As I write this, temperatures have dropped be- low zero, snow is piling up outside, and night time comes at 5pm. But no temperatures, however low, can extinguish the ardent sum- mer spirit of the Camp Goodtimes staff team. Over the last three months, Gary, Kate, Sarah, Jean and I have been thinking of all kinds of ways to make 2011 the best year yet for Camp Goodtimes.
We’ve had a lot of help from our summer Leadership Team members: Lindsay, Katelin, Genevieve, Jace, and Cynthia. Sarah Jamieson and Caron Strahlendorf have been cooking up ideas with their committees. Now factor in dozens of our colleagues here at the Canadian Cancer Society, who contribute in hundreds of ways behind the scenes... If I counted all the people it takes to make Camp Goodtimes happen each year, it would be a very big number.
Speaking of all the people who have made Camp Goodtimes a success, this September, the camp community celebrated 25 years of supporting children and families living with cancer. We invited everyone who’s ever had anything to do with camp: campers, families, volunteers, donors, supporters, staff, alumni, and more. For those who weren’t able to come, or who didn’t hear about it in time, you were there with us in camp spirit.
As part of the celebration we wound a 3000- piece friendship bracelet around the venue building. Tying the bracelet into a circle, we acknowledged all those who have been a part of the Camp Goodtimes circle: 3000 of us so far.
What’s in store for 2011? We can’t give too much away yet, but we can already see on the horizon a new Camp Goodtimes website, exciting projects for volunteer committees, a great summer leadership team, and more. You’ll be hearing about it all through email, our website, and the next Bean Newsletter. Campers and volunteers: Don’t forget your name-beads!
See you soon, Dave MacKenzie.
