A milestone moment on Koshlong Lake: YMCA Wanakita celebrates groundbreaking for the Wayne Perkins Leadership Centre
11-12-2025
A new chapter in youth leadership at YMCA Wanakita officially began on December 9, as staff, donors, alumni, and former campers gathered lakeside to break ground on the Wayne Perkins Leadership Centre. With shovels in hand and the first beams already taking shape behind them, the group celebrated not only the launch of a new building, but the continuation of a powerful legacy.
Construction is now well underway, thanks to the skilled team at Rodco and the early support of dedicated donors. Perk’s Place is on track to open in June 2026, marking a significant step forward in strengthening leadership development for generations of young people.
“This project is about ensuring that young people continue to have a place where they can grow into confident, compassionate leaders who make a difference in their communities,” said Manny Figueiredo, President and CEO of YMCA Hamilton | Burlington | Brantford & YMCA Wanakita. “The Wayne Perkins Leadership Centre strengthens our ability to support youth at a time when leadership, resilience, and connection are more important than ever.”
Named in honour of Wayne Perkins—one of the founding visionaries of Wanakita’s Student Counsellor (SC) Program—the new Centre represents an investment in the transformative power of camp. For more than 50 years, the SC Program has shaped thousands of young leaders through mentorship, outdoor challenge, cooperation, and community.
“At Wanakita, leadership is woven into everything we do,” said Andy Gruppe, VP of Overnight Camp and Outdoor Education at YMCA Wanakita. “The Wayne Perkins Leadership Centre will carry forward a legacy of learning, connection, and stewardship. It’s a space where student counsellors will build on their leadership skill sets and learn to become greater leaders, at camp and in their home communities. To our donors and supporters: your investment isn’t just building a structure, it’s growing the leaders of tomorrow.”
Among the supporters celebrated at the groundbreaking was Robin Connor, a former Wanakita camper, counsellor, and longtime donor whose generosity helped bring both the Heming Welcome Centre and now the Wayne Perkins Leadership Centre to life.
For Robin, the significance of this project is deeply personal.
“Camp taught you how to live with other people...how to get along, how to socialize, how to respect each other,” he shared, reflecting on his years at Wanakita. “It was about teamwork and cooperation, and meeting people from diverse backgrounds.”
He spoke about the impact of formative camp experiences, like 11-day canoe trips in Algonquin Park: “You have to figure out how to get along, solve problems, understand that people are different and that other people’s lives aren’t always as good as yours. You learn how to be grateful.”
Camp, he said, continues to shape him to this day.
“It’s important. It’s been important to me since I started coming here. It’s important for young people to interact outside of a classroom and not behind a screen.”
That belief in the power of camp is what motivates Robin to keep investing in Wanakita’s future.
With construction progressing and the vision becoming more tangible every day, the momentum is strong, but community support is essential to completing this transformational project.
The Wayne Perkins Leadership Centre will soon stand as a year-round space for training, mentorship, reflection, and connection. It will include accessible features, gathering spaces, and an Indigenous History Library, ensuring every young person has the opportunity to learn and lead in a supportive environment.
You can help carry this legacy forward.
YMCA Wanakita continues to seek donors and partners to bring the final phase of the Leadership Centre to completion. Alumni, campers, families, and friends are invited to join in honouring Wayne Perkins’ memory and championing the next generation of leaders.
