Advocate for CAMP
Last week my partner Steve (Elkins) was attending a conference and was out-of-town for three days. Most readers of this magazine will know that Steve is Executive Director of CAMP Rehoboth and Editor of this magazine, and that the two of us work side-by-side on Letters and on all of our CAMP related activities and events. While both of us pitch-in on a number of things, we each have our long established roles and tasks that have been shaped to fit our individual skills and abilities.
The old saying, “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,” was much on my mind last week, as I struggled to be both of us for a few days. His absence made me appreciate anew the special skills he brings to both our relationship and to CAMP Rehoboth.
From press matters to politics, Steve handles a variety of things each day that I’m happy to leave in his capable hands. Reporters and politicians call on him from all over the state on almost all LGBT issues. He is often the voice of CAMP Rehoboth, and he works as an advocate for all of us even when we don’t know or hear anything about it.
I was exhausted by the time he got back from his trip from trying to do the work of two (and just because I missed him!). His absence got me thinking about what it means to be an advocate, and what an important and immeasurable role advocacy plays in the work of CAMP Rehoboth.
On this website, there is a list of all the things that CAMP Rehoboth does. You can find that list by clicking on “programs” under the “CAMP Center” button at the top of every page (I’ve also reprinted it at the end of this column). The list is impressive, sure, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Each item on the list could be dissected to reveal a variety of details. I was surprised to find that the word “advocate” actually appears on the list only twice because it is such an important part of what we do. In fact, advocacy is woven through the fabric of just about everything on the list.
When we started CAMP Rehoboth 20 years ago, there was no voice speaking for the LGBT community in Southern Delaware. The words that we used to make the acronym CAMP are “Create A More Positive,” and they have formed the base of our mission for all this time. In themselves, they are a call to advocacy, for in creating a more positive world we have been called upon to stand up for everyone in that world no matter their sexual orientation, their beliefs, their race, or any of the many other ways we separate and define ourselves.
Just last week, the Volunteers on Vacation (VOV) program created by CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors member Claire Ippoliti, was responsible for a wonderful photography/art event held at CAMP Rehoboth for children from West Rehoboth, and from our own CAMP Families group. The half-day workshop had nothing to do with LGBT issues—it was about the kids, and about the art, and about building a better and more unified community. Claire and her many volunteers are advocates for a better world. Their work is not quantifiable. Sure they can tell you how many kids attended and how many volunteers pitched in to help. What we can’t know is what dreams might have been awakened that day, or how those kids (and the volunteers) might be changed by the experience in the years to come.
Every day people come into the CAMP office looking for something—sometimes nothing more then to purchase a ticket, take out an ad in Letters, or pay for a CAMP membership. Many others come looking for something entirely intangible: guidance, hope, a place where they can be open about who they are, support, information, assurance. No one can calculate the sum of this work; sometimes all that is needed is to know that there is a place to go, that we are not alone in our efforts and in our struggle to find our way through life.
Recently, some transgender visitors created a stir on the beach that made national headlines. In the wake of that simple act, Steve spent hours on the phone with reporters, police, politicians, and the folks at GLAAD. The message was a positive one, because it showed how our community was working together to find answers that work for our unique place and problems. There’s no way to tell the effect of all the work that Steve put into dealing with this event, and there’s no real way to measure how the previous groundwork laid by CAMP Rehoboth made this a different story than it might have been. Yet, we know! We know that Steve and other CAMP representatives have conducted diversity training with the Rehoboth Beach police and the park police for many years. We know that advocates from CAMP have been and will continue to work for all of us and in all situations.
Supporting the work of artists in our community has always been a part of our mission here at CAMP Rehoboth. Recent events, including the many artists participating in LottoHEART and the Pride Art Show at CAMP Rehoboth, illustrate how many new artists are finding encouragement for their creative endeavors.
The list goes on: be it counseling or the peace of mind that comes from being tested for HIV; working with city and state officials on LGBT and community issues; providing health testing and resources; support groups, meeting space, tourist information, or just the enjoyment that comes from sitting in the CAMP courtyard or reading the newest issue of Letters, CAMP Rehoboth continues to work for this community.
Sometimes the result is obvious; sometimes we can only guess at the outcome of our efforts—and sometimes, yes, we even just fail outright. Whatever is happening, however, be assured that CAMP Rehoboth will continue to be an advocate for all of us.
Membership in CAMP Rehoboth makes it possible for us to continue our work. If you’re not a member please sign-up at the highest level possible. If you’re already a member, we thank you and urge you to renew every year and to consider raising your pledge if that is possible.
Your advocacy and support makes our advocacy and support possible.
Murray Archibald, Founder and President of the Board of Directors of CAMP Rehoboth, is an artist in Rehoboth Beach. Photo: Volunteer on Vacation Art Event at CAMP Rehoboth.
CAMP Programs
• Community events and entertainment
• Community magazine Letters from CAMP Rehoboth
• Spokespeople for local/regional media inquiries on LGBT issues
• Community Space, Meeting Rooms, Public Courtyard
• Tourist information services
• Gallery and performance space for artists
• Sexual Health Counseling (couples and individuals)
• Health screening (partnership with Beebe Medical Center)
• HIV prevention, education & testing (CAMPsafe)
• Information resources on area services
• Publicize events and programs of interest to LGBT community
• Helps advocate/educate city, county and state officials on LGBT issues.
• Helps advocate/educate residents, visitors and businesses on LGBT issues.
• Intervenes, as needed, to help LGBT people in discriminatory situations.
• Women’s Golf League
• Sensitivity Training for city and park police
• Support groups
• Safe space for Youth
• Grief counseling
• Public access computers
• Public WiFi access
•Partner with area non-profits to maximize fundraising efforts
•Ticket Sales for community organizations
•Women’s Conference and Women’s FEST weekend
•Promotion for local non-profit events
•CAMP Rehoboth Chorus