"Raise the Roof" on a new boathouse

The Orillia Rowing Club is fundraising to build a new boathouse in Kitchener Park in Orillia. The club needs to move to calmer water conditions for rowing, longer rowing course, and have a larger boathouse for growth of the club. This new boathouse will be located closer to the water and will be large enough for eight-person boats which our current building is too small to accommodate. The club is funding this building themselves.

We intend to be the major rowing centre in Central Ontario and be the training location for young aspiring rowers who want to pursue rowing at the university level and national team level. With the help of grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation and Rowing Canada (Sport Canada funding for "Community Sport for All") we have been successful with community outreach endeavours in local high schools, elementary schools, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Orillia Youth Centre, and students from Rama First Nation's Mnjikaning Kendaaswin Elementary School. These initiatives have include both on-water rowing and indoor rowing. In addition, we have partnered with the Orillia Recreation Centre for a Winter Training Program and have been teaching the City's Indoor Rowing sessions. This is just the beginning of the momentum to expand our programs and transition to a more sustainable rowing location with less wind.

For adult recreational rowers, the new boathouse will facilitate regular crew rowing with less wind, especially in the evenings. The club will be able to retain new rowers and have them return each year.

ORC Vision: Crew for Life

ORC Mission Statement: Pursuing the joy of rowing in a welcoming environment. Empowering and inspiring crews to learn and reach their full potential in a healthy, life-long sport ... Building community on the water.

Our programs include:

-all-day summer day camps for ages 11 - 15

-youth rowing program for new youth rowers 13+

-adult learn-to-row - both group and private formats

-competitive rowing programs - C1 and C2 for youth and adults

-coaching for recreational rowers

-touring in wide stable boats around lake country

-novice rowing program (for summer camp graduates)

-winter training program for youth and adult rowers

-community outreach programs - indoor rowing in high schools, elementary schools, Orillia Youth Centre; - on-water rowing for Rama's Mnjikaning Kendaaswin Elementary School grade 8 students, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Georgian College, Lakehead University

Rowing changes lives. Life skills that develop from rowing include: teamwork, ability to take constructive feedback and learn from it, working hard for fitness and enjoyment, self discipline, care of rowing equipment, respect for others and their abilities, learning to win and lose gracefully, and learning to coach rowing.

Help us build our boathouse. All donations are appreciated. All donations go directly towards the building of the new boathouse.