This is issue one of the 27th volume of Letters from CAMP Rehoboth—which also means this is the 27th Anniversary year for CAMP Rehoboth. Over the course of this year, we will celebrate the 17th CAMP Rehoboth Women’s FEST, and—believe it or not—the 30th Sundance. Like all those previous years, 2017 will, I’m quite sure, continue to be a successful one for CAMP Rehoboth—and we are grateful to all the supporters, donors, volunteers, and leaders who will make that statement a true one. At the same time, there is a deep undercurrent of anxiety running through our community as we try to gear up for whatever the new administration and a conservative congressional majority will concoct to deny or restrict the rights of LGBTQ people and other minorities.
Here in Delaware, I’m happy to say, we have a new organization called The Delaware Civil Rights Coalition (DCRC). The Coalition consists of 32 established civil rights organizations (including CAMP Rehoboth and the Delaware Human Relations Commission, both of which I am a part). DCRC seeks to provide a united response to the growing threat of discrimination and hate in the nation and in our state. At the same time, CAMP Rehoboth has expanded our programing in the same area, with our recently organized CAMP Rehoboth Social Action Committee—designed to inspire community activism, community outreach, advocacy for civil rights, and to partner with other organizations with similar goals. For information on DCRC contact me; for information about the Social Action Committee contact Barb Ralph.
In keeping with that spirit of activism, CAMP Rehoboth sponsored two busloads of protesters to the astounding Women’s March in DC, and we are in the early planning stage of organizing for the newly announced LGBTQ March on Washington on June 11. That March will coincide with the annual DC Pride event. We have two buses reserved for those wanting to participate in the June 11 march. Bus tickets are available online at camprehoboth.com.
Congratulations to Doug Yetter and the members of the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus on the success of their winter concert Come Fly with Me. If you missed this “musical journey around the world” in January, you can catch the show on April 2, at the Arts and Science Center Theatre at Delaware Tech (Georgetown Campus). Tickets to that show are now available on the CAMP Rehoboth website. On a related matter the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus and Friends’ Music and Memory Project uses iPods and iTunes to bring personalized music to dementia patients in local senior living facilities. The CAMP Rehoboth Chorus is supported in part by the Delaware Division of the Arts.
The CAMP Rehoboth Women’s FEST team has been working for months to make Women’s FEST 2017 (April 6-9) the best one yet. Now in its 17th year, FEST ‘17 brings another terrific lineup of entertainers and special events to the Rehoboth area. For information about entertainers, events, sponsors, schedules, accommodations, tickets, and the awesome Punta Cana Resort raffle from Olivia Travel, check out the Women’s FEST pages on the CAMP Rehoboth website. The best way to enjoy the CAMP Rehoboth Women’s FEST is by purchasing a FEST Pass. FEST Passes go on sale February 9, and individual event ticket sales begin February 20. FEST Passes and event tickets are limited, so don’t wait until the last minute.
Shortly after this issue of Letters hits the streets, 52 happy CAMPers will set sail on the second CAMP Rehoboth Cruise—this time to Asia. Beginning in Hong Kong, this Southeast Asia Immersive Cruise aboard the Celebrity Millennium is going to be a whirlwind of amazing activities and incredible sights, and we are grateful to our CAMP Rehoboth Premier Sponsors Annette and Rick Stellhorn of Accent on Travel for putting it all together—and for joining us in the fun. From Hong Kong to Singapore, we will most definitely be CAMPing out on the high seas!