This is the next to last issue of our 28th season of publishing Letters from CAMP Rehoboth, and I confess that I find it somewhat of a miracle that we made it through the year in as good a shape as we did. That can only be attributed to dedicated friends, family, staff, and volunteers who pitched in to provide support, encouragement, and creativity in the wake of Steve’s death. I’ve said this time and time again in recent months, this is a wonderfully supportive community, and I continue to be grateful for the love and care expressed to me and to all of us at CAMP Rehoboth.▽
Now that we are back to publishing Letters once a month, timing becomes even trickier for us. For example, the Block Party was Sunday, October 14, but this issue went to the printer the day before that—meaning that though the Block Party took place before the issue release date, it will not be covered until the November 8 issue. The same is true for the ACLU Delaware Kandler Memorial Awards Dinner on October 17. The ACLU honored Steve Elkins, Maria Matos, and Kevin O’Connell. Watch for details—and CAMPshots in November!▽
Over the summer months, work on the new CAMP Rehoboth Strategic Plan continued with individual interviews and focus groups, and on September 29, with an open community discussion and workshop at the Community Center, led by our DANA Consultant Sheila Bravo. As I am every time members of the community gather to talk about CAMP Rehoboth, I was impressed by the level of commitment and creative support from participants.▽
Since the early 1990s, World AIDS Day has been observed in Rehoboth Beach, and that tradition continues on Saturday, December 1 with the Candlelight Walk and Service of Remembrance and Hope. The Walk begins at 6:30 p.m. at the Rehoboth Beach Bandstand, and ends at All Saints’ Episcopal Church on Olive Avenue for the Service—including the reading of the names of family and friends lost to AIDS. To have a name added to the list of those read at the service, call CAMP Rehoboth or go to our website at camprehoboth.com.▽
CAMP Rehoboth has been a sponsor of the Rehoboth Beach Film Festival for many years because we believe that the Festival lives up to the CAMP Rehoboth mission of making “room for all” by celebrating diversity and exposing all of us to new ideas and perspectives. Though many of the year’s best LGBTQ+ films have now been moved to the Film Society’s Delaware LGBTQ+CINE-brations in April—in partnership with CAMP Rehoboth—this year’s Festival still features some LGBTQ films. Those films, along with other highlights from this year’s Festival, are featured in this issue of Letters.▽
CenterLink is an organization that supports strong, sustainable LGBTQ community centers, and now serves over 200 centers in 45 states (plus Puerto Rico, DC, and centers in Canada, China, and Australia). CAMP Rehoboth has been a member for several years, and though I was not able to join her, CAMP Rehoboth Vice-President Leslie Sinclair was able to attend the 2018 CenterLink Conference in Rochester, NY in September. Leslie says it was a “tremendous learning experience,” highlighted “by the chance to meet and network with Board members and executive leadership from the 87 community centers represented.”▽
On October 26, from 5:30-7:30 p.m., CAMP Rehoboth is partnering with AARP to host On Tap with Delaware AARP at the CAMP Rehoboth Community Center. Billed as a “fun evening with refreshments and hors d’oeuvres,” AARP is inviting us all to “discover exciting ways to connect”—and to find that we might be surprised by what we don’t know about AARP. Come discover how AARP is reaching out to the LGBTQ community and about some new programs coming to CAMP Rehoboth. To attend the event, please RSVP by calling 877-926-8300. ▽
It is believed by many that Fall is the best time of the year in Rehoboth Beach. Enjoy the season—and the Film Festival, Sea Witch, and Halloween. Trick or Treat? ▽