An Ontario camp for deaf children may have funding problems if a local government’s ban on motorcycle racing is not lifted.
The Camp for the Deaf in Parry Sound has been running motorcycle and 4X4 race events for years in order to raise operating revenue, but has been told this month that the township will prohibit motor vehicle racing on the grounds.
That will cancel a Canadian National Rock Crawl competition, a CMRC national ATV race, and a World Enduro Canada event, as well as local CMX club events that are held on the camp grounds.
The camp is run by the Rumball Foundation, which operates a number of facilities for deaf persons. Derek Rumball has sent out a request for letters in support of the camp’s racing activities, and unlike a lot of other letter campaigns, he’s asking for self-written, "real, honest, and heartfelt" missives, rather than sending out a form to be signed, because a real letter carries more weight, he says.
Here are some of the items that you might include in your letter:
The short notice, affecting vacation plans.
The personal impact on you or your son or daughter as a racer.
The money you would have spent in the community.
Your appreciation for the camp, and the track.
Ask why a World Enduro Canada event was endorsed last year but not this year.
The number of years you’ve attended these events.
And anything else that might persuade the township council that these races are beneficial.
Send your letter to Mayor Conn, Seguin Township, 5 Humphrey Drive, Parry Sound, Ontario P2A 2W8. They ask that you avoid angry rhetoric, but try to sound disappointed, and if you ask a question or request a reply, notes have to be entered into the township council’s minutes. For more on the camp and the Rumball Foundation, see www.bobrumball.org.
