Holiday 2018

IN THIS ISSUE...

Message from Chris Overtree . p.2

HOLIDAY 2018

Horizons: A Fitting Name for Who We Are . p.6

Inspired Giving; Seashols Starks . p.8

2018 Parent Survey . p.12-13

A CLOSER LOOK AT HORIZONS DAY CAMP

Mentoring Young Leaders Horizons Apprentice Program

In each of our programs—Aloha, Hive, Lanakila, Hulbert, Horizons, and Ohana—the Aloha Foundation provides opportunities for young men and women to develop their leadership skills. These occur both informally as part of the daily program, as well as in more structured settings like the Apprentice program at Horizons.

Daniel Jaccaci, a 9th grader at Hanover High School, was a Horizons

camper from 2011-2013 and returned as an apprentice in 2018. “This past summer, I had the opportunity to be a Horizons apprentice. I was excited to be able to help other kids have as much fun as I had as a camper,” Daniel explained.

“On the very first day during cabin time, I noticed one of my campers was sitting alone in a corner of the cabin. I sat next to him and asked him if he would help me build a Lego car.

He instantly lit up and showed me how to build one. From that point on,

he wasn't shy and was having fun with his cabinmates. I felt exactly the same way on my very first day as a camper, and it was my wonderful counselors who helped me feel included. I wanted to follow that example and make sure my campers felt welcomed and at home at Horizons.”

The two-week Apprentice program is open to former Horizons campers who are 8th grade graduates.

Apprentices participate in all the fun of Horizons while also receiving training in leadership skills.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

A group of Horizons campers and counselor Nate Dimick look forward to one of the best parts of the day: swimming in Lake Fairlee. Nate, a former camper, just finished his 14th summer at Horizons.

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 . alohafoundation.org

A Letter from the Executive Director Dear Friends, My two older sons dipped their toes in their first summer camp experience at Horizons, our fabulous day camp that is in its third decade of successful operations. On their first day, I waited nervously with other parents for what came next. Did I remember to pack sunscreen? Will they fit in with the other kids? Maybe my boys were thinking the same things—or perhaps they were imagining how much fun they were going to have after I left.

Questions like these are familiar to parents and to anyone who caretakes for others. Generally, these appear as isolated, practical concerns—those we (perhaps humorously) believe can be addressed through worry.

But these practical concerns often mask the deeper, almost metaphysical struggles that caretaking provokes in all of us. When you move past considering the practical—sunscreen, food, friends—what is left are profound questions. How will they make it through the world when I am not there? Will others step forward to help when they are in need?

Horizons created room for growth for my boys—and by extension for me—by offering to them the opportunity to choose to take more responsibility for themselves than I am used to giving. And in doing so, they experienced the pride that comes with greater independence and achievement.

I have always marveled at the remarkable ability of the Aloha spirit to shift into so many new and different experiences and programmatic models. Gone is the seeming dependence on the full-summer experience for transformational change. Each summer, five sessions of Horizons campers get to feel what it is like to grow and stretch. They do this—quite naturally—by taking advantage of the opportunity to grow into their big-kid selves with the confidence and skill that will stoke their courage as adults.

We are so grateful to have Horizons fulfill the Aloha mission in just the right shape and size for the members of our local community—and for those lucky alumni who find a way to be “local” once again!

Aloha and Skol,

CHRIS OVERTREE L87-88,*89-05,DP16-18,F*15-PRESENT

Aloha Foundation Program Leaders Chris Overtree Executive Director | Sarah Gordon Littlefield Aloha Director | Kathy Plunkett Hive Director | Bryan Partridge Lanakila Director Jason Knowles Hulbert Outdoor Center Director | Stuart Fairbairn Horizons Day Camp Director | Vanessa Riegler Ohana Family Camp Director

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Mentoring Young Leaders...

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

In addition to daily training sessions, apprentices focus on developing their teaching skills during the first week.

The following week, they work alongside counselors in supporting camper groups. Training includes ways to nurture group interactions, facilitate small group activities, build strong positive relationships, and recognize the developmental needs of different age groups.

Mary Sithavady was also a 2018 apprentice. “I learned about leadership, problem solving, and how to handle challenging situations,” she said. “It was a great learning experience and a lot of fun at the same time!”

With 11 activity departments, a team of energetic and supportive counselors, and enthusiastic campers ranging in age and interests, there's always adventure and fun happening at Horizons!

70 number of counselors

In 2018, 15 apprentices completed the program. The small, intentional number of participants allows the counselors who are mentors to provide individualized feedback and offer one-on-one guidance.

The Apprentice program nurtures future leaders and supports the transition from camper to counselor. A highly valued part of the community, apprentices are integral in day-to-day camp life. Horizons is committed to this work and in continuing to build and strengthen the Apprentice program—we are excited for the summers to come!

2018 Horizons Counselors...

by the numbers

62

percent of returning counselors

17

percent of counselors who were campers at Aloha, Hive, or Lanakila

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 . alohafoundation.org

A Day Camp Unique in the Upper Valley... and so much more!

Horizons has it all—a shared commitment to the mission and philosophy of The Aloha Foundation, a wide selection of activities, a beautiful lakeside campus, and a dedicated team of highly qualified counselors from diverse backgrounds. It offers the same first-in-class day camp experience to all campers, counselors, and families, yet what each person values most about their time at Horizons varies. Here, some camp community members describe the impact Horizons has had on them.

Delivering an International Experience AMY CURRAN, HORIZONS HEAD OF DRAMA

Amy, from Edinburgh, Scotland, came to Horizons for the first time this past summer and felt like the community was “one big family.” She reports now that she is “home sick” for camp. We know the feeling, Amy!

It was a true privilege to teach the campers at Horizons and learn from them this summer. I was struck by the growth I saw in them - their increased confidence, the limitless creativity they brought to our drama activities, and the breaking down of barriers to their imaginations.

Helping them bring their thoughts and stories to the stage was rewarding for me as a teacher, and the training and skills I learned at Horizons have been applicable in my life at home, both at university and at work. Most of all, what I hope I always keep with me is the positive and supportive attitude we cultivate at camp.

Providing an Opportunity for Growth MAC BRADFORD, HORIZONS COUNSELOR

Mac, a first-year counselor at Horizons this summer, is a senior engineering major at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Mac’s cousin is Nancy Pennell, former director of Aloha Camp from 1983-2007. Photo (left to right): Mac with fellow Horizons counselors Parker Smith from Claremont, NH and Paschal O'Connor from Dublin, Ireland

When I arrived at Horizons, it was somewhat intimidating to find my place since most of the other counselors had known each other for many years. It turned out that camp people aren't like city people in the slightest. Every single person I met and talked to at Horizons immediately made me feel like part of their family. The best part of my experience at Horizons was playing with kids all summer and being in their joyful worry-free world!

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ARCHERY . ARTS & CRAFTS . BOATING . COURT SPORTS . DRAMA

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Serving as a Home Away from Home DUNCAN GREEN, HORIZONS CAMPER

Duncan is an 8th grader who lives in Plainfield, New Hampshire. He first came to Horizons as a six-year-old in 2011. His younger brothers, Reeve and Tucker, are also current Horizons campers.

Since my first summer at Horizons eight years ago, I’d hear the final school bell of the year and think how happy I’d be to go back to Horizons. I moved once during that time period and changed schools twice, but I could look forward to coming back to a place I could always call “home.”

Camp has been one of the most important things to me in my childhood and I hope children from all over can come and enjoy the amazing little world on the edge of Lake Fairlee. Some of my best friends in the world have come from camp, and many of my role models were developed as a young camper.

As I said goodbye to my summer family each August, I realized that every child should be able to leave their normal routines—social media, school, sports, and all the other little things in our lives—and come to the peace and beauty of the lake. I hope to return as an apprentice or counselor.

Connecting Grandparents and Grandchildren LOU GUILL, HORIZONS GRANDPARENT

Margaret “Lou” Guill is a Professor of Pediatrics at Geisel School of Medicine and a pediatric pulmonologist at DartmouthHitchcock in Lebanon, New Hampshire. Photo (left to right): Aven, Madison, future camper Emerson, and Brayden.

When looking for opportunities for our grandchildren who visit New Hampshire in the summer from their home in North Carolina, we found Horizons through recommendations from several friends.

For us, it is an opportunity for them to have a fun and stimulating daytime activity, but be home with us at night. For them, the best part of camp is making new friends and looking forward to seeing them each summer. They love the variety of water sports and activities that they would not otherwise get—like archery and Quidditch.

Two of our grandchildren have been to Horizons for three years (Aven, now 11, Brayden, 9) and the third followed in their steps for the last two years (Madison, 7).

Each spring, when asked what they want to do during the summer, the first answer is Horizons!

FIELD GAMES . GYMNASTICS . NATURE . SAILING . SWIMMING . TRIPPING Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 . alohafoundation.org

Horizons... a fitting name for who we are!

STUART FAIRBAIRN, HORIZONS DIRECTOR

Unique in The Aloha Foundation our mission remains the same. We strive to provide the Aloha experience for our local community—although as you will discover our catchment extends far beyond the Upper Valley.

We are also special in the day camp world. We naturally create an immersive experience and participants get to see their families each night!

With staff from the States and overseas, we bring skills and experience that would overload Mary Poppins’ magical bag. Campers can attend for one week or the full eight-week season, knowing they will immediately be welcomed. They choose activities from our 11 departments—all while a caring staff encourages them, and in quiet, intentional ways, supports their developmental needs.

We are a joyous mixing pot of ages and personalities.

While surrounded by fun and love, we learn to interact with individuals that we may not come across in our day-to-day lives.

And like our sibling Aloha Foundation programs, we focus on helping each of us become our “best selves,” whether that’s through the medium of Gallic football, building magical gnome homes in the forest, or summiting a mountain. All this in the wonderful 600 acres of our campus on Lake Fairlee in Vermont. I am proud of the experience that our community creates and enjoys.

Please know you are always welcome.

2018 was STUART FAIRBAIRN’S first summer as Horizons Director. A longtime outdoor educator and former geography teacher, Stuart brings a depth of experience to the role, strengthened further by his ten summers at Lanakila and six seasons at the Hulbert Outdoor Center. Stuart nurtured a love for nature and travel growing up in the UK.

2018 Horizons Campers

...by the numbers

470 number of campers (pre-K-7th grade)

37 percentage of new campers

63

percentage of returning campers

20

number of states campers came from in the U.S.

2018 HORIZONS CAMPERS HAILED FROM... AK . CA . CO . CT . GA . IA . MA . NC Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 .

alohafoundation.org

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A Day Camp Unique in the Upper Valley continued...

Supporting the Growth and Development of Children CAROLINE CHRISTIE, HORIZONS ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Caroline Christie first came to the Alohas as a Hive counselor in 1994. After nine years at Hive, Caroline joined the staff team at Horizons in 2013. Caroline’s son Calvin (6) is a Horizons camper and daughter Eliza (3) is a future camper.

It’s just better at camp, and I’ve been wracking my brain to figure out the recipe for that “greatness.”

Could it be the counselors? Where else do boys and girls get a chance to form healthy attachments with high school and college-age men and women who train and prepare just for them? Counselors who model trust, kindness, fun, responsibility, and confidence. Where else can a seven-year-old make daily choices about going to sailing or archery? Fire building or canoeing? Where else are children encouraged to take risks in a safe place within a culture of kindness? Is it the break from technology perhaps? The immersion into a beautiful campus? It’s hard to say, but I’m confident each summer brings more “bests,” and I can’t wait.

Teaching Important Life Skills JACK KANE, HORIZONS COUNSELOR

Jack, a 2018 graduate of Brown University, is from Ocean View, New Jersey.

Horizons afforded me the experience of a lifetime—in summer camp counseling and living.

Besides the location, sunshine, and beautiful people, I would recommend Horizons because it helped me grow in my interpersonal relationships and develop my people skills.

The main source of joy was pushing myself toward being a better listener to help a child accomplish a task and being a better facilitator to help others learn new skills, and just generally being able to make the people around me smile! The fact that there is constant opportunity to do these things at Horizons is tantamount to a very special environment.

NH . NJ . NV . NY . OH . PA . RI . UT . VA . VT . DC . WI & ABROAD!

Page 7

Inspired Giving: Seashols Starks SEASHOLS STARKS, ALOHA AND HIVE ALUMNA

“1966 was my wonderful first year at Big Camp,” Seashols said recalling Aloha Camp.

“Thankfully I got my parents in Louisville to send me for two more summers, followed by years as a counselor.”

Camp has stayed with Seashols ever since. In fact, she recalls wise counselors encouraging campers, especially during difficult times, “You take the best of Aloha with you.

Whatever it is, wherever you are, that’s what you do.”

Today, inspired by gratitude, Seashols is giving back to the Alohas as an Annual Fund donor and Gulick Legacy Society member.

She is grateful for what the Camps do for all children who engage in our programs, and is especially grateful for what they’ve done for her. She points to three people at Aloha Camp who encouraged her personal growth and love of nature.

“The first is Julie Duncan because she encouraged my love of art and gave me my first job—as a camp counselor in Arts & Crafts,” she said. “And there is no better first job than that of a camp counselor!”

Fred Downing was another influence on Seashols. “His can-do spirit and perseverance really stuck with me. I loved trips and the strong, confident person I needed to be to complete them. I became determined and worked my way up from the Greens and the Whites to the hard pack trips.”

The third person Seashols warmly recalls is Sydney White. “Syd saw a glimmer of leadership in me and made me a Unit Head, the hardest job of my life. I learned so much, and mostly the hard way. Years later as a sales and marketing professional and community volunteer I applied those lessons—life skills, really.”

“I can’t thank these three people, the Camps, and the Foundation enough,” she said.

When she thinks aloud how she might express that gratitude and help others experience the same things she did, the answer is clear. She discovered it from Camp.

“It starts with being intentional.”

“We can pass along our inspired, intentional giving to others.”

Seashols’s first name came from her grandmother, who was named after a family friend.

Seashols is pictured here on the trail with her dear friend, Eric Jones. Both love to hike in true Aloha style.

Honoring Fifty Years Aloha community members—130 strong—came to the Hulbert Outdoor Center the weekend of November 2-4 to celebrate 50 years of the Aloha Foundation. If you were able to join us in Vermont for the occasion, thank you. If you didn't make it, please know we missed you.

To see some of the people, activities, and moments captured by our photographer, visit our online photo gallery at:

alohafoundation.org/photos password = Aloha50VT

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 .

alohafoundation.org

Thank you for your generosity and your belief in our mission.

Horizons Parents & Grandparents, These Two Are For You! Who gets excited about bus transportation and hot lunches? Parents Do! Since the founding of Horizons in 1997, we have known that having safe, reliable transportation for children to and from camp would be important to busy families considering Horizons. The Horizons campus on Lake Fairlee is about 18 miles from the Hanover/Norwich area—not far, but the time and distance add up if you make two trips each day. Bus transportation is not only a significant time saver, in many cases, it is the determining factor in families being able to incorporate

Horizons into their complex work and family schedules.

Every weekday in the summer, a school bus chaperoned by a Horizons counselor picks up campers in Lebanon, Norwich, Lyme, and Thetford on its way to Horizons. In the afternoon, the bus makes the same stops in reverse order, completing the route by 5:10 pm.

And let’s talk about lunch! Horizons campers have a hot lunch daily, served family style at tables in the Horizons dining hall. Besides satisfying the nutritional needs of active campers, lunch is an opportunity for campers and counselors to get to know each other better, engage in conversation, and build community. It’s delicious and fun, as well as a chance to practice important life skills.

n ctio It

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ALOHA | HIVE | LANAKILA | HULBERT | HORIZONS | OHANA | ALOHA FOUNDATION We now have Instagram and Facebook pages for all of our programs and The Aloha Foundation!

Stay connected to your favorite Aloha people and programs all year long with news, photos, and other camp tidbits.

Like us on Facebook!

Follow us on Instagram!

Page 9

News & Updates

Jenn Wheeler & Bleecker Wheeler

Andrew Kabatznick & Elizabeth Gausden

Weddings

Jenn Grossman L*07-18,F*17 and Bleecker Wheeler L91-

were married at the Hulbert Outdoor Center in Fairlee, Vermont on September 2. Jenn is a Lanakila counselor and our director of photography at The Aloha Foundation—her photos grace the pages of this publication. She and her sister-in-law, graphic designer and teacher Olivia Wheeler H95-00,A01-04,A*05,07,09, are our Reveille dynamic duo!

Andrew Moran Kabatznick L’98-00*02*05 and Dr. Elizabeth Bishop Gausden were married May 19 at Jonathan Edwards Winery in North Stonington, Connecticut.

Eliza Clark H*11-13 and Andrew Heist were married on October 6 on Flat Point Farm in Martha’s Vineyard.

The Aloha Camps were well represented! Pictured (left to right) are Doug Pilcher L87-93,*94-01,*03-17, Zoe Clark H0797,*99,*04-10

11,A12-13, Margaret Pennoyer H98-00,A01-04, H*06-15,17-18, the bride, Leigh Alderson-Smith H68-69,LP01-10,*08,*1214,HP06-10,AP11, Ross Cannon L02-03,*05-18,HOC*14-18, Virginia Oates H01-03,A04-07,H*08-12, Allison Wood H9901,*06-10,13,17,A02-05, and Lucy Pilcher H*06-17!

Eliza Clark & Andrew

Bellamy Pilcher

Births

Future camper James McLaughlin—son of Gretchen Morgan H88-93,A94-97,*98-00,D*01 and Tim McLaughlin—was born on October 11, 2017. Wearing his Aloha Foundation t-shirt and green shorts during Show Weekend at Hive this summer, he posed for this great photo with his sister Alice McLaughlin (age 3, future camper) and cousins Morgan McLaughlin D12-13,H1418,A19 (age 12), Wyatt McLaughlin D11-12,L13-18 (age 15), Carter Doe D19 (age 6), and Nelson Doe (age 3, future camper). Proud parents of the rest of the cute camp clan are Ben and Amy (Morgan) McLaughlin H83-88,*8991,DP11-13,LP13-18,HP14-18 and Aaron and Emily (Morgan) Doe H84-91,*96-98,00-01,A92-95.

Bellamy Sophia Schuyler Pilcher, granddaughter of former Lanakila Director Paul Pilcher L57-59,*6392,LP87-93,*94-01,03-17,HP81-85,87-88,AP87-92,*90,93,9799,05,HGP14-17,DGP12-17, was born on March 16 to Lucy H*06-17 and Doug Pilcher L87-93,*94-01,*03-17. Big brother Milo Pilcher and cousins Will Knowles D12-15,L16-18, Alex Knowles D16-18, and Kaitlyn Warren H14-17,A18 are excited

to tell Bellamy all about camp!

Keep Us in the Know!

Ac

ti o n I

m te

Have a new email address or have you moved? Let us know so we can stay in touch!

Parents, you can help by sharing your children’s contact information as it changes, or by encouraging them to do so. It’s easy to update your email or mailing address, or share alumni news or photos at alohafoundation.org/share. Thank you!

Visit alohafoundation.org/share

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 .

alohafoundation.org

Heist

Morgan/McLaughlin/Doe clan

News

In mid-September, ninety-seven-year-old Eleanor Potter A*42-43,L*43,45-47,50 from Mystic, Connecticut came to Vermont to tour Lanakila and Aloha with her two daughters and granddaughter. Eleanor always remembered fondly her summers as a counselor and secretary to former Lanakila director “Mrs. Carol”.

Among her remarkable Lanakila memories was the summer day in 1945 when a counselor ran through camp shouting, “The war is over! The war is over!” She also remembered wearing a ball gown to attend dances at the Lake Morey Inn. Eleanor showed her wonderful sense of humor when she shared this tidbit: back in the 1940s, at a designated time once a week, all the Lanakila campers had their toenails trimmed—right outside Eleanor’s office in the Lanakila main house. She always wondered why they couldn’t do it SOMEWHERE ELSE! Eleanor celebrated her 98th birthday soon after her trip to Fairlee.

Quite the inspiration!

White Elephant, the debut novel of Julie Langsdorf H7475*82,LP04-09,*11-18,HP06-09,AP10-12, will be published

by HarperCollins Ecco in March 2019. Julie's publisher describes White Elephant as a “hilarious, addictive, and sharply observed” novel about a turf war between neighbors that leads to a small-town crisis. Her website—julielangsdorf. com—is a family affair, with an illustration by her daughter Sylvie Langsdorf-Willoughby H06-09,A10-12 and a photograph by her cousin Robin Langsdorf H71-73,A74-75,*80.

Longtime Aloha Foundation payroll manager, Cindy Howland F*01-present,DGP12-16,HGP17-18,LGP17-18, has her third book out this month entitled To Thee I Sing. A departure from Cindy’s first two books, My Mother Grows Wallflowers and its sequel, Legacy of a Wallflower, To Thee I Sing is a historical novel that follows Pearl Harbor survivor Elizabeth Wellman as she finds security and belonging in an unexpected place—a prisoner of war camp.

Bill Roffey L*79-86 reports that he had another close encounter of the Lanakila kind! While out running recently, he saw Dave Marshall L*85-86, a former campcraft counselor at Lanakila. Bill and Dave now live a couple of miles away from each other in England!

Ball

Eleanor Potter Ball & Family

Bill Roffey & Dave Marshall.

In Memoriam

Catherine "Cappy" Price Bass A38,HP61-66,*68-69,AP6370*71,HGP89-90,AGP92-94,LGP87-91,*92-93 on September 11. The daughter of Barbara Atwood Price A16-17, Cappy saw her own three daughters, Barbara “Bebe” Bass H6162,A63-65,H*68-69, Caroline B. Coleman H61-63,A6467,*71,LP87-91,HP89-90,AP92-94, and Catherine “Kelly” Bass H62-66,A67-70, as well as two grandchildren, Peter B. Coleman L87-91,*92-93 and Emily P. Coleman H8990,A92-94, attend the camps.

Alex Wolf, L10-14 passed away on August 24 at age 18. His

obituary can be found at www.ssofunerals.com and his shield can be found hanging in the Barn. Alex was the son of Drewry LP10-17,HP15-18 and Andrew L77-80,*82-84,LP1017,HP15-18, brother to Spencer L12-17 and Emme H15-18, nephew to Deb Streeter H72-73,75,*80-81,83,HP00-02,0405,*07-12,AP04-09, grandson to Elizabeth “Chippy” Wolf

H43,A45,H*48-53,HP70-75,HP*78-83,LP77-80,HGP00-02,0405,15-18,*07-12,AGP04-09,LGP12-17, and great grandson to Clarissa Buffum Bassett H23-25.

Helen Pierce Swetland H38,40-41,A42-45 on September 19.

Jean Hurd Gordon A48-49 on September 6.

On the Book Shelf:

Julia Langsdorf

Cindy Howland

Page 11

Here’s What Parents Had to Say about Summer 2018: 453 parent surveys were completed in August/September for Aloha, Hive, Lanakila, and Horizons.

We appreciate the positive feedback!

“Horizons helped our child to gain confidence, have new experiences, and make great friends.”

“Camps like Aloha have always been tremendously important to girls, but I deeply believe their value is only increasing. No electronics, time outdoors, deep conversations about self and community— these things are all increasingly rare and precious experiences for adolescents…You are definitely changing lives!”

“My daughter has exhibited more confidence, greater independence, and a larger interest in her responsibilities at home. She is better able to verbalize her feelings and thoughts. I know that it was Hive that helped to reinforce these qualities—and stems from her exposure to positive role models.”

Page 12

“I will never forget seeing my child at the closing assembly. The sheer joy on her face brought me to tears. Thank you for bringing out the absolute best in my daughter and for being such an important part of who she is.

Aloha is one of the best parts of her foundation.”

“Please just keep doing what you are doing. In this age where smart phones, social media, and video games take over the brains of our kids, Lanakila is more important than ever.”

“Visiting weekend is truly one of my favorite moments of every year. A summer’s night, singing on the steps of the barn as the sun is setting, all seems right with the world.

I tell everyone I can that this is a special place every boy should have the privilege to experience.”

“A gem of a place for the Upper Valley! I truly think over the years Horizons will become engrained in my kiddos and make them able to be the best versions of themselves.”

In this 50th year of The Aloha Foundation, we celebrate you!

And we are equally grateful for the suggestions.

“More photos!"

We know how much you love photos and we are always looking for the right balance. Our priority is engaging campers fully in camp life and being fully immersed in the natural world. Just like phones and other technology, photographers and photos can be a distraction and interrupt the intentional environment we are trying to create. Minimal disruptions like these are crucial to your child’s camp experience.

Each week in the summer, we upload about 50 photos from each of the three residential camps and Horizons into our summer online albums (200 total each week) and share photos each weekday during the summer on Facebook and Instagram. We do our best to include as many campers as possible. We include every tent/shack family in our photo books that come out every fall.

“My only other comment would be for the Board to really figure out how to keep tuition under control. The strength of the program helps to justify it, but I know it makes it very hard for so many people.”

We have long been committed to minimal tuition growth, and we are working harder than ever to keep camp accessible. First, we are increasing campership aid by about three times the rate of tuition growth. Second, to finance that increased campership aid, we are striving to attract increased philanthropic support. Donations to the Annual Fund, for example, are on track to be at the $1 million level by 2022, up from $360,000 just a few years ago. Third, we are finding shrewder ways to control expenses while enhancing our programs.

“Another helpful thing to consider: making the schedules at the camps the same for Show Weekend. It was hard to move between Hive and Lanakila with different schedules. But perhaps that’s too disruptive for kids? We made it work, but it was tricky!”

For 2019, we are working on an improved Show Weekend schedule that will allow families with children at more than one camp to plan more easily. We are looking at staggering as many key events as possible.

Juggling schedules over Show Weekend will always be challenging—just like competing schedules can be at home—but there is room for improvement and we are on it!

“The mid-week drop offs and pick-ups are terrible for working parents. It was super important to me to make sure my daughter felt settled, so I've come up each time to drop her off, but it took two days out of my productivity. It would be so much easier if it was over a weekend or at the very least a Monday or a Friday so you could tack it onto a weekend.”

We know this can be tough for families and are looking at this closely. The biggest challenge for us in choosing camp dates is the wide variation in school schedules for our campers and counselors, who come from all different parts of the country and around the world.

Shifting a schedule one or two days in one direction or another can have a bigger impact than you might imagine. We are continuing to explore this issue.

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 . alohafoundation.org

Join Us in the Big Tent !

We kicked off our Big Tent ga therings w ith just over 1 10 Aloha communit y members in Boston on Sunday, October 14 .

This bugle call is for all!

alumni, parents, counselors, and campers Join us for the friendship and fun of a camp reunion in the Big Tent. Plus, hear about our evolving approach to mentoring young leaders from Executive Director Chris Overtree and the camp directors.

Our own counselors look forward to sharing the energy and spirit of the Alohas with your children and campers.

Find details, register, and pay at:

alohafoundation.org/bigtent

WASHINGTON DC

PHILADELPHIA, PA

GREENWICH, CT

NEW YORK CITY

LOS ANGELES

SAN FRANCISCO

December

December

January

February

March

March

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Camp directors will also be visiting over a dozen cities to meet with prospective camp families.

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Sarah Gordon Littlefield, Aloha Director SARAH_LITTLEFIELD@ALOHAFOUNDATION.ORG

Kathy Plunkett, Hive Director KATHY_PLUNKETT@ALOHAFOUNDATION.ORG

Bryan Partridge, Lanakila Director BRYAN_PARTRIDGE@ALOHAFOUNDATION.ORG

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WILL YOU BE A 50 IN THE 50TH?

Join the Gulick Legacy Society!

We kicked off this 50th anniversary year of The Aloha Foundation with an ambitious goal of increasing the Gulick Legacy Society by at least 50—one person for each year we’ve dedicated to fulfilling our mission.

To join, simply include Aloha in your will or estate plans. Or add Aloha as a beneficiary of your IRA, employer retirement plan, life insurance plan, or investment account.

To learn more, please visit ALOHAFOUNDATION.ORG/LEGACY or give us a call.

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If you know a family who would like to learn more about camp, please contact one of our directors:

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We would love to see you! Join us at an Aloha event or come to Vermont!

The Power of Choice Chances are you’ve noticed: at the Aloha Foundation, we talk a lot about Success Counseling.

This philosophy—a model of human behavior—is one of the tools we use daily in our work with children and adults. It provides a framework for the questions we ask, the decisions we make, and how we behave. It’s an integral piece of our pedagogy that distinguishes us from our peers in camping and education—one that creates the space for transformation in the lives of children and adults.

Throughout 2019, we’ll share with you stories from our camps and programs that illustrate these and other principles. But since it may have been some time since you attended a workshop or training—or perhaps you never have—first, we thought it would be helpful to review a few key points of this approach.

We can choose how we think, perceive, and act—in any circumstance.

Based on Dr. William Glasser’s “Choice Theory,” Success Counseling helps people to evaluate their own lives and actions. We have much more control than we realize over our behavior, our thinking, and consequently, our emotions—an empowering concept in difficult situations. Learning how to choose your thoughts and feelings is not an easy process at first, but it allows us much greater power and control in the long run—rather than feeling a victim of external factors.

Our behavior is driven by our basic human instructions.

Just as we are built with physiological instructions (to eat, drink, sleep, etc.), we also have basic, internal psychological instructions: to be loving, to be powerful,

to be playful, and to be free. When we choose our behavior, we are trying to follow these instructions, and when we are unable to do so, we experience pain and difficulty in our lives. Through Success Counseling, we learn how to follow our instructions—even in hard situations—in order to restore balance, control, and happiness to our lives.

When faced with a problem, there are some key questions we can ask ourselves or others to help work our way toward a solution.

What do you want? (Meaning, what do you want to do? What do you want to feel? Who do you want to be?)

What are you doing to get what you want? What have you tried so far? Is it working? Has it been as effective as you had hoped? What do you see as your choices now? Would any of these choices be better than what you are doing now? What’s your next step? If you were being the person you wanted to be in this situation, what would that next step look like?

We can apply this approach in any situation— from the most mundane to the most complex.

Staff who learn about Success Counseling at camp return home and put the same ideas into practice at work, in school, and with family and friends. The same guiding questions apply, whether you are working through a problem with a fourteen-year-old camper or a forty-year-old colleague.

Our mission at The Aloha Foundation is to inspire people of all ages to learn, grow, and become their best selves. Beneath this guiding principle we cherish our commitment to people, our belief in the importance of having a growth mindset, and in our ability—and responsibility—to choose.

REVEILLE CREDITS: Designer, Olivia Wheeler H95-00,A01-04,A*05,07,09

Photographer, Jenn Wheeler L*07-18,F*16-18 Will Cooney D*14-18

Thank You!

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 . alohafoundation.org

What do you get when the Arts & Crafts and Field Games departments collaborate? An epic, all-camp game of paint tag!

(Notice all the hands painted yellow and poised to tag!) Horizons apprentice Daniel Jaccaci leads the charge.

Already, 43 alumni, families, and parents have joined the new 1905 Leadership Circle by making gifts of $2,500 or more to the Annual Fund. As we enter the giving season, will you consider becoming an inaugural member?

By answering this call to action, you help us tackle the #1 challenge we face as an organization today: accessibility. We know our community is enriched by campers from across the socio-economic spectrum. Growth in our Annual Fund is the determining factor in our ability to offer first-in-class programming and ensure camp remains accessible.

More great news! It’s not too late to participate!

Contributions may be made by December 31.

Check us out on Facebook and Instagram! . 2968 Lake Morey Road, Fairlee, Vermont 05045 . 802.333.3400 .

alohafoundation.org