LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
I love Septemberthe excitement of the summer is still with us, the shops, restaurants, and clubs are all still open, and most of the time the weather remains gorgeous. It is a time when those of us who live and work year-round at the beach have a moment to catch our breath and ease back to a more normal pace. For all of us at CAMP Rehoboth, September is a time to celebrate another successful season at the beach, and to be thankful for all the amazing people whose lives intersect with ours and who give so generously of their time, talents, and resources. From our perspective, Rehoboth is truly an extraordinary community and we are glad to be a part of it.
Nothing we do better demonstrates the nature of our community than Sundance. Murray and I were a little worried that the sagging economy and a year of living in the shadow of 9/11 might negatively impact our fund raising abilities this summer, but that turned out to be a needless worry. Once again, the generosity of our community has helped to set a new Sundance record, and I am pleased to announce that this year's net amount raised will be over $170,000. That amazing number could not have been reached without the almost 500 sponsors, supporters, and hosts who made the event possible, or the 475 items donated to the live and silent auctions. Nor could it have happened without the more than 180 volunteers whose dedication and talents make working on this event a real pleasure. My heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped to make Sundance 2002 a success. Sixty percent of the money raised at Sundance will be given to Sussex County AIDS Committee, and I am sometimes questioned as to why we continue to give so much to support the needs of the AIDS community. That reason seems obvious to me: there is still a great need. In the past couple of months, four more of our friends have died. At the recent memorial service for SCAC Board of Directors' member, Ed Imwalle, at Epworth United Methodist Church, Murray said, "I have stood in this place for this reason far too many times...AIDS is still among us, and still taking our loved ones from us." This fight is not one that can be given up yet, and we must all continue to do what we can to help those who are suffering and to encourage safer sex practices whenever the opportunity arises. In the last issue of Letters, there was a letter from Thom Swiger questioning Republican candidate for state Representative, Mike Meoli, about his stand on HB99. I ran an editor's note with the letter, explaining that I had met with Mike earlier in the month and that he told me he was in support of HB99. Before I ran the note, I called him to confirm his support and to let him know what I was going to say. A few days after the issue was released, Mike came by to say that he had changed his mind and would not be supporting HB99 after all. There was not another issue of Letters between that one and the primarywhich, by the way, Mike won. In November, Mike faces Democratic candidate Pete Schwartzkopf and Libertarian candidate Everett Wodiskaboth supporters of HB99. On page 24, Eric Peterson reports in more detail on the story. As we've said many times, and as surely everyone knows by now, Sundance began as an anniversary party for Murray and me. That's another reason why I like September so much. This year's Sundance marks 24 years since he walked into my life. Gay unions, in whatever form they take, are not much celebrated in the world in which we live, which means it's important for us to make as much noise about it as we can. The first Sundance was our 10th anniversary, and next year's Sundance will be our 25thso get ready for a lot of noise. In the meantime, Murray, happy anniversary, I love you. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 12, No. 13, September 20, 2002 |