LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMPsafe Lifeguards: Seeking Your Protection in the Surf and in the Sack |
by Bill Sievert |
Lots of us look forward to the re-appearance of so many handsome and helpful lifeguards on our shores each Memorial Day weekend. This year, in addition to the official Rehoboth Beach Patrol, youll discover an entirely new brigade of men whose goal is your safety. You wont find these hunky guys perched atop the RBPs tall lookout chairs, for their mission stretches well beyond the immediate coastline. Welcome the CAMPsafe Lifeguards. They care about ensuring your protection not only in the surf but also in the sack. Youll get to know these caring men through a sexily playful series of postcards to be available free this summer at participating bars, restaurants, guest houses and shops. The cards are a part of this seasons Project CAMPsafe, an HIV outreach program of CAMP Rehoboth, as supported by the State of Delawares Department of Health and Human Services. On one of the postcards, you will find two of our guards greasing up (slathering sunscreen for the beach and agreeing to a water-based lubricant with a latex condom for after-hours). In another image, youll see our guys in a re-creation of a classic suntan lotion ad, the one with a puppy nipping at a sunbather. In our version, the nipper isof coursea "stud puppy." The message: "Why get burned? Protect yourself." The approach of the cards is to encourage gay and bisexual men, the target group of the CAMPsafe campaign, to take mutual responsibility for one anothers safety. In an image of a paddleball game, the message makes the point: "You need to know the score when you play It takes Two to Play Safe." Our team of guards is comprised of a group of volunteer models who donated their time, talents and great looks to the project. They include Russ Burns, Michael D., Franklin Maphis, and Mike Ferens (our team coordinator). Also making an appearance is our incomparable CAMPsafe spokesmodel Gladys Kravitz. In her unique position as damsel in distress, Gladys is absolutely radiant in her bright green swimsuit and beach pumps. Dont forget that Gladys returns as diva of the weekly Karaoke Nights at the Renegade Resort beginning with its 20th anniversary party on May 8. A very special note of gratitude to all five of our volunteers for their spirit of cooperation and sparkling creativity. Thanks also to photographer Judy Rolfe, to Fred Dana for providing the use of his studio and to the professionals at ProMarket in Washington. The results of so much excellent teamwork are a half dozen eye-catching and collectible cards, suitable for mailing to friends or posting on refrigerator doors. CAMPsafe magnets will be distributed at this summers CAMP SAFE-Tea Dances to make it ever so convenient to display the cards. We are also lining up members of the guard team to make appearances at our monthly Sunday afternoon SAFE-Tea Dances, to be hosted by Cloud 9. The teas will feature top-notch disc jockeys, including Keana on Sunday June 20; Robbie Leslie on July 25 and Brian Norwood on August 16. These dances, from 5 to 8 p.m., will be a great way to top off a beach weekend. There is no cover charge, and everyone is invited. Mark your calendars now. During the teas, we will be passing out door prizes, complimentary condoms andwe couldnt resistrolls of Lifesavers mint candies to help you keep your breath as fresh and healthy as your safe sex life. In the last issue of LETTERS, we offered a trivia quiz on the history of the song "Safety Dance," which inspired the name for our teas. The grand-prize winner is Jeffrey Meyers of Laurel, MD. He will receive a CAMPsafe welcome-to-the-beach kit consisting of a set of all our postcards, a magnet, a deck of CAMPsafe playing cards, a CAMPsafe tattoo, one of our special Do-Not-Disturb door hangers andlast but hardly leasta latex condom in our CAMPsafe informational wrapper. Jeffrey correctly answered that the group Men Without Hats hailed from Canada and their album featuring "Safety Dance" was titled "Rhythm of Youth." The LP was first released in 1982, with the song gaining widespread popularity in 1983. There were three principal members of the band (with others coming and going for various projects). Most importantly, our winner knew that the tall erectile unit around which the group danced in the video for "Safety Dance" was a Maypole. Congratulations to Jeffrey. In the next CAMPsafe column, we will formally announce another major event in this years campaign: our first-ever Safe Sex Retreat, featuring expert facilitators from the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington. The men-only retreat is set for October 2-4 at the Renegade Resort, which has generously offered to make all its facilities available to those participating. The Renegade will be offering a special room rate package for attendees who want to make a complete weekend of it. The number of participants will be limited, soagainmake a note on your calendars now, and watch this space for full details. We promise, this will not only be an enlightening event (no boring, carping lectures), but a terrific opportunity to build skills, have fun, play smart and CAMPsafe. A note to area businesses: We will be contacting as many of you as possible in the next two weeks about distribution of the Lifeguards postcards and other CAMPsafe materials. But feel free to give us a call if you would like to be a part of our campaign. We are providing small card racks for convenient display of the complimentary cards. Call me at Splash, 227-5301. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 9, No. 4, May 7, 1999 |