There have been a lot of challenges in the last year and a half, but the board members and staff of Camp Aldersgate are making the best of a time that has been less than perfect. They've even decided to work that theme into their annual fall fundraiser calling it Wabi Sabi After Dark.
Wabi Sabi is a Japanese philosophy. According to the book, "Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets and Philosophers" -- "Wabi Sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete."
Information sent out by Camp Aldersgate about the Oct. 1 fundraiser explains it this way, "Wabi Sabi encourages us to focus on the blessings hiding in our daily lives and celebrate the way things are, rather than how they should be. Put simply, Wabi Sabi gives you permission to be yourself."
"It's just the epitome of where we are," says Kerri Daniels, the camp's director of development. "In 2020 and so far in 2021, we are just making the best of it."
Camp Aldersgate hosts children with special needs and medical conditions in a camp environment. While at the camp, kids can ride in canoes around the lake, swim, fish, shoot a bow and arrow as well as other traditional camp activities. However, over the last two camping seasons, changes had to be made to camp due to covid-19.
John Mark Goings, president of the camp's board, explains for most of the kids, camp is the only time away from their parents or caretakers, or it's their first time away. "They look forward to it," he says.
Last summer the camp was virtual. "They sent boxes to kids that had activities they could do, whether it was buildings things, artistic things and other things that they could normally do here, but they could do it all virtually," Goings says.
He says it was a way to still give kids a little bit of a camp experience without putting them in danger of getting sick.
This summer, the camp offered virtual and a modified in-person camp. The campers were vetted to make sure they weren't too medically fragile to attend camp in the age of covid. All staff were vaccinated against covid. Campers were also kept in pods -- each cabin four to eight kids made a pod -- instead of mixing with all the other campers. They were able to do all the camp activities, just in smaller groups.
When the kids come to camp, they just get to be themselves, Goings says. They're not an asthmatic patient or a kid with Muscular Dystrophy. "And that's what we strive for is to let everybody go there and just be themselves."
Goings is not only on the board, but is also a former camper who attended asthma camp when he was about 10. "I have always been around the camp and knew how special the camp was."
In addition to having been a camper, he says he grew up in the United Methodist Church which would have a yearly Camp Aldersgate Day and his grandpa was also a volunteer.
Goings has been on the camp's board about nine years and says he has loved every minute of it.
"It took me about a year to kind of get my feet underneath me and then I got on the finance committee, got on programs, buildings and grounds, I've done just about everything," he says about the board's committees. "And finally, I guess I was here long enough they had to make me president. It's just a special place."
Goings not only sings the praises of the camp, but of the staff.
"When it comes to staffing, you hire people that are happy to be here. We don't have the funds of a normal camp -- we do very well and and we're not hurting -- but we don't get the revenue from having hundreds and hundreds of kids that come through because we have smaller numbers because of medical needs. The people that are here could be at different camps making more money. But they are here because they love it and that's the reason they do a great job. We're lucky to have everybody here."
Money raised will go toward the camp's general funds. Attendees at Wabi Sabi will be able to enjoy Asian-theme food and entertainment throughout the camp.
Safety guidelines for the fundraiser will be dependent on the current CDC guidelines, Goings says.
"That's kind of the way we've had to do things. Things change, we have to adapt. And we're going to do whatever is the safest thing to have people here. It will be very safe. And it will be a lot of fun."
The fundraiser will be mostly outside, says Goings, explaining that when they first came up with the idea for Aldersgate After Dark a few years ago, the thinking was anybody could have a gala and put on a coat and tie.
"But that's not what we are here as a camp. We're laid back, relaxed and let people enjoy their time."
Wabi Sabi After Dark is 7-11 p.m. Oct. 1. Tickets are $100. For more information or to buy tickets, visit campaldersgate.net.
