LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Matters |
by Murray Archibald |
Fortune Cookies Dream of a Lifetime
This past winter I had a few health problems and as a curious side effect of either the treatment or the illness itself, I lostfor a couple of monthsthe ability to taste food. More accurately, all food and drink tasted horribledisastrous to someone who enjoys cooking, I must say. Oddly enough, one of the few things that tasted good to me was chicken egg foo young (with no sauce)which is something I haven't ordered in years, normally preferring much spicier Chinese dishes. The last time we ordered our egg foo young it arrived with two fortune cookies. Steve's read: "You are offered the dream of a lifetime. Say yes!" Mine was: "Your present plans are going to succeed." I'm not a particularly superstitious person, but those two fortunes are sitting on my desk right now, and their positive messages reinforce what I already believe about CAMP Rehoboth. First, that the Community Center is the dream of a lifetime; second, that all our plans really are going to succeed. The reason I'm so positive about the future of the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center is the generosity of the community in which we live. Over the 18 years that CAMP Rehoboth has been in existence I've seen how this community has supported, not only CAMP Rehoboth, but a number of other charitable organizations as well. This spring, a new Development Advisory Board (DAB) has been created to ensure a healthy financial future for the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. The primary work of the DAB is to develop and oversee both our short- and long- term capital campaigns. The group has also been asked to create its own structure and leadership. At present, 18 very talented people have agreed to serve as charter members of the DAB and based on the group's first meeting I have a strong feeling that we are placing our future in very capable hands. As the new wing of the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center rises around us, I know that it really is a "dream of a lifetime." The new space will greatly magnify our ability to serve this community. When it is completed we will have space for workshops, conferences, retreats, and social events. It will increase our exhibition and gallery space and provide a much needed performance space. The new CAMP Rehoboth Courtyard will continue to provide a free public gathering space with WiFi and available restroom facilities. The vision statement of the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center is to be "the heart of the community." Its purpose is to be a positive force in the world and to create a safe and inclusive community for all. That's a dream we share with people all over the world, isn't it? Don't most of us want to live in a safe, peaceful, environment that honors diversity and welcomes everyone regardless of faith, race, gender, age, or sexual orientation? The dreamthe underlying foundation of the dream from which our community center has grownis the same for all people who have ever fought against inequality, bigotry, and hatred. It's the dream of living side by side in peace with people who may or not be like us. No matter one's politics, we have all taken notice of the fact that Barack Obama's message of unity and hope has played a huge role in the democratic race for the White House. I believe the people of this country and the people of our world are hungry for hopehungry for peace and for positive messages that stop pitting us against one another. Neighbor to neighbor and friend to friend, the distinctions of red state/blue state, gay/straight, young and old, men and women, fall away to become simplycommunity. I suppose I really can't speak for the rest of the world, but here in our little corner of it, I know we are taking steps toward living a dream that is about something bigger than our individual needsgoverned, as they are, by ego and fear. Something good has taken root here in Rehoboth Beach and I'm glad to be a part of it. "You are offered the dream of a lifetime," the fortune cookie read. "Say yes!" My thanks to all who have said, "yes" to making this CAMP house into a real home for all who will need it. (Photos: Top: A fortune in cookies; bottom: the walls of the new wing of the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center begin to emerge.) Thank You to all the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center Volunteers for the period of April 4-May 1, Jane Blue Janice Brierley Tony Burns Jim Byrnes Joanne Ciconte Robert Delancoe Tony Ghigi Craig Gillespie Joan Glass Karen Gustafson Grant Kingswell Spencer Kingswell Myra Kramer Charlie Lee Chris Ligato Sharon Messina Julia Monaghan Michael Muller Anne Mundel Chuck Oakes Jim O'Dell Beth Pile Deb Qualey Barb Ralph Ken Reilly Judy Roberts Kit Ryan Chris Sampson Guillermo Silveira Evie Simmons Barb Thompson Linda Yingst Rainbow Thumb Club Matt Carey Ward Ellinger Rob Freeman Tony Ghigi Steve Hoult Bud Palmer Ken Reilly Tom White Murray Archibald, Founder and President of the Board of Directors of CAMP Rehoboth, is an artist in Rehoboth Beach. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 18, No. 04 May 02, 2008 |