The W.O Mitchell Retreat Centre, owned and operated by the Universal Rehabilitation Service Agency (URSA), is looking to connect with more user groups to utilize its retreat centre and lands.
Located some 25 north of Cochrane, west of Highway 22 near Bottrel and formerly known as Camp URSA, the centre was renamed last January in honour of the late W.O Mitchell, Canadian writer and broadcaster, who utilized the area as a retreat and whose surviving family lives on property near the centre.
The centre is situated on 18 acres, with open hiking and fishing areas.
The mandate of URSA, which acquired the lands in 2009, remains: to create a retreat space where all individuals, regardless of ability, can experience the beauty of a relaxing and calming retreat space. URSA has welcomed individuals with developmental disabilities and their families with a retreat space specially designed to suit their needs.
The retreat is looking to rent out its space at affordable rates with special non-profit pricing to “ensure we can continue to make this space available to our clients and all individuals in the community who require the accessibility the retreat centre is known for,” explained Jennifer Sanford, communications support for the retreat centre.
“URSA clients do not pay to use the retreat centre, a trend we want to ensure we continue,” she said, adding that this is possible through private donations and rentals.
While the retreat centre has never been used for camps in the traditional sense - a common misnomer from its previous name of Camp URSA – the agency does operate supportive living homes and do organize camp-like, week-long excursions for their residents.
The hope is that other non-profits, as well as private industry and individuals will look to rent the retreat centre to help cover the costs of facility maintenance and repairs.
Fully furnished and serviced, the W.O. Mitchell Retreat Centre is a one-stop shop, with a full-time caretaker onsite for meal preparation and service who is able to cater to larger groups or families in the commercial kitchen.
The retreat centre offers meeting space to accommodate 40 and there are shared sleeping accommodations (think summer camp) for 24. The facility also has a barn with hall space for 60 people and a fire pit with a covered seating area to fit 20.
All spaces are fully wheelchair accessible.
Learn more at womitchellretreat.com.
