LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Community Center Project Progress Report |
by Dan Goren |
On Saturday morning, May 20th, a very exciting meeting took place at the Epworth United Methodist Church. Members of the committee for the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Project met to create the plans to develop the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. I am very pleased not only to have attended the meeting, but also to be providing this progress report, because the work that got accomplished that day was inspiring and indeed special. It was a rainy Saturday morning so we didn't need to lock the doors to prevent people from going to the beach and the fifteen committee members from various Rehoboth area communities went to work on creating the strategic plan for making an idea a reality. Though the idea of CAMP Rehoboth as a community center is not new, it definitely was reinforced and moved to the top of the agenda this past winter. Dozens of area residents attended the Advisory meetings during the coldest months of the year. The cold weather appears to have been helpful in producing some wonderful thoughts and ideas, and yielded a consensus that a community center was needed as a safe haven for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered (GLBT) community. The Advisory group meetings determined that we need a center to meet certain needs, including: information and referral activities; switchboard and hotline services; social and support group meetings; forums on women's groups and issues; a gay and lesbian youth group; health education and wellness programs; community outreach; a GLBT lending library; social events; and office space. This is definitely an ambitious project. It is probably good that the spring thaw finally arrived or the list would be even longer! We will need to do more than "click our heels and make a wish " for this to happen. However, the track record and accomplishments of this community has proven that when we are serious about creating something new (no matter how big it is) the written and spoken words are very powerful tools for realizing our goals. The committee that met May 20th was very serious. There was a comprehensive discussion about strategic planning and the process of determining the long term vision and goals and how to make them happen. There was a focus on the need to have an effective strategy that guides the decisions that affect the direction of an organization and allows for action now, no matter how long it takes to accomplish the goals. The committee realized that some of the goals might take 3-5 years to accomplish. Clearly we will not have a building tomorrow to house a community center. However, we do not need the walls of a building to launch new initiatives, such as the Women's Project of CAMP Rehoboth, which is already underway. The committee members were undaunted by the time lines and the scope of the project and began tackling one of the key elements of a long-term planexpressing the dream, or creating the vision. We needed a succinct and meaningful statement of the dream; a conceptualization that connects the future to the present. We split into small groups to visualize what a community center could be and to create a vision. In the corporate world we called this "a brainstorming session" and spent thousands of dollars to go to an expensive retreat with lots of high priced consultants teaching us how to think. However, given the creativity and of course the flair of the committee members, we needed only to tap into our thoughts and our commitment to bring forth a large number of possibilities. A variety of visions were discussed, such as The Camp Rehoboth Community Center being a place that is safe; a home with room for all; a positive place to be; a place to connect and a source for information. As the groups looked at all the ideas which focused on home, comfort and connection, a vision was born that centered around the heart in all of us that provides life for everything we do. The vision of our hearts welcoming everyone and being the ultimate source of life that allows us to fulfill our dreams was very compelling to everyone. We subsequently developed this vision: "The CAMP Rehoboth Community Center is the Heart of the Community". I believe that the vision expresses the gist of what a community center could be and invokes multiple meanings and feelings for many peoplefeelings of warmth, comfort and caring. We then knew that to realize the vision we would need to create a mission statement that expressed what this means and how we will get there. After a more than sufficient amount of caffeine, the committee members again split up into our low budget brainstorming groups to develop a mission statement that would speak to what needed to be accomplished as well as to properly express our purpose. We knew we had to do this in relatively short order because there was still much work to do. (Also, there were rumors that the sun was coming out and the beaches were reopening, so we had to proceed efficiently, but still with flair!) It was amazing how in sync the groups were becoming. So many of the ideas contained similar thoughts about the Center being a home, a connection and a focal point. Thus the essence of the needs put forth by the winter Advisory meetings was being captured. The ideas and discussion flowed beautifully into the following mission statement: "The CAMP Rehoboth Community Center is an inclusive space, with and without walls, which creates and nurtures a focal point for connecting people, activities and resourcesembracing diversity as an essential component. The Center is the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community's contribution to creating a home for all." We were now faced with establishing the last part of our initial strategic planthe action items. Lists were created for both long and short-term actions. We also realized that some urgent actions were needed because some initial Community Center Project activities had already started. The Women's Project had formed and there were already two fundraisers planned for the community center. (Tea Dances at Cloud 9 on June 4 and at Yum Yum on June 25). In addition to establishing the action items for developing organization structure, financial plans, program development and selecting a site, we established the top five action items that would need immediate attention: establishing a volunteer pool and organization; creating fundraising guidelines for events, donations and grants; creating a short-term budget; developing a marketing and PR plan; and obtaining assistance by joining the National Association of Lesbian and Gay Community Centers (NALGCC). Sub-committees were formed to immediately address these priorities, and the committee agreed to reconvene on July 9th to review and pursue the remaining action items. However, a pool of volunteers is definitely needed and it is the ultimate key to success in creating a community center. Careful planning is being given to this area so those of you who want to contribute your time, no matter how great or how little, will have the opportunity to do so in a well-structured way. We concluded our meeting with a clear understanding of the enormity of this project. Maggie Shaw and Andrea Andrus were superb in lending their expertise in educating and guiding the committee through this planning process, while Murray Archibald provided the continuing inspiration for this exceptional project. But what I was most impressed with was the power of the community's will and spirit, as well as the will and spirit of those who participated that day, and those of you who will surely participate in the future. Earlier I mentioned that we would need to do more than just click our heels to realize our dreams. The power for this realization originates from taking a stand, expressing that stand in our words and, most importantly, honoring our words. The CAMP Rehoboth Community Center is the Heart of the Community. This shall be. Dan Goren is a recent full time resident of Rehoboth Beach and has been the co-chair of the Community Center Project. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 10, No. 6, June 2, 2000. |