Letter from the CVO

Greetings Y Camp Friends,

Welcome to the YMCA Camp of Maine website. As the current Chief Volunteer Officer for the camp and speaking on behalf of our board of directors I am honored to be working today to further the YMCA Camp's mission. Many of our board members are alumni and I attended the camp in the 1950s. I want to share some important news with you.

Begun in 1915 by Jeff Smith next to beautiful Lake Cobbosseecontee in Winthrop, the camp has remained a very natural setting for today's children to have the camp experience of a lifetime. Many of our buildings are original to the camp and several have been removed over the years due to their age. In 2006 the Board of Directors set in motion a Capital Campaign to raise one million dollars to make much needed and long over due improvements to our camp. Buildings, recreational areas and water front facilities were slowly becoming out-­‐dated and unsafe.

At this time I am pleased to tell you that as of now in 2011 we have been able to raise approximately one half, $500.000.00 of our capital campaign goal. Through several donations of money, labor and building materials, several important improvements have been made over the last five years. Due to the generosity of many people like you, we have been able to install new basketball/tennis courts, new water front docks and floats, build a new handicap accessible boy's bathroom/shower facility, update the boy's cabins and shingle the auditorium.

With half a million, $500.000.00 dollars of our campaign still to be raised to reach our goal, there are still several important improvements to be made to bring the camp into the 21st century. We need to build a new girl's bathroom/shower facility, update the girl's lodges, shingle the dinning hall, modernize the incoming electrical service lines, improve the entrance road and modernize the kitchen and infirmary.

At this time we are offering the 'Adopt a Cabin' program where an individual, family or business can sponsor a cabin for a year and the $500.00 donation goes to the maintenance of that cabin. A paddle with the requested name will be displayed on the outside of the cabin for all to see.

We want to recognize our donors so an area of our website will soon list those who have contributed to our campaign. All of us connected with the camp are very appreciative of the support we have received and many of you are helping to implement the ideals of our mission.

I encourage you to revisit the camp if you have not done so recently and I invite those of you who have never been to come and visit and see for yourself what a special and priceless place the YMCA Camp of Maine is. Our creator has given us the natural setting to share and protect but it is up to us to provide and maintain a stimulating and safe environment where children will grow spiritually, emotionally, socially and physically. No amount or donation is to small because many hands make light work so…please consider giving what you can for our children's camp.

As Barry Costa, our camp director says often, "its always 72 degrees and sunny" at Y camp.

With much appreciation,

Tom W. Christensen CVO YMCA Camp of Maine Board of Directors