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New Dirt on the Construction Site
Since our last issue of Letters from CAMP
Rehoboth, construction on the new wing of the CAMP Rehoboth Community
Center has finally begun. The goal is to have the CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard
completed in April, and the main building by early summer. The variance
hitch (see Steve’s The Way I See It column), slowed us down a bit but
our construction site manager John Kyritsis is determined to keep us on
schedule.
 Construction progress this winter has been
an up and down experience—literally. First the site was cleared, the
back part of the building torn down, and the lot dug up to build the
foundation. When the dirt went back in, however, it refused to compact to
required specifications and had to be replaced with new dirt—97 tons of
new dirt to be precise. There is absolutely no truth, by the way, to the
rumor that I just didn’t like the color of the existing dirt!
The real dirt, however, is a more sobering
reality and one not so easily remedied in our current recession worried
economy. The fact is that while we have raised a great deal of money in
our capital campaign over the years, we still need to raise another
$300,000 in order to get us through the final stages of our building
project.
I know from my own experience that every
organization—local and national—is asking for money these days. The
world is full of “good” causes and all of us are required to make hard
choices as to how much and to whom we are able to give support. I believe
passionately in the work of CAMP Rehoboth and that the new building will
make a tremendous difference in our ability to carry out and expand that
work in our community. CAMP Rehoboth has received amazing financial
support over the years, and I’m asking everyone to not only continue
their support but to increase it in the coming months—hard as that may
be.
There are many ways to help. Here are a
few:
1. Underwrite the cost of an item(s) on the
Wish List. (see page 9)
2. Underwrite the cost of a space in the
new building (see page 9)
3. Join the GEM Club (see page 8)
4. Make a donation in any amount to the
CAMPus Fund
5. Organize a small party and collect
donations (contact Beth Fitton for details)
6. Save all your change and add to Kathy
Weir’s “Make Change” box at the Community Center
7. Talk to your employer to find out if
they will give matching funds for your charitable donations.
One other thing we can all do is to find
our friends and neighbors who may not as yet have contributed to any of
the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center capital campaigns or who are new to the
area. To that end please take note of the accompanying sidebar that
answers the question “What is CAMP Rehoboth?” I’ve discovered over
the years that while many people are aware of some of the parts of CAMP
Rehoboth, very few have an understanding of all that we do.
The truth about non-profit organizations is
that we will always be raising money. We can’t survive without community
support and without constant campaigns to insure financial security.
Churches do it very well—and I grew up the son of a Methodist minister.
Recently I found myself remembering that as a young teenager I developed a
fundraising campaign called Pennies for Poverty. Heavy—but it worked!
I suppose we need more than pennies now,
but every little bit helps. Be it a church, a community center, a
hospital, or an arts organization, the support of its local community
makes all the difference to its success.
Thank you to all the CAMP Rehoboth
Community Center Volunteers for the period of November 25-February 7.
Cathin Bishop
Janice Brierly
Sue Brown
Tony Burns
Jim Byrnes
Joanne Ciconte
Robert Delanoce
Wendi Dennis
Ruth Dickerson
Ward Ellinger
Lynn Finaldi
Mary Ford
Tony Ghigi
Carolyn Horn
Spencer Kingswell
Myra Kramer
Charlie Lee
Barry Morrison
Michael Muller
Sandra Pace
Barbara Passikoff
Anthony Perkins
Barb Ralph
Ken Reilly
Chris Sampson
Rose Schmidt
Guillermo Silveira
Laura Simon
Dave Stabile
Christy Steer
Jill Stokes
Alleane Taylor
John Zinmeister
Holiday
Elves
Cathin Bishop
Ward Ellinger
Lynn Finaldi
Beth Fitton
Tony Ghigi
Myra Kramer
Sharon Messina
Anthony Perkins
Ken Reilly
Sal Seeley
Kathy Weir
Rainbow
Thumb Club
Matt Carey
Ward Ellinger
Rob Freeman
Tony Ghigi
Steve Hoult
Bud Palmer
Ken Reilly
Tom White
Murray Archibald, Founder and
President of the Board of Directors of CAMP Rehoboth, is an artist in
Rehoboth Beach.
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