CAMP Connect

No doubt you have heard the quote by John Lennon, "Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans." Well, that is sort of what has happened to this column. I was all prepared to tell you about how hectic it is at CAMP Rehoboth these days. For example, we sent out a letter telling all of the donors to the CAMP Rehoboth Founders’ Circle that our architect is ready to prepare specifications for the donor recognition wall. We further explained in the letter that in order to do that, we needed to ask each donor if their inscription was correct. Phew! We have been getting e-mails, faxes, letters and phone calls with changes ever since. We also received some extremely complimentary notes telling us how happy our donors are with our progress. That’s a very good thing!

Next, we sent out the invitations to the Black and White Beach Ball 2007 with a very necessary RSVP card. Again, phew! What a response! And again, using every method except Harry Potter’s owl Hedwig, people have responded. As much as folks like and support Love, Follies and Sundance, the Black and White Beach Ball is an annual favorite. The Atlantic Sands is a fabulous setting for the event; the food is always a hit; the art auction highlights some of the very best local and regional artists and, no surprise, the open bar seems to be appreciated. Ultimately, I think the fact that the Black and White Beach Ball is a chance for our community to reconnect after the long winter is the key to its success. Quick! If you plan to attend, get that carrier pigeon in the air.

By the way, thanks to our volunteers for getting the mail out. We couldn’t get everything done without their help.

Back to "Life" inserting itself—In the midst of all of our wild telephones ringing, faxes dinging, e-mails flashing, and trying to write this column, a couple, who saw the Community Center sign, came into CAMP Rehoboth asking for help. They were both deaf, without jobs and needing a place to sleep for the night. What a great reminder of why we are here. It took us about three hours but in the end we had secured two nights lodging, connected them with Delaware Social Services, provided lunch and given them "Help Wanted" ads for quite a number of local businesses. When they left, they had the look of hope on their faces. It was a very rewarding day for CAMP Rehoboth.

Founders’ Circle

The letters we sent, double-checking on Founders’ Circle inscriptions, have had a wonderful side effect. Many folks have decided that they want their names to be listed on the Donor Recogni-tion Wall at a higher level than their current location. As a result, they have upgraded their membership pushing the Founders’ Circle totals to $1,313,701.17 pledged and $1,050,172.37 contributed to date. Thanks for your generosity.