General Archives - Page 3 of 10 - Friends of Berkeley Tuolumne Camp

Virtual Groundbreaking Marks a Huge Milestone

May 14, 2020/0 Comments/in General /by Kara Perez

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!

Welcome Serena Fox – our new Development and Communications Director

March 5, 2020/1 Comment/in General /by Scott Gelfand

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!

Thank you, Marcie Holmes!

February 6, 2020/0 Comments/in General /by Scott Gelfand

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.

2019 Survey: We want to hear from you!

December 14, 2019/0 Comments/in General /by Kara Perez

We want to hear from you!

To help us better serve you and the Camp Tuolumne community, we want to hear from you! We launched a 2019 survey to capture your preferences, learn more about you and give you a chance to provide us with feedback.

Please take a moment to fill it out our survey. It will only take a couple of minutes but will provide us with tremendous insight. The FOBTC staff and board will use this information to plan programs for 2020 and when Camp reopens!

Your opinion means so much to us. Please let us know what’s on your mind!

Click here to take the survey online!

Rebuilding CAMPaign Deadline Extended!

November 7, 2019/0 Comments/in General /by Kara Perez

We just met with the City of Berkeley and learned that we can continue fundraising!

We have more time to raise the critical funding needed to rebuild and restore Camp Tuolumne! So, let’s not only reach that $1 million goal, let’s FLY past it!

Because we are committed to revitalizing Camp’s natural surroundings. It will take years of hard work, dedication, and support to bring back the forest that we miss so much. The more we raise in this CAMPaign, the more mature trees and vegetation we can plant now, in 2022 and beyond.

Join us campers and staff! This is the moment to help Camp rise from the ashes and be a place to make cherished memories once again. Join us by donating, pledging a gift, sharing the news or talking to your friends and family. We need you!

Oct 2019: Camp Update | Campaign reaches $850,000

October 11, 2019/0 Comments/in General /by Kara Perez

Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of campers, we are now at $850,000! Not only are we steps closer to the rebuilding of Camp Tuolumne, but we are closer to our $1 million goal to fund mature trees, shade and restore trails.

This is an incredible time for Camp Tuolumne. Together, we are rebuilding a camp that’s been cherished since the 1920’s so it can be enjoyed for generations to come. Our families will vacation here once again and we will watch our children or grandchildren grow up at Tuolumne.

So for us, the Rebuilding CAMPaign is more than fundraising. It’s about uniting the Tuolumne community. Our goal is to have every camper and former staff member participate in this movement. Whether that’s by making a gift, sharing this story or volunteering with us – we want everyone to be a part of this important moment.

To make a gift, click here.

Latest Update on Camp Tuolumne

We talked with the City of Berkeley’s Capital Improvement Program Manager, Liza McNulty, about the progress that’s been made this summer with the reconstruction of Camp Tuolumne. Here are the latest updates:

The design phase is 90% complete
The City remains on track to advertise for construction bids this winter and begin construction in spring 2020
The City has submitted permit applications to State, Local and Federal agencies
Repairs on the 16 remaining tent cabins will begin this month, including replacement of fire-damaged elements, flood strengthening foundation retrofits, repairs and painting
Tree removal work is complete in Sun City and is in progress for areas of Main Camp

In order to make Camp safe for reconstruction and Campers, over 1,900 trees that are dead, burned or hazardous must be removed. The City conducted multiple tree risk assessments over the past 6 years to determine the extent of tree removals required. This work is a necessary first step to the re-birth of Camp. The good news is that as the dead trees are removed we begin to see glimpses of what is to come – native manzanita, oak and pine trees that have sprouted after the fire, all now uncovered, healthy and growing.

The Sun City tree removals and demolition of remnant structures are complete but it required a highly technical and specialized approach to avoid environmental and cultural impacts. The City staff coordinated with USFS and Tribal representatives to ensure this work was carried out with no impacts.

Please note that this is NOT a good time to visit Camp. The road is intermittently closed, and the public is not allowed in the Camp area while trees are being pruned/removed due to safety.

Looking ahead: The City is anticipating a groundbreaking celebration for the Reconstruction Project in Spring 2020 and they hope to include a volunteer tree planting in areas that will not be impacted by construction. Stay tuned for details!

For more rebuilding updates from the City of Berkeley, visit their website.

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Want to learn more? Have questions for us?

Let’s talk or grab coffee sometime… Contact Marcie or Scott today!

Sept 2019: Together, WE are making history

September 17, 2019/0 Comments/in General /by Kara Perez

A special note from the Executive Director, Scott Gelfand

In the 34 years that I’ve been involved with Camp Tuolumne, this summer stands out as a special and historical moment in time.

Over the last few months, Marcie and I had the privilege and pleasure of meeting hundreds of Tuolumne campers, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, from San Diego to Portland. We have had coffees and dinner parties almost every week and weekend from June through August. It’s been a true honor to do this work and I’ve learned so much.

I’ve learned every camper has an amazing family story to share. From their own unique family traditions to miraculous summer experiences, Camp is THEIR home. It’s their sacred spot every summer to soak in the best of themselves and their loved ones. As we shared the reconstruction updates and talked about Camp, the sadness of their loss would come flowing back. In the same breath sometimes, campers would both rejoice and also cry. “It’s real – Camp is really coming back!” we’d hear, and for maybe the first time, that reality would truly sink in.

Yes, Camp is coming back! And this summer will go down in history as the summer that WE, a community of campers, committed to help bring it back to life.

In 3 years, when we are sitting at the green chair circle, reading our books and chatting with friends under some lovely shade and looking out at campers playing, we will talk about the summer of 2019. We will see the names of families whose leadership brought shade to Camp and helped to restore the forest.

In 20 years, when our kids have been on staff, and maybe our grandkids are jumping off of Beaverhead Rock, we will remember the people who worked together to ensure that Camp continued to bring joy to future generations. That is ALL OF US. We all can feel that gratitude for being a part of this moment, of making a difference and helping to create that future.

This is truly our moment in Camp’s history to restore our sacred place. Please join this incredible, once in a lifetime opportunity to help rebuild Camp Tuolumne. I ask you to keep participating in the Rebuilding Campaign before our deadline of October 31. Attend our events, give generously and ask others to join you!

Together, we are the Tuolumne Spirit. Together, we are making history.

May 2019: The Future of Camp Tuolumne

May 22, 2019/0 Comments/in General /by Scott Gelfand

The Future of Camp Tuolumne

A historic evening to celebrate the rebirth of Camp Tuolumne was held at The Berkeley Repertory Theater on May 13th, as the Friends hosted “The Future of Camp Tuolumne!”

Mayor Jesse Arreguin, the City Council, City Staff, Capital Improvement Program Manager Liza McNulty, and the design team of Siegel and Strain were there to support the rebuilding of Camp Tuolumne and show campers the new design of Camp. For the first time, we saw what we’ll be returning to in the summer of 2022… it was magnificent!

Their words of support and the design of Camp were greeted with enthusiastic applause, and oohs and ahhs from the camper audience! The “Tuolumne Spirit” was as strong as ever, with a full house of campers all committing to help rebuild camp with whatever is needed to get Camp back the way we want it. The City showed what insurance and FEMA will pay for and what they will not cover. Their presentation can be found here.

The FOBTC Board showed the gap that will be missing once Camp returns – the loss of almost 6,000 trees! The biggest difference will be in main camp, and will make that area very exposed to the sun to be in. Insurance and FEMA will help re-seed the area, but we’ll need taller, more mature trees, and engineered shade structures to bring back a comfortable shaded main camp, and the green of the forest!

This is where the Friends believe we can make the biggest difference – and how we can help the future of Camp to be successful. We want to return to a forest and to a comfortable Camp. We are raising funds to help this piece that will not be funded by insurance.

Our Rebuilding CAMPaign goal is to raise $1 million dollars by October 31, 2019. As of today, we have raised $449,000! So, we’re off to a great start!

Updates in Other Cities

On Saturday, May 18^th, we took the show on the road to our Southern California campers in Los Angeles. Longtime campers Glenn Berkovitz and Jane Paul hosted a fabulous house party and over 30 campers showed that the love for Camp stretches way beyond the Bay Area!

In July, we’re hoping to go to San Diego and Portland! Please let us know if you live in those areas and could come to a local update!

Help Rebuild Camp Tuolumne!

What YOU can do to help:

*Discuss a contribution to the Rebuilding CAMPaign with Scott or Marcie

*Meet us for tea/coffee/beer to stay engaged and updated

*Host a gathering with your camper family and friends

*Volunteer with FOBTC

*Attend events this summer: Annual Campfire (Aug 25^th), Friends Weekend (Aug 30^th), Fall Gala (Sept 19^th)

Please contact us with questions or for more information about the rebuilding of Camp Tuolumne. Together, we can rebuild the Camp we love.

There’s no place…