Our Annual Fall Campaign is upon us once again! Last year you came through in the biggest way to help us through a crisis that could have shut us down. We will always be grateful for the way the Lakeshore family came together and carried us on their shoulders. There will never be enough “Thank You’s” to express how blessed we feel. Unfortunately, as we approach a new fall, the pandemic and its side effects are still up against us.
To say that it has been difficult operating a Camp and Retreat Center during a pandemic, would be an understatement. Social distancing is just NOT a thing in a normal camp world. We gather to get close and flourish in the greater community. Dealing with the fear of infection, battling the politicized issues arising from Covid, recognizing a scarcity of funding resources, and hustling to overcome staff shortages in every area have been extremely hard.
One of the side effects that we often ignore is the impact all these things have on our physical resources, deferred maintenance, and the ability to provide a quality program with safe, adventurous activities. We battled a lot of that this past summer. Our aquatic areas were hit hard as the boat seats began to tear and were constantly in and out of the water for repairs with no backup. The Water Park that we still call “new” is a testy 17-year-old now with its own mind. The surface has eroded to a point of making “bloody toes” more the norm than the exception, and the cracks leaking water require us to keep a hose running 24-7 to keep up. We had to shut down the Lazy River for a Sr. High week to get things under control.
So, we are hoping to “Make a Splash” with our Annual Fall Campaign and get some important work done to meet our eager and adventurous campers when they roll up for camp in the Summer of 2022!
Read about the rest of the Make A Splash campaign below.
Resurfacing Pool & Lazy River
The Wayne Hall, Sr. Water Park is looking rough! After years of use and many bloody toes, it is time to repair the cracks in the pool and lazy river along with redoing the surfaces of each. We will also be upgrading some of the furniture around the pool and replacing the speaker system.
Reupholstering Boats
Our current boats are aging and showing signs of wear and tear. The ski boat and black pontoon will have all their seats reupholstered giving them new life once again.
Purchasing a New Boat
This summer we consistently had a boat in the shop to be fixed. With weeks of watersports, we had to get creative with our schedules so everyone could enjoy and use the boats that did work. The money raised will go towards helping us purchase another boat in the future that will help provide a quality program for all our campers.
The Why
Nothing is overly exciting about meeting deferred maintenance needs, but we will not be able to get these critical things accomplished without your help.
This is Maddie Howe. Maddie spent four summers serving the ministry of Lakeshore, most recently as the Camp Hope Series Director. Over her time here, she has witnessed how a simple conversation can make a difference.
“When I was in 5th grade, all I wanted to do was go to summer camp. I didn’t know Jesus and I had no idea what Lakeshore even was. I spoke maybe 4 words total during my first week there. But I knew exactly who I wanted to be when I grew up. I wanted to be like my counselors that jumped through the roof while singing the Lion Song and like the staff members that sought me out on the rocking chairs to have impactful conversations.
Serving on summer staff gave me the opportunity to teach, grow, and become the person I had always wanted to be. Something about watching campers ride on a pontoon for the first time EVER, or teaching them how to hold on for dear life while tubing, gives you full-body chills and reminds you how lucky you are for this to be an actual job.”
Lakeshore strives to be a place where anyone can learn and discover who they want to be. We know that many people have dropped their pebble in the water here at camp only to have the ripple spread far beyond our shores.
Campers and staff have grown and many became lifelong friends because simple conversations made an impact.
The Goal
Can we count on you to help us make a splash? We are raising $100,000 this fall to help with resurfacing the pool and lazy river, reupholstering the boats, and supporting the fund for the purchasing of a new boat. We cannot do this ministry without your generous support.