervous that they aren’t very qualified to be a spiritual leader. Rest assured, there are many resources at camp that will assist you in Christian or spiritual programming.  Most Leaders focus on Christian values  such as love, respect, sharing and commitment.  There are daily Bible Study or Life Study periods and the whole camp participates in a Vespers service every evening. Vespers are organized by cabin (counsellors/campers) with support from the Leader.

Health Care Provider/Camp nurse — This leader provides first aid when required and administers medication to some campers.  Campers are not allowed to carry meds (Tylenol, prescription) with them unless it is a puffer (asthma) or an epi-pen.  Leaders need to be have their St John’s First Aid training certificate. If a significant injury or illness happens to a camper, staff or volunteer while at camp, an ambulance is called, or they are sent to the hospital in Deep River.  Parents are called and the camper is sent home.

Camp Lau-Ren is a smoke-free property.