2019 Capital CAMPaign Annual Report
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Hi friends… we hope this finds you safe and healthy in this pandemic,
and at the start of this new year!
We have high hopes for the year ahead.. and here at FOBTC, it is really the next 18 months we’re focused on.
With Camp still on schedule to open June 2022, there is an immense amount of work to be done
over the next year and a half!
We have committees doing detailed work on Nature Restoration and Stewardship, Trail Rebuilding, Camp Traditions and Spirit, Rebuilding projects like shade structures, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
All these projects are being led with the goal of having Camp feel like the Camp we left 8 years ago; bringing back the forest environment with tall trees, planting thousands of 1 ft. pluggers, 2nd story plants like dogwoods, ground cover, etc; providing comfortable sitting and playing areas with shade structures; seeing the art and decor that was at camp, having staff mentored with traditions and activities, and supported so that that first summer is not so overwhelming for new staff; and doing outreach to introduce camp to new staff and campers, from various neighborhoods of Berkeley, and welcoming them with an inclusive environment..
We thought we’d show off recent photos taken on the progress of the rebuilding of camp! It is going really well. We can see Camp sprouting up from the ground and being reborn in front of our very eyes..
The new Staff Cabins across the road:
The new Recreation Hall down by the river:
There is a lot of work to get done before June 2022, but we couldn’t be any more excited to be doing it!
Scott Gelfand
Executive Director
Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp
Announcements… what a crazy summer 2020 is for the planet, and we’re all missing CAMP! So we thought to bring you some camp spirit directly to your home – please JOIN us and we’ll all get through this summer together!
Fri August 14th 7pm – 8pm Table Night! We are still looking to sign up more family songs, skits, magic tricks, and parody’s, so email scott@fobtc.com right away to get on the list! We’ll email the zoom room details to everyone if this night is a go!
Sat Aug 22nd 10am – 11am Office Hours in the Green Chairs Circle! This week features our Traditions, Art, Activities, and Staff Mentoring Committee with Marcie Holmes, discussing plans to make sure Camp feels and sounds and has the same Tuolumne Spirit when we return after almost a decade away!
Sun Aug 23rd 6:30pm – 7:30pm CAMPfire! Join former staff members and bring your own smores as we sing the classics!
We want to hear your thoughts about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Camp!
Bring your coffee and join Meka Tull, Rachel Amare, and Phil Coffin at the green chairs on Saturday, July 25th, 10am-11am to chat about how we can support a diverse, equitable, and inclusive staff and camper community, where everyone feels safe and welcome. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
To join the Zoom meeting, please click here
To join by Telephone, dial 669-900-9128. Enter Meeting ID: 960 5868 5548
Hi campers and staff!!! In this summer of Covid 19, we pray your families and loved ones are safe and healthy. We are ALL missing our usual lives, and especially our glorious summers at Camp!
But we do have some good news to share – we can almost hear the Third Bell! The rebuilding of our beloved Berkeley Tuolumne Family Camp broke ground on May 26, 2020! Click here to view the drawings of new Camp Tuolumne. Read about the latest from the City of Berkeley here. In the seven years since the fire, campers and FOBTC tirelessly advocated and organized to bring Camp back, and now it’s happening!
The buildings and utilities will begin construction this summer. We’re hoping for a next tree planting weekend with the USFS in mid-December (weather permitting). We’re buying trees and growing them already and hosting them at Mountain Sage Nursery in Groveland. We’re working with Camp architects Siegel and Strain on a new shade structure over the playground, and over the green circle of chairs. We’ve polled campers and staff as to what is important to them when we return to camp.
We’re hosting virtual Office Hours once a month in the Green Circle of Chairs (Zoom).. we’re organizing virtual Camp Spirit activities to bring Camp to your home this summer.. BINGO, Campfire, and Table Night.
But we know our work isn’t done unless Camp also feels like Camp again when it opens. We need to make sure the physical space comes alive with the traditions, spirit, and joy that is Camp Tuolumne.
So we’ve begun a new CAMPaign – The Third Bell CAMPaign – to raise support to make your vision for Camp a reality. The Friends have mapped out a 3-year strategic plan that will:
Please check out our Third Bell CAMPaign page, and let us know how you may like to be involved. You can volunteer for our events, support with a contribution, attend our events and let us know your thoughts, and just cheer us on from the sidelines.. whatever works for you.
We look forward to hearing how we can support your love for camp!
Scotty
Executive Director
Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp
Friday, June 26th 7pm-8pm
It’s fun, it’s free, it’s Camp!
To kick off the start of summer, FOBTC is bringing Camp to you. We’re hosting a virtual Bingo Night this Friday! Games will be led by campers and staff, Boardmember Queen-Janine will be rolling the numbers, and winners will receive an FOBTC mystery gift bag of goodies in the mail. Tie-dye garb encouraged. Tune in with the whole family and join the fun! The first 100 campers to sign up get to play.
Here’s how it works:
To register & download your personal your personal Bingo card now, CLICK HERE
(One card per email/player, first come, first serve. Reserve soon!)
To join the virtual game on Friday, CLICK HERE
See you in the Dining Hall, 7pm on Friday!
Thank you to everyone who tuned in to the Virtual Happy Hour on May 21 to hear all the construction details from Liza McNulty, the City’s manager for the Camp rebuild project.
A big shout-out for the Chat pod! The enthusiasm and questions flooded in from about a hundred campers and staff. Liza, Steve, and Scott shared detailed design plans and fielded questions between sips of their favorite beverages.
Volleyball? Dinner Bell? Where will Arts & Crafts be? Will the Dining Hall overlook the river? What’s the plan for restoring vegetation? How long will the rebuild take? Stone showers? Accessibility? Parking? Where will staff housing be? Will the beaches be restored? They answered them all, and dozens more.
If you missed it, CLICK HERE FOR THE RECORDING. It’s worth the watch—it’s informative, it’s fun, it’s Camp!
The rebuilding of Camp begins! We’ve waited so long for this day…
Over 200 campers tuned in on May 15, 2020 to celebrate a historic milestone – the City of Berkeley is set to break ground on the reconstruction of Camp on Tuesday, May 26!
To mark the occasion, the City hosted a ceremonial virtual groundbreaking on Zoom, complete with hardhats and a backdrop of Camp. Mayor of Berkeley Jesse Arreguin and staff from the City and US Forest Service acknowledged the seven years of hard work that has brought us to this moment, and thanked the community for their commitment to rebuilding and reopening Camp Tuolumne. It begins!
We have great news to share! We are very excited to welcome the newest addition to the FOBTC team, Serena Fox!
Serena is on board to help guide the development and fundraising efforts to rebuild and reopen Camp Tuolumne as we move into the next stage of this journey to get back to the river together. Serena and her family are 20-year campers, and she is passionate about camp culture and the special role it played in her kids’ lives growing up. She has worked as a federal lobbyist and grant-writer for environmental organizations, and served two years as Associate Development Director for the Trust for Public Land, where she managed donor cultivation and capital campaigns. As a former content strategist and editorial director for Adobe and Pearson Education, Serena brings an expertise in social media and communications. We are thrilled to have her join our fundraising team!
Feel free to email her at serena@fobtc.com and welcome her to The Friends!
A Fond Farewell!
It is with mixed emotions (very happy for her, very sad for us!) that we announce that our remarkable Development Director, Marcie Holmes, has accepted a tremendous new job at UC Berkeley! We knew this day would come, as she is extremely talented. She’ll be joining the Student Experience and Diversity Scholarship Team in the central development office. It’s a terrific opportunity and one we support 1000%!
We were VERY lucky to have her for almost one year, and we are forever grateful to her. Her leadership, vision and love for Camp helped us raise the tremendous amount of funds in the Rebuilding CAMPaign. The good news is Marcie is staying close and will continue to help the Board and the Friends as a new volunteer!
So that means.. we are hiring!
We are now looking for a new staff person to help us as we move forward with the work of getting Camp rebuilt over the next few years. We are seeking to hire an Operations and Communications Manager. If you have some interest in supporting Camp and working with us, or know a good candidate, please email scott@fobtc.com for a job description.
Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp (FOBTC) is dedicated to preserving and enhancing the Camp experience for present and future generations through education, volunteer efforts, and financial support.
Tax ID# 94-2976224
PO Box 7931 Berkeley, CA 94707