I was talking to a long-time friend of camp, Cindy, earlier this month and she was excited to share with me that her grandson, Luke, had been a try camper for the first time this past summer. Cindy shared that Luke had had an amazing time at camp and had recently remarked to her this Fall that "Bear Creek Camp must be beautiful right now." He was able to take his memories of all the green trees he saw at summer camp and look beyond his experience to picture camp in all its Fall glory.

In that moment, Luke demonstrated another important aspect of those that deeply love BCC, the ability to imagine beyond the known and picture the next evolution -- something even better.

In just a couple of weeks, we're going to once again ask our community to strive to help us reach that 'something even better'. Giving Tuesday (this year on November 29th) has become a touchstone event for our community in raising funds in support of a major project here at camp. In 2020, we raised $22,000 to fully insulate and winterize cabins at East and South Sites. In 2021, gifts totaled over $31,000 so we could purchase new mattresses for every bed in camp.

This year we're looking to the future. We've identified the waterfront as an area that is evolving in the ways that our campers and guests utilize that space. For today's campers, more time is being spent on the beach and in what little shade there currently is around our boat house and lifeguard structures. Those areas are where friendships are being built and conversations about life, the universe, and everything are happening. In order for us to provide for that important work, we need to evolve our space.

We have a multi-faceted plan to improve the waterfront area beginning with a new pavilion and relandscaping of the beach area. Our community kicking off this project with an investment of $25,000 and beyond will build the pavilion and get us ready for further ongoing investments in new boating equipment and fixtures like picnic tables.

I'm optimistic for Giving Tuesday, November 29th - TWO WEEKS FROM TODAY! - because I know our community can think like Luke and imagine this next big step in our beautiful future.

-- Collin Grooms, Executive Director

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