Pride in Progress: Embrace, Empower, Evolve
At the CAMP Rehoboth Board meeting in late November, we inaugurated a new tradition at the suggestion of Board Vice President Leslie Ledogar after attending a recent Delaware Alliance for Nonprofit Advancement Leadership Capacity training.
Before we dove into the content during each session, Facilitator Justin Pollock explained he begins every meeting with “a moment of awesomeness” by asking each person to share one awesome thing happening in their lives either personally, professionally, or in their nonprofit work. The purpose is to create a positive mindset for the group by reminding each other that regardless of the chaos and frustration we may be experiencing, there is a silver lining somewhere if we look hard enough.
As someone who has historically tended to look at the glass half-empty, I was surprised to see how this simple exercise shifted my perspective to what’s positive in my life. This helped to clear my head of any negative energy and focus my attention on the content being presented.
Because we are in the season of giving thanks, I made a slight alteration to this exercise and asked the Board to come prepared to say in a single sentence “one thing they were grateful for.” The request for brevity was two-fold: remind us of what’s good in our lives while trying to keep the meeting moving so we ended on time. (In case you did not know, my nickname, given to me many years ago by my husband, is Schedulina, and I try to live up to it.)
The result far surpassed my expectations. What I heard warmed my heart, especially given the challenges facing CAMP Rehoboth and its community during the last two years of transition. Because so many have been by the Board’s side along the way, I felt it was important to share some of our sentiments with you.
The Board is:
• Thankful for the hard work from our small but committed staff who made sure the doors were always open to everyone who needed a place to feel safe and at home.
• Grateful that a national search helped us find our new Executive Director, Kim Leisey.
• Overwhelmed by the generosity of so many—including longtime donors Jennifer Rubenstein and Diane Scobey who made a $5,000 Giving Tuesday matching gift—that helped raise more than $17,000 in one day.
• Hopeful about a new partnership with Yale School of Public Health who will be working with CAMP Rehoboth to provide free LGBTQ+ affirmative cognitive behavior training to local healthcare professionals—the first mental health treatment specifically for LGBTQ+ people.
I personally am so appreciative for my fellow Board members who are collectively laser-focused on doing what’s necessary to ensure CAMP Rehoboth continues to serve the diverse needs of the LGBTQ+ community in southern Delaware and beyond.
While we know there is still much work to be done in the years ahead, we have many reasons to be optimistic about what the future holds for CAMP Rehoboth and those we serve.
First is our new five-year strategic plan which the Board has just approved, and which is focused on maximizing impact, building diversified funding sources, increasing community engagement, and strengthening overall governance and leadership capacity. (More details will be shared with you after the first of the year.)
Second is our new Executive Director, Kim Leisey, who possesses the right skills needed for CAMP Rehoboth to successfully evolve while also honoring the legacy of our founders Steve Elkins and Murray Archibald.
Third is being accepted into DANA’s Nonprofit Accelerator Program, a three-year peer learning Cohort for Executive Directors that provides CAMP Rehoboth with a bank of organizational support and assistance hours designed to build capacity and capability across the organization.
And fourth is our community. Because of you—staff, volunteers, members, donors, sponsors, and external partners—CAMP Rehoboth is able to continue its work to build a safer community with room for all.
Which is why we have selected “Pride in Progress: Embrace, Empower, Evolve” as our theme for 2024: Create opportunities for everyone to evolve through improved health, community engagement, cultural enrichment, education, and advocacy. Empower LGBTQ+ people to be their best selves as well as get involved to help support others in need across southern Delaware. Programs at CAMP Rehoboth are designed to embrace community and offer a sense of belonging.
We hope you will join us to help CAMP Rehoboth achieve these goals in the coming year. Working together, the possibilities are endless. On behalf of the Board of Directors, we thank you for your support and wish you a very Happy New Year. ▼
Wesley Combs is CAMP Rehoboth Board President.