GDUC's 20th Annual General Meeting and Conference
Patti Ellis
We, your AGM and Conference chairs, Patti and Sue, along with the rest of your board are pleased and excited to announce that your 2019 AGM and Conference will be held at CNIB Lake Joseph Centre in beautiful Central Ontario's Muskoka cottage Country. If you have never been to Lake Joe, or haven't been recently, here is a brief description of what you can expect.
The camp is located on what many claim is the most gorgeous property in Muskoka. Tall trees, a nature trail, a sandy beach and generous water front, walk ways everywhere, a new recreation hall, a new boathouse in progress and lots of outdoor seating. The accommodations are simple but more than adequate. Jutting off both sides of a lengthy, covered, wooden boardwalk you will find cabins, each containing ten heated bedrooms with twin beds, night tables, shelves, and large washrooms with good sized showers. There is also an administration building with couches, tables and chairs, where you might sit and enjoy a cup of coffee from the tuck shop. In the center of the long boardwalk is a dining-room and a large lounge with tall windows and an enormous fieldstone fireplace.
In addition to the beautiful surroundings, the camp has many activities to offer our members such as pontoon boat rides, paddle boating, canoeing and kayaking, tandem biking, games in the rec hall, mini-golf, and an off-leash puppy swim, and even a people swim if the weather is warm enough, just to name a few.
You may ask, "How can we avail ourselves of all these activities and participate in the conference in just one weekend?" The answer is that the conference will be from Thursday, September 19 to Sunday, September 22, giving one more day than we usually have. That extra day will allow us to organize small group workshops that will spark your interest. We will even begin our conference with a wine and cheese party on Thursday evening courtesy of the Mactier Lions. Other highlights of the conference include an auction and a panel discussion with trainers from the various Guide Dog schools.
Note: if you are having challenges with your dog, trainers may have time to observe you and your guide in action on the fully accessible grounds.
You ask, "But what is the cost of all this magnificence?" First, all meals, including a lunch snack on departure day are included. The cost for single occupancy is $100 per night, and the cost for double occupancy is $80 per night. CNIB bus Round trip from Toronto is $100. The best part for you is that for this year, our 20th anniversary only, we will dispense with the registration fee for members and volunteers. In short, this is a great deal folks, and we want it to be the best, most well attended conference ever.
CNIB is responsible for registration, collection of fees, and arrangements can be made to pay in installments. To register, please go to https://cniblakejoe.campbrainregistration.com. The above link will take you to a third-party site over which we have no control. For registration assistance, please call 1-877-748-4028 or email lakejoe@cnib.ca.
If the cost is going to keep you from attending, you can apply to our Mary Spice fund for assistance. GDUC members in good standing should email maryspice2019@gduc.ca. Please include your full name, the city/province from which you will be traveling, your mode of transportation, and your accommodations at Lake Joe, single or double occupancy. Requests for financial help will be processed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
If you have never been to an AGM and Conference because you feel a little uneasy about travelling, you might like to team up with a partner or two. The CNIB camp bus is available to take you from Toronto to Lake Joe on Thursday, September 19, and back again on Sunday, September 22. Of course, to attend the conference, you must be a member, and membership is a mere $10 Per year or $50 for a lifetime membership. Please stay tuned for further information as it becomes available.
Ratings and Comments
This post has an average rating of excellent based on 2 ratings.
Cathy rates this post as excellent and says:
It will be my first time attending a GDUC conference. I am really looking forward to it.
Greg rates this post as excellent and says:
Sounds like a great weekend.