Why a new oven is a leading indicator of a bright future

This will be the last time I write a post with “oven” in the title – I had to do it, and I’ll tell you why: Wanakee has received a donation to cover the remaining balance of our new double convection oven. We are profoundly grateful to the Parker family of Main Street United Methodist Church in Nashua for their $5,000 gift. Combined with the other $1,340 in gifts received for this urgent and unanticipated 2016 expense, we've now covered the full price of the oven and all but $141.41 of the installation costs.

To summarize this now-concluded story in condensed form:

Our ~40 year-old oven broke precisely 3.5 weeks into a 7 week summer...
We had already made a number of necessary but resource-intensive, capital improvements in early 2016 (new furnace for the Log Cabin, removal of 12 trees, cook’s cabin renovations, and more)...
Weeks 5, 6, and 7 were slated to be our 3 biggest 2016 weeks, all with 70+ campers (overnight camper numbers are up roughly 7% from 2015!).
Oven = v. important
Inspired by a leadership gift of $1,000, the Wanakee Facilities Committee and Board of Directors signed off on a forward-thinking, growth-oriented purchase of a new double oven...
Seven staff, by sheer force of will, moved two 500+ lb ovens from a broken box truck on the service road to their new home in the dining hall (that’s a separate tale)...
Five more donors stepped up to defray the cost ($340)...
The Parker Family reached out about their desire to cover the remaining cost, with any “extra” funds being available for general operating expenses (these were put towards installation).

This saga is such a powerful example of the strength of the Wanakee community. When we opted to make a large investment with an eye toward the future, it was, in a small way, a leap of faith. In my previous note, I wrote “...these beautiful new machines are examples of a commitment to professional standards, a growth mindset, and confidence in Wanakee’s future. This confidence is because of you, the Wanakee community...”

Here’s the obvious lesson: that confidence was well-founded.

I feel like a broken record as I near the 6-month mark of my time as Executive Director, and I’m so fortunate to be stuck repeating this song. Your generosity is humbling and inspiring. The actions of this community since I started on February 15th are resoundingly of hope. Day after day, month after month, I see reasons to believe that Wanakee’s best days are ahead. Whether in my email box, on Facebook, during a board meeting, beneath a shooting star, or on the glowing face of a camper whose life has been changed by their time at camp, it’s obvious. Wanakee means so much to so many.

Every person who has contributed to the exciting things happening on Upper New Hampton Road – whether through your time, your gifts, or your prayers – is a blessing to this place. Thank you. Your support and trust is what pushes us to be better than we were the day before.

See you Saturday at the 5K and Homecoming BBQ.

Grace and Peace,

James Tresner, Executive Director