The months of June, July and August passed in a warm, sunny blur this year. Hot, summer days in Fairlee were filled with activity seven days a week, on all five Aloha Foundation campuses. Hundreds of staff and campers swelled Fairlee’s summer population and in the office, we enjoyed the excitement that the camp season brought. It is hard, however, to keep up with all the fun that goes on, and even more difficult at times to share the news with our fans. Now that the tents are put away, the docks pulled and campers, counselors and staff alike back in school, the full time employees in Fairlee are able to catch their collective breath a little, before we begin the preparation for summer 2011 (yes, we are already thinking ahead!).
Before we leave the summer of 2010 behind, here are a few stories you might have missed.
Vermont National Guard families enjoy respite, recreation and relaxation at Ohana – and Ohana enjoys their company.
Vermont National Guard member cuddles his daughter at Ohana Family Camp.
Fifteen families of Vermont National Guard members currently deployed in Afghanistan – about 55 parents and children in all – took up residence at Ohana Family Camp from June 27th through July 2nd. They came from all over the state — Georgia, VT, way up in the NW corner to Bennington at the southern tip. Written words can’t portray the experience better than does this short video report that appeared in a television news broadcast on the CBS affiliate in Burlington, VT. Many donors contributed toward the $20,000 cost of this tuition-free week at Ohana for Guard member families, including $5,000 from Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation.
Senator Sanders letter to The Aloha Foundation.
Vermont’s United States Senator Bernie Sanders wrote this to us, in part: Allow me, on behalf of a of not only Vermont but a grateful nation to thank [you] for providing a week of joy, fun and relaxation at Ohana Camp for Vermont National Guard family members, while their loved ones are serving overseas…I applaud the vision, commitment and compassion demonstrated by the Aloha Foundation…to reach out to these family members faced with lengthy separation…[and] feel certain that the memories of the week spent at Ohana Camp will help assure the families that there are many of us who care about them…and want to offer support and gratitude…Aloha! Congratulations on a job well done.
After the VNG week was over, an article in our local Valley News about the Ohana family camp week caught the eye of a Lyme, NH, philanthropist. The anonymous donor — not previously a contributor to the Foundation — has pledged $25,000 to support the entire cost of next year’s edition of the Guard program. In addition, the donor has offered to pay the way for any families left on the waiting list for this summer’s Guard Week who wish to participate in New Year’s Family Camp at Hulbert in December. (more…)
As we ring in 2012, Aloha bids farewell to two people who, as much as anyone over the past quarter-century, have embodied The Aloha Foundation’s spirit and traditions. Deb and Andy Williams, who ran Hulbert Outdoor Center for two decades and Ohana Family Camp for the past six years — are retiring. They’ve introduced hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people to the Aloha experience during their time here, and broadened that experience to include people of all ages.
