Early Summer Update: NH Gives, Week 1, Facilities

Early Summer Update: NH Gives, Week 1, Facilities

The last 9 weeks have been an absolute whirlwind here on Upper New Hampton Road, and there are a number of updates worthy of their own post. Summer is in full swing though, so I’m going to try and quickly summarize lots of happenings, big and small. Thank you for following along!

New Hampshire Gives

Wow. How powerful and inspiring that in our first year of participation, you and the rest of this community made Wanakee the recipient of the “Power of Many” award. Out of 275 non-profits in the state, including much (much) larger organizations, Wanakee raised the most in 24 hours. All told, including prizes and matching gifts, Wanakee received $30,307.

Words can’t do that outcome justice. The 500+ campers who join us this summer and all those who come after them will have a higher quality experience because of you. Our commitment to making bold, growth-oriented decisions is reinforced because of you. Our ability to skip the band-aid solution and move right to the permanent fix is possible because of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I’m profoundly grateful for your trust, and moved by your conviction and strength.

Summer Camp - Weeks 1 + 2

Campers are [finally] here! During week 1, 53 children and youth enjoyed sunny days, radical acceptance, peaceful moments, spiritual growth, and one-of-a-kind friendships. I’m excited about the new programs and new energy of this season, and for the ways that our facilities improvements have already made the camper experience better. Week 1 was our smallest week of the summer and we were over capacity in the Dining Hall. This week: 84 registrations!

With 16 of last year’s 21 staff back in the fold and a significantly larger team (26) hired to support our recent growth, the 2019 staff is full of remarkable, dedicated young adults ready and prepared to support, mentor, and inspire. We spent two weeks of training together learning from external professionals, alumni, leadership staff, and one another. It’s been a joy to see this group in action for the first time.

On growth: we currently have 5% more campers than this date last year, and are about to cross 500 signups. We’ve already grown 33% since 2015, and who knows where we’ll end up in 2019.

There is still room in many of our programs - have you encouraged the children and teens in your life to come to Wanakee? That’s truly the best support you can give! Take a look at the dates and rates, view the brochure, or head straight to registration.

Facilities - Freezers, Boat Engines, and more

My goal is always to provide as much transparency as I can about our needs and priorities. The upshot: Wanakee’s facility is aging and our equipment is wearing out. I’m going to highlight a few emerging needs here. Keep an eye out for a deeper dive on facilities in the next week or two.

• Two of our boat engines died last week, both of which were at least 20 (if not 30) years old. Do you know anyone who has a 3.5 - 10 HP engine that they might be willing to donate? We’d love a 4 stroke, but a 2 stroke would also work well. This is (potentially) an unexpected $1,500+ expense. (UPDATE - we have a solid lead on at least one engine!)

• The walk-in freezer died two weeks ago (surprise!). $3,660 later, we have a new compressor. Did you know: the compressor we were using was 30+ years old, absurdly undersized, and actually built to run a refrigerator? We were blessed that it lasted as long as it did. Freezer sponsors needed.

• “Big Blue,” the 10-passenger Sprinter van donated to camp by our friends at Chadwick and Trefethen, has sadly taken its last trip. Thankfully, NH Gives covered a new (to us) 15-passenger, AND our partners at Moultonborough UMC have again lent us their 12-passenger for much of the summer. Vehicles in reasonably good condition are (still) a most welcome donation.

• We’re buying another batch of songbooks to keep up with our growth, and want to open the opportunity for sponsorships and honorariums. Up to 20 books can be sponsored - email mail@wanakee.org with your honoriaum (“in honor of” or “in memory of”), then mail a check for $30 or more per book. Your gift keeps campers singing in the Dining Hall and around the campfire!

There are so many inspiring, moving, positive things happening in the Wanakee world right now. Our momentum is palpable in New Hampshire, in the camping world, and in the New England Conference. You built that momentum.

There is also a lot of work to do. I hope you’ll join me - onward and upward.

Grace and Peace,

James B. Tresner, Executive Director