Celebrating 2021

Dear Wanakee Friends,

Campfire night sky stars cross circle

Thanks to you and the rest of the Wanakee community, we were able to resume in-person overnight summer camp in 2021. We couldn’t be more grateful.

Our campers needed camp more than ever last summer. As one parent reflected:

“My daughter came back from her week at camp with her “bucket” full, soul grounded, song in her heart, and stories of her adventures. Sometimes I think that her week at Wanakee, especially as she approaches young adulthood, of disconnecting from everything and surrounded in an environment of peace and song and grace, carries her throughout the year. There is really no replacing Wanakee.”

This camper’s experience and thousands just like it are made possible through your support. 

As we turn to 2022 and begin our next 60 years, we continue to walk an unfamiliar road, but with new tools and new knowledge. We have big dreams for the future, but most important is our desire to continue changing the world, one camper at a time. 

You can help. I write today to ask you to support Wanakee’s ministry through an end-of-year gift. In particular, I invite you to learn about the matching incentives available for recurring donors. Every gift, no matter the size, means a great deal to a small organization like this one and the campers we serve.

Thank you for everything you do to sustain our “beautiful spiritual place in the hills,” and I look forward to welcoming you home to Wanakee again soon. 

I wish you peace, health, and hope in this Christmas season.

Grace and Peace,

James B. Tresner, Executive Director

PS - to make your end-of-year donation, visit www.wanakee.org/donate

2021 by the numbers

  • 235: campers who joined us for overnight camp after 2 years away

  • 60: years of operation (hoping to celebrate with you in 2022!)

  • 17: staff employed this summer

  • 24: volunteers who joined us for a day, a week, or more during summer 2021

  • 3,742: volunteer hours given by those 24 individuals

  • 2112: slices of pizza eaten on pizza night

  • 7: sinks/faucets added by volunteers to support good hand hygiene

  • 433: Covid-19 tests administered at camp last summer

  • 0: Covid-19 cases at camp last summer

  • 2: vehicles donated to Wanakee in 2021

  • $27,880: value of camp scholarships distributed

  • 73: volunteers who attended our 4 Work Days

  • 282: unique donors in 2021 (so far!), 9% more than November 2020 and almost triple November 2018

Get Involved

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES: Wanakee depends on our volunteers, and are always looking for help during the summer, school year, and on our Board and Committees. Your time makes a difference at Wanakee! Please contact James or any member of the Board to explore how you can help.

GIVING OPPORTUNITIES: A gift to Wanakee changes lives immediately. It also ensures that future generations will get to experience our “beautiful spiritual place in the hills.” 

  • Annual Fund: Donations to the annual fund provide flexibility for use wherever there is the greatest need.

  • Friends of Wanakee: Gifts to Friends of Wanakee support capital, facility, and programmatic improvements. In 2021, some of the projects that were partially or fully funded by Friends of Wanakee include our new sign, costs related to moving the health office from the Farmhouse to the Rec Hall, and road improvements for safety and ease of access. 

  • Camperships: Donations to the Campership Fund ensure that finances never stop a child from having a camp experience, regardless of family situation. From 2016 to 2019, requests for Camperships almost tripled.

  • Special projects: Would you like to connect with the Executive Director about supporting a capital project, including Wanakee in your estate plan, supporting our endowments, or other giving possibilities? Please reach out to James via james@wanakee.org or 603-279-7950.

We are grateful to the Berg family, who chose Wanakee as the recipient of donations in memory of longtime volunteer Richard Berg. These gifts are a blessing to future generations of Wanakee campers, and it is an honor to be a part of Mr. Berg’s legacy.

Matching for recurring gifts now available through a challenge gift. Thanks to a generous donor, your recurring gift goes 2x (or even 12x) further in 2022. New (or increased) recurring gifts given will be matched dollar for dollar (monthly), with $1,000 available each month of 2022.

In addition, if Wanakee reaches 15 recurring donors, we’ll unlock a $1,000 prize. At 25 donors, Wanakee receives $2,000, and if we reach 50 donors by the end of 2022, we’ll receive $5,000. All together, your recurring gift helps us unlock $20,000 of incentives. Visit wanakee.org/give for more information.

2022 Events

  • Work Days: May 7, June 4, and Fall 2022

  • First Day of Camp: July 3, 2022

  • End of Summer Event (tentative): August 20, 2022


Leadership

Board of Directors: Kevin Drew [Chair], Matt Mansur [Vice Chair], Mara Bovee [Secretary], Dan Attorri, Courtney Choate, Debbie Choate, Jessica Greenlow, Rev. John Whitley

Communications: Katelyn Goodington, Jessica Greenlow, Abby Lavoie, Amelia Luke, Olivia Murphy

Finance: Taylor Goodington [Chair], Holly Darby, Terry Large, David Richards, Laura Towne, Rev. John Whitley

Program: Abby Lavoie [Chair], Meg Battersby, Mara Bovee, Courtney Choate, Hannah Cote, Leslie Drew, Kris Ellspermann, Jen Savoy

Wanakee Wilderness 5K Coordinators: Mike Polhemus, Rev. Phil Polhemus, Mara Bovee

Big Red Farmhouse Producers: Shannon Drew, Amelia Luke, Nicole Richards

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