LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Sundance Circles |
by Murray Archibald |
I am so closely involved with every part of Sundance, that I know it is impossible for me to be objective about it. Perhaps I should just have a reporter state the facts-over $170,000 net; almost 500 sponsors, supporters, and hosts; 475 items in the auction, over 180 volunteers-and get on with it. But there is so much more to Sundance than numbers and dollar amounts, and who better to talk about it than someone who knows it from the center out.
Sure the numbers speak loudly, and the money is vital to the operation and programs of CAMP Rehoboth and Sussex County AIDS Committee, but the most exciting part of the Sundance experience for me, and for many others, is the people. Those numbers that I mentioned in the previous paragraph are people who give of their time, talents, and resources to make Sundance a success. While our sponsor, supporter, and host list changes some every year, a great part of it remains the same. We have grown slowly, and built a strong base over the years, and without that base I don't believe we would be able to reach our goals. For me, however, the most dazzling thing about Sundance is the volunteers. On the following page of this issue we have tried to reconstruct a list of all the people who worked on Sundance 2002 in some way or another. I would like to be able to talk about each and every one of those volunteers, but obviously I can't. Suffice it to say that the event couldn't happen without them. I am always amazed that we have volunteers who take vacation time to come to Rehoboth and be "Sundance slaves" for a week. Many of them are sponsors and hosts as well, so in a way they pay for the opportunity to work long hours. I think they come back year after year because there is something wonderful that happens to us when we give unconditionally of ourselves. A whole group of people working together generates good will, laughter, and most of all a great deal of love. This year's Sundance theme-In the Celestial Circle of the Sunburst Rainbow-like all the Sundance themes in some way or another, is about love. There is an ever-expanding circle of love around Sundance that reaches far beyond the boundaries of the Convention Center or Rehoboth or even Delaware. The nature of a resort like Rehoboth comes from the fact that it is made up of people from so many different places, and that nature is reflected in the make-up of those who produce and attend Sundance. At the end of every summer we gather to enjoy the fruits of our labors and to celebrate the passage of another year. For many it will be the last time we are together until the following summer. I've written about Sundance for so many years that it has become quite impossible for me to remember exactly what I've said, or how many times I've said it. So what if I repeat myself? It's worth talking about, and worth saying again and again. All of us involved with Sundance know what a great feeling it is to get through another year. We've been doing Sundance for 15 years, and many of the people involved in the first Sundance are still involved. Each year, however, brings new faces, and sometimes the return of old ones who moved away for a time. The Sundance circle keeps growing. The people have become a family, bound together by a commitment to make the world a better place. Quite often, I've discovered, the easiest way to do that is simply to do the things we enjoy most-to give of the very best of who we are. I am constantly amazed by the talent and generosity that surrounds us. Somehow the excitement of Sundance always seems to creep up on me and take me by surprise. This year, I was cutting fabric pieces for the stage light sculpture when I was suddenly filled with an awareness of all the people who were physically in the Convention Center, working like a well-oiled machine to lift the vision off the pages of my notebook and into reality. Across the room, stage and light crew were assembling the massive truss system that contained more than 300 individual light fixtures. Beside them, teams of volunteers worked at huge banks of tables cutting fabric and sewing buttons onto every corner. In the auction room items were being logged in and the graphics people were cutting and pasting cases of foam core. Down the hall, fingers were flying over the keyboards creating the copy for all the item descriptions and signage. A moving crew was unloading trucks from the storage unit. Bar and food supplies were arriving, linens were piled and sorted by sizes. In another room huge boxes of flowers were arriving to be prepped for arranging in the 11-foot-high cutout containers. In the midst of all that activity, the first big Sundance rush of the year dashed its way through my body and electrified all my senses. At that moment all worry disappeared, and I knew that once again all would be well. My parents taught me as a young child that God is love. I didn't pay much attention at the time, but now I know. That big rush I have come to recognize as a perfect God moment-a moment of great love, of great peace, of great joy. It is the awareness of what brings us all full circle to the great truths in each of our lives. Sundance and all its people are a part of the circle of my life, and I'm very grateful to each and every one of you who worked to make this year's event a success. Thank you for your time, your energy, and most of all, your incredible spirit. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 13, September 20, 2002. |