MuskokaWoods

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MUSKOKA MUD RUN
As usual, Muskoka Woods was right on trend this summer, joining the ranks of the Spartan Race, Warrior Dash and the Tough Mudder, with our very own Muskoka Mud Run!

Not for the faint of heart, the Muskoka Mud Run covered over 5 kilometers of hills, dirt, sand, mud and lake, broken up with twenty-six obstacles in between. With cabins working together as teams, testing their fitness, stamina and mental grit only two were victorious (one girls, one boys), taking home the coveted title of MW’s toughest… and an awesome tank top.

Will you be tough enough to compete as a Muskoka Mud Runner next summer???

The Muskoka Mud Run pledge:

I am a Muskoka Mud Runner…

I put my team first.

I do what other s won’t and help those that can’t.

I will be proud of my soar muscles and bruises because they are evidence of my hard work.

I will never quit or give up.

I am stronger than I think.
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MUSKOKA WOODS AT WAKESTOCK

This year, the Wakestock Nautique Amateur Championship showcased 115 riders in one of Canada’s biggest annual amateur events. Muskoka Woods was proud to have three riders finishing at the top of their divisions:

Second place:
20-24 INTERMEDIATE MALE – Jon McTavish

First place:
25+ INTERMEDIATE MALE – Mark Harrison

Second place:
25+ INTERMEDIATE MALE – Thomas Harrison

To represent the ladies, we were super pumped to see Muskoka Woods guest, Britlyn MacLaren come in FIRST in the 13-15 Novice Girls!

Way to go Team MW!

Images from www.wakestock.com
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MUSKOKA WOODS LENDING A HAND AT OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

December 14, 2011

Serving the community is a mandate that we take seriously at Muskoka Woods, and there is no better time to turn our best intentions into action then during the holiday season. This year the full-time staff at Muskoka Woods was fortunate enough to help out in an amazing service opportunity with Operation Christmas Child (OCC), in their Kitchener-Waterloo warehouse.

As an initiative adopted by Samaritan’s Purse , Operation Christmas child sends shoe boxes that have been filled by caring citizens to children in impoverished countries. For many of the children recipients, their shoe box may be the only gift they receive at Christmas. To date, 86 million shoe boxes have been gifted worldwide, with 640,714 shoe boxes collected in Canada alone in 2010!

Impressed by OCC’s organization, the Muskoka Woods staff was quickly trained and put to work. An overwhelming undertaking as a whole, OCC had broken the process of inspecting boxes for quality control into a streamlined and efficient assembly line. No volunteer was left without an important role to fulfill in getting the shoe boxes ready to leave the warehouse. Whether we were removing unsendable items (liquids and anything that could melt), ensuring each box had an appropriate amount of content, or checking for proper labeling before packaging the boxes for shipment, each of our staff felt the impact of what we were helping to accomplish for children around the world. Physically seeing the result of so many people across the country donating their time, money, and effort to lovingly assemble each box touched our hearts.

Our afternoon at Operation Christmas Child reminded us that the love and generosity of strangers still exists. It was a poignant experience and a great way to bring us into the true spirit of the holiday!
FEATURED

THE LEADERSHIP STUDIO- FALL 2011

Fall 2011

In the spring of 2010, Muskoka Woods opened the doors to the Leadership Studio. To say the space is beautiful would be a gross understatement. I could try and describe the tall and open reclaimed barn wood ceilings or the sweeping views of Lake Rosseau from wall panel sized glass sliding doors, but I wouldn’t be able to do it justice.

Over a year from its grand opening, the Leadership Studio has not lost any of its charm. Created as a space to develop leadership in youth and adults, the studio developed its curriculum by engaging the senses along with the intellect.

This Fall, the Leadership Studio piloted several new programs. Favorites include: Bridging Cultures with the Pauline Johnson: A Poetry and Paddle Making Experience, Coffee Shops and the Spread of Ideas, Stargazing and the Power of Seeing and Sherlock Holmes Non-linear thinking.

In addition to the beauty of the setting and the high quality of the programming, there is the FOOD! Made fresh and in studio daily, you would be hard pressed to find a more delectable meal offering in Muskoka. In short, it’s incredible!

However, the best part of the Leadership Studio is the opportunity for Muskoka Woods to host groups of people with extremely important mandates. Included in our visitors this season are Streetlevel (working to eradicate poverty), Urban Promise (empowering young street leaders), the International Justice Mission (building a national justice movement), Centennial High School ( building community for marginalized youth), and Trillium League ( bringing together young leaders).

"The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already."
- John Buchan
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OREC NEWS: WINDSOR FALL 2011

In 1994, two yellow school buses arrived at Muskoka Woods from Windsor Ontario, bringing with them young leaders from the Windsor Essex Catholic District School board. Seventeen years and almost 30,000 students later, the Muskoka Experience continues to grow and be a life changing experience for grade 8 students and grade 11 and 12 Leadership students. Muskoka Woods is proud to partner with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board to provide a program where creativity reigns, friendships flourish and confidence grows. The Muskoka Experience emphasizes that you don't have to BE the best, you just have to DO YOUR best!

This past October saw almost 1000 young people trying out the zip-line, hitting the trails on mountain bikes, learning to trust each other at low ropes, playing crazy chicken games, performing amazing dances, hearing from guest speakers and most of all challenging each other to do their best.

At Muskoka Woods, we seek to Inspire youth to shape their world. We had the amazing privilege of helping a 14 year old who was confined to a wheelchair go all the way down the zip-line with his father. It was truly a life changing and inspiring experience for the young man, his family, the staff involved and his classmates who were cheering him on.

We can't wait to see the next Windsor Group arrive at Muskoka Woods in May 2012!
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WARDEN WOODS AT MUSKOKA WOODS

September 23-25, 2011

Last spring, Muskoka Woods partnered with Urban Promise to develop ‘Upward Leadership’, a program serving youth in the Scarborough community development of Warden Woods. This Fall, a group from Upward Leadership, led by MW staff member Kelly Stouffer, visited the Leadership Studio at Muskoka Woods for a weekend of experience, team building, leadership development and inspiration.

Upon arriving at the Leadership Studio, the group was greeted by Studio Director and facilitator, Ellen Duffield. When the studio was opened in the spring of 2010, its vision for leadership, like Muskoka Woods’, was to ‘inspire youth to shape their world’. Beyond that, the Leadership Studio defines leadership by declaring that, ‘Leaders are people who look at the world and say, “it doesn’t have to be this way”, and do something about it.’ These were the words that Ellen used to welcome the youth from Warden Woods, challenging them to use their retreat to define themselves as leaders and conduits of change.

With days full of leadership challenges - including “NASCAR Experience”, “Group of 7”, “Fire Fighter Challenge”, and “Inner Critic”, the Warden Woods youth participated and engaged with each other and the staff. Each activity developed a different leadership skill as the youth learned to work together in the face of challenging tasks. What they took away from the weekend was an awareness of leadership attributes: effective communication, noticing details in the environment and people around them, creative expression, how to use positive traits to defeat their inner critics, awareness and responsibility in a team, and how to accommodate strengths and weaknesses in a group.

By the end of the weekend, many of the Warden Woods group had gained a sense of pride through gaining an understanding of themselves, their strengths and capabilities. They may not yet fully understand how they are going to shape and change the world, but that will come with time.

Overall, the weekend retreat was a successful kick-off to the Warden Woods Project, also known as ‘Upward Leadership’. The next retreat will be held in January 2012.

For information on how to help the Warden Woods Project please visit www.muskokawoodsfoundation.com
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MUSKOKA WOODS TV EPISODE 8

MWTV Interview with the awesome Demi Lovato
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CEO NEW ORLEANS TRIP 2010

At Muskoka Woods, our hope and desire is to inspire youth to shape their world. We believe in extending past the borders of our communities and that sharing our lives and experiences with others can impact not only those we encounter and serve but also ourselves. We want to give our CEO alumni the challenge, experience and opportunity to serve in a way where they see an impact on their world.

During each March Break, we take a team of CEO’s to New Orleans. Last year, the CEO’s had the opportunity to run a daily program at a Kids Club, aid in yard clean up, build a ramp for a neighbour who could not enter her home, visit the elderly in a nursing home and serve the homeless. The CEO’s were able to take on a new challenge, gain memorable experiences and seize an opportunity to help shape their world.
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MUSKOKA WOODS TV EPISODE 5

MWTV Part 1 interview with the Jonas Bros