Community Announcement

Email update on May 12, 2024

Dear Kabeyun friends and families,

I am writing to share the difficult news that I was recently diagnosed with a cancerous colorectal tumor and will begin treatment later this month.

While I plan to spend the summer at camp and be as involved as possible, my energy levels and response to the treatment are, of course, unpredictable. Fortunately, Kabeyun has an exceptionally experienced leadership team who will take on expanded responsibilities to ensure our campers have the same wonderful summer experiences as ever. I can assure you that camp is in very good hands.

Together with the Porter Foundation Board of Trustees, we have crafted a plan to maximize consistency for campers, parents, and counselors throughout the summer, no matter my condition. Crucially, this plan will not require a significant change mid-season if I am less able to work than I hope.

Although I will be at camp, Assistant Director Eliot Golding and Associate Director Laura Remington will provide day-to-day leadership and act as the primary decision-makers with on-site support from both me and our Board President, Doug Latham (whose bio you can read on our trustees page). Doug plans to spend 3-5 days per week at camp this summer, providing a consistent, ongoing presence in both everyday camp life and as a ready resource for Eliot and Laura.

We also will benefit greatly from the leadership, expertise, and combined 80 years of Kabeyun experience among our senior staff: Katie and Kevin Wilcox (Health Center), Andrew Zaikis (Facilities), Sam Dyer (Trips), Mark Robbins (Kitchen), Hugo Castellanos (Waterfront), and Jason Knight (Counseling Internship). In addition, 90% of our 2024 cabin and activity counselors are returning staff members or former campers!

With this excellent staff and support plan in place, we will be able to provide the same degree of senior staff oversight as always, and anticipate no disruptions to the campers’ experience. We look forward to creating another summer filled with opportunities for boys to explore, develop new skills, and forge deep friendships. We’ll talk more about this during Zoom meetings with our 2024 camper families and staff members in the next two weeks.

Family Camp and Kabeyun’s capstone centennial celebration also will take place as planned, thanks, in part, to our dedicated centennial volunteer steering committee.

While I expect I’ll share more information about my treatment as it unfolds, I ask for your understanding that my family and I will need some space to protect our privacy and well-being. My anticipated treatment plan includes 5-6 weeks of radiation and oral chemotherapy, followed by 16 weeks of intravenous chemotherapy. After that, my medical team will re-evaluate and determine if surgery is necessary. That decision won’t come until November or December.

Thank you for supporting Roanne, Nora, Quinn, and me in this and so many other ways.

Sincerely,

Ken