The View From the Office Porch – Finding our way this spring

Greetings from camp. As I write this in early April, I am acutely aware that there is no knowing what anxieties and losses your family – and the entire Kabeyun community – may experience due to COVID-19 by the time you read this. I sincerely hope you and your loved ones are healthy and safe and remain so.

I am certain the values we foster at Kabeyun are the ones we now need more than ever: resilience, responsibility, compassion, adaptability, and calm in the face of adversity. As we all endeavor to find our way, Kabeyun can be a beacon, a light in dark times. Be it the warm glow of old memories or the spark of anticipation for future adventures, it is essential that we tend our fire in whatever way that we can.

Just as this global pandemic is testing each of us, it will test camp. The Porter Foundation’s dedicated board of trustees and I are working through new and uniquely challenging issues. Thanks to our devoted community, we believe Kabeyun can weather this storm. Camp remains financially stable by virtue of your loyal support – a robust Annual Fund, consistently strong enrollment, campers and counselors who return year after year and recommend camp to friends. We trust your continued support in 2020 and beyond will keep Kabeyun thriving for another century.

For now, we continue to work toward summer. If there is a path that leads to camp in the midst of so much uncertainty, we will find it. The trustees and I are closely monitoring COVID-19, constantly evaluating options and discussing possible protocols. All of this with the firm understanding that our community members’ safety and well-being are always our top priority.

In moments of reflection, I am so grateful to be a part of the Kabeyun community. This period is a test of our collective compassion and resilience. It presents a powerful opportunity to keep putting camp’s values into practice.

I wish you good health and peace in these trying times and hope we all will continue meeting adversity with kindness and fortitude.

With love,

Ken

A little over a week ago, I recorded this message from camp. Since then, the ice has officially been declared "out" on the lake – a surer sign that spring has arrived than any calendar can tell us!