OCOA Kids and Wardens Fishing Adventure
Beginning in 2007, the OCOA partnered with Horwood Lake Lodge near Timmins, Ontario and the Boys and Girls Clubs to host the annual Kids and Wardens Fishing Adventure. Thanks to the amazing generosity of our supporters, we have been able to provide a trip of a lifetime to big city kids from the Ottawa, London, and Hamilton Boys and Girls Clubs by exposing them to the wonders of a true wilderness adventure at this first class fishing lodge.
The 2011 adventure began
July 18. Our OCOA contact for this events is Peter Gilboe, email: 
While at the lodge, we introduce the kids to a variety of outdoor skills that they may never have experienced. Our members act as fishing guides, and we arrange for on duty Conservation Officers to teach basic wilderness survival. In addition, the kids are educated and entertained by a Ministry of Natural Resources canine unit and forest fire fighting crew. We also have Missinaibi Headwaters Outfitters provide canoeing lessons.
Fishing, canoeing, wilderness survival skills and cooking over a campfire are activities that we as Conservation Officers take for granted, but seeing the look on the face of an inner city kid who has just caught their first fish makes all of us involved realize just how fortunate we truly are - and makes us want to continue to share this experience.
The objective is to provide these kids with a once in a lifetime chance to escape the realities of life in the city, and based on comments from the kids we believe we are succeeding. Over the last three years, officers have heard comments from the kids such as: "This is the best day of my life!", "I can't believe you are doing this for me!", and "This is the longest I have ever gone without crying."
Our primary sponsor Horwood Lake Lodge, owned by Joe & Sharon Richter, donates the free use of the entire lodge for the week, including lodging, boats, motors, and fuel. Visit www.Horwoodlakelodge.com to learn more about the lodge.
See our OCOA news releases about past adventures:
The generosity of our other sponsors over the years (listed below) has allowed us to outfit the kids with everything they needed for the trip - including fishing tackle, sleeping bags, cameras, and rain gear - and they get to take it all home with them at the end of the week!
101 Enterprises, Porcupine
Albert's Sports
and Workwear, Timmins
Badder Bus Service Limited - Thamesville
Bass
Pro Shops - Vaughan Mills
Big Bear Camp - Horwood
Lake, Timmins
Boys and Girls
Club of Niagara, Niagara Falls
Canadian Tire- St.
Thomas
Canpar
Celine Richardson
Chapleau Trappers Association
Cory Cole
Dave and Melissa Ferris
Dents Camera Centre - North Bay
Donna Covey - Ottawa
Dr. Peter Fuzy - Corbeil
Dumoulins
Fishing & Tackle, Timmins
Ecotrex Ltd, North Bay
First Student Canada
Bus Lines - Hamilton
Graphix Works - St.
Catherines
Greyhound Canada
Horwood Lake Lodge,
Foleyet
Johnson Outdoors Canada
McDonald's Restaurant -
Chelmsford & North Bay
Missinaibi Headwaters Outfitters,
Chapleau
Norcam Surveillance Products - Matheson
Odyssey Fluid Power, Callander
Ontario Conservation Officers
Association
Ontario Federation of Anglers
and Hunters
Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources
Ontario MNR 2010 Level 1
Law Enforcement Class
Ontario Out of Doors
Magazine
Ontario Public Service Employees
Union
Orillia
Fish And Game Conservation Club
Pickering Rod and Gun Club, Pickering
Pro tackle Co., Schumacher
Resources Integrated Ltd.
Rotary Club of Ottawa
Shoppers Drug Mart
- London
St. Alban's Boys and Girls
Club
St. Andrew's Presbyterian
Church, Orillia
Sure Catch Baits
Tim Neidenbach & Barbi Baker
WalMart - District 12 &
London
White Birch Outpost, Timmins
Contact Peter
Gilboe for more information.
email:
