The month of September, as I’ve said so many times over the years that I’ve
been writing this column, is my favorite time of the year. The weather is
still warm; the restaurants and shops are still open; most of our major
events are over for the year; and starting with this issue, Letters from
CAMP Rehoboth returns to its off-season, monthly publication schedule. For
our advertisers, I like to think that translates into a "bigger bang
for the buck" as the saying goes, because each issue is on the street
for a longer period of time. Revenue from Letters—as it has done from
the start—has helped to finance much of the work of CAMP Rehoboth over
the years. Even today, with all the many projects and programs that are a
part of CAMP Rehoboth and the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center, Letters
remains one of the most recognized and important symbols of our
organization. My thanks to all the advertisers, writers, artists, and
contributors who worked to make the 2006 summer season another success for
Letters from CAMP Rehoboth.
Speaking of success—Sundance 2006, I am delighted to say, certainly
was. Despite the huge storm that threatened the early part of the holiday
weekend and kept many residents in the dark for hours, the two nights of
Sundance passed without a hitch. Thanks to the many Sponsors, Supporters,
Hosts, Production Team Captains, volunteers, auction donors and
participants, Sundance 2006 will clear—clear, let me say again—$180,000
for Sussex County AIDS Council and CAMP Rehoboth. I must say, I find it
comforting that in these troublesome times, we live in a place that is so
ready and willing to support the needs of its community. Plus, when all is
said and done, Sundance is simply an amazing and beautiful thing to
witness, and it has become a very important part of our lives. And by the
way, next year will be the 20th Anniversary Sundance—I feel safe in
predicting that it will be spectacular.
The last item auctioned in this year’s Sundance live auction was
simply titled Heartstone, and is of special significance to all those who
have been working to build the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. The house
and heart logo for the Community Center is just that—a house with a
heart in the middle. The Heartstone is the actual heart shaped stone from
the logo that will be created in the pavers for the new Community Center
courtyard and built during the next phase of construction scheduled for
the fall of 2007. Founders’ Circle members, Sundance Sponsors and Team
Captains, and longtime friends and supporters of CAMP Rehoboth, Allen
Jarmon and Ward Ellinger, placed the winning, $15,000 bid on the
Heartstone. Their generosity, like that of all the Founders’ Circle
members, will be remembered long after we’re gone.
Also of interest to Founders’ Circle members—the Founders’ Circle
Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday, October 21 at 10 a.m. at Epworth
United Methodist Church on Baltimore Avenue. All Founders’ Circle
members are invited to come and help us make some decisions about how we
proceed with our plans for the future—especially in the areas of donor
recognition and the timeline for construction.
By the time this issue hits the streets of Rehoboth, the 5th
anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center
and the Pentagon will have come and gone and, of course, much press time
will have been devoted to its remembrance and to an examination of what
has changed in our world. All of us feel it, I think. No matter our
individual beliefs or politics, the repercussions from that day have
shaken us all—have touched us all. As a way of remembering the lives
lost on that day five years ago, perhaps we can all try a little harder to
live together, to honor our differences, and to really live up to the
meaning of the word Rehoboth—room for all. Wouldn’t it be great if a
little town like ours could find a way to share that message with the
world?
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