With Memorial Day fast approaching, CAMP Rehoboth is gearing up for a remarkable summer here at the beach, filled with lots of fun, but also challenging work. For the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors, there is a large task before us.

This summer we will be working hand-in-hand with our CAMP Rehoboth co-founder and now Interim Executive Director Murray Archibald, to ask ourselves how we move the organization forward at this pivotal moment.

While the Board developed a Succession Plan several years ago, we hadn’t anticipated the unexpected loss of our co-founder and Executive Director, Steve Elkins. Like non-profit organizations everywhere, we continually ask ourselves “What next?” Not only as a Board, but as an organization, and for that matter, as a community. Times change, and while both the community and CAMP Rehoboth have gained remarkable success in LGBT visibility, equal rights, and anti-discrimination laws and attitudes, continued vigilance and advocacy must remain to be top priorities.

We are beginning to address what’s next for us in this current climate under changing circumstances. The Board is fully aware that two of our primary responsibilities are to ensure the organization is prepared and has a vision for the future. Led by a competent staff and hard-working Board, we’re ready to dig even deeper to ensure the longevity and success of the organization.

As guardians of the community’s investment in CAMP Rehoboth, it is our duty to establish and maintain comprehensive strategic and succession planning. At the most basic level, outcomes from both are critical to ensuring the viability and sustainability of a well-run non-profit organization. Although this planning can be difficult, it is necessary for organizational growth and maturation.

Combined with the talent and dedication of our staff, we are united in understanding the importance of making this a collaborative effort. Working together with Murray, we are committed to keeping CAMP Rehoboth the visible, vital, and thriving organization it is today—and  growing it for the future.

We will also seek guidance from outside consultants to assist us in our endeavor of moving CAMP Rehoboth forward and continuing to provide the community many programs and events. We will be certain to solicit input and feedback from our members and the entire community. With surveys and other feedback tools, we want to hear from all stakeholders. Keeping things on course and maintaining momentum will be priorities, but we will be careful to do so in measured and incremental ways. Rushing this process would be counterproductive and do an injustice to the organization that so many have helped to create, support and grow. Our intent is to continue to thoughtfully make the kinds of changes that puts CAMP Rehoboth in great shape for the future.

And speaking of the future, one of our biggest assets is our Membership. In these early summer issues of Letters we launch our annual membership drive. The importance of membership is critical. I encourage you to read about our membership program, see the growing list of our dedicated members, and if you’re not already a member, learn how you can support us as a sustaining member of this community.

Thank you to Board member Jane Blue and her Membership Committee, all volunteers, without whom we wouldn’t be able to do all that we do. They prove that “many hands make light work.”

Over the next several months and issues of Letters, you’ll hear more about our progress as we write this next chapter together. We can never say it enough, and now more than ever, from myself, the staff and the CAMP Rehoboth Board, we sincerely thank all of you for your continued support. We each play an integral part in making CAMP Rehoboth the heart of the community. ▼

Chris Beagle is President of the CAMP Rehoboth Board of Directors and is a realtor at Berkshire Hathaway - Gallo Realty in Rehoboth Beach.