A Thanksgiving letter from Wanakee's outgoing Board Chair
Dear Wanakee Family,
One of my favorite ways to close out an evening campfire at Wanakee is by sharing “thankfuls” and “hopefuls” where we go around the circle and each person gets to share something they are grateful for from that day and something they hope will come during the rest of the week. As we approach Thanksgiving, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a few things at Wanakee that I am thankful and hopeful for. Before we get too far in, I should say that this is note is written by Nicole Richards, a member of Wanakee’s Board of Directors.
My first thankful is to my fellow Board members, including those who came before me, for their guidance, wisdom, partnership and trust. I have had the pleasure of serving as Chair for the past three and a half years, and at our most recent Board meeting, I passed the baton to Kevin Drew, who has been serving alongside me for the past three years. Kevin works as a Chief Estimator for a mechanical contractor in Manchester, and has also served on his local school board in Milford, NH. I am hopeful that the Wanakee family will join me in congratulating Kevin and supporting him and the entire Board as they continue to discern how we will live out our mission in 2021 and beyond.
My second thankful is to highlight our partnership with UMCOR and our local churches. Wanakee served as a hub for distributing 385 gallons of hand sanitizer to various local churches, schools, and community organizations over the past few months, at no cost to the recipients. This is a small but meaningful way that Wanakee has helped serve the local community. I am hopeful that we can continue to strengthen our partnerships with local churches and our community more broadly.
My third thankful is to lift up Wanakee’s volunteers for their dedication to Wanakee’s mission through year-round service and performing many labors of love at our facility. I am particularly grateful to the crews that have worked to replace the Rec Hall porch roof, fire escape, windows and siding as well as those who have come up to help close up camp for the winter months. I am hopeful that these dedicated volunteers will inspire others to share their time and talents at Wanakee.
In addition, I would like to raise up our committee and staff members who joined a 2021 virtual planning party last week to offer direction and guidance to Wanakee’s Board and plan next steps. 20 of Wanakee’s year-round leaders met to discuss the opportunities and challenges we face as we consider how we will live out our mission over the next twelve months. At the end of the summer, our Board and Committees reflected on lessons learned from earlier this year and we are carrying those forward to our preparations for 2021. We don’t yet know what summer 2021 will look like, but you can expect to hear more from us as we develop our program plans. I am hopeful that we will welcome campers to 75 Upper New Hampton Road in 7 ½ months, and until then, I hope you will support us and pray for us to find ways to live out our mission and navigate this uncertain time.
I am also thankful to have been part of Season One of Wanakee’s podcast: Big Red Farmhouse. Shannon, Amelia, and I are so grateful to our first roster of guests who have shared stories of how they first came to Wanakee and what has kept them coming back. In a time when you may be missing the love and supportive community at camp, perhaps listening in to hear some Wanakee stories will brighten your day. You can find us on most major podcasting platforms or go to https://anchor.fm/wanakeenh. We are currently working on Season Two and hope to have some new episodes out in early 2021 with guests who share stories from Wanakee’s early days.
My last thankful is to our donors who have shown overwhelming generosity this year. James highlighted many of the examples of the generosity of spirit in our midst in his series A Hard Year, Full of Light and I would like to echo my thanks to all of you who have shared some of your treasure with Wanakee in this unusual year.
We will again be raising funds on #GivingTuesday, December 1st, which will go into our campership fund. When we do welcome campers back to our site, we expect there will be an even greater need for financial assistance, and our campership fund exists to help make camp affordable for all families. I am hopeful that you will consider making a donation on #GivingTuesday. You can also support us year-round by becoming a recurring donor. Find out more by visiting our website: https://www.wanakee.org/donate.
Finally, I’d like to invite you to share your own thankfuls and hopefuls with your loved ones. Have a blessed Thanksgiving.
Grace and Peace,
Nicole Richards
Wanakee Board of Directors