Bay Windows - Fall 2021

SILVER BAY

FALL 2021

BAY WINDOWS

ONWARD & UPWARD

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

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Table of Contents, Mission, Impact This Issue: Moving Forward Board of Trustees Message from CVO Message from CEO Thank You for a Great 2021 Volunteers Thriving in 2021 Moving Forward Council Roster Message from the Council Family and Fellowship Senegal to Silver Bay DIG: Catalyst Moments Military R&R Weekend Forever Moving Forward The Difference Between Hoping & Wishing

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Community Outreach: Fostering Relationships Community Outreach: Creating Community Parlin Ribbon Cutting 10 Years of Responsible E-Recycling The Telling of Our Story EAF Origins White Birch Preserving What Matters Planned Giving A Strong Legacy Sustaining Silver Bay Experience Every Season of Silver Bay Welcome New Staff EAF: Stay in Touch EAF Scholarship Winners Milestones

Our MISSION To foster relationships, strengthen communities, and nurture spirit, mind, and body for all.

Our IMPACT Because of Silver Bay YMCA, connections between people and family are stronger. People are more connected, respectful and caring. They have the confidence to develop to their full potential and to positively impact the communities in which they work and live. As a result, communities are more dynamic, inclusive and diverse. As stewards of Lake George, we inspire people to be stewards of the environment while they are visiting our magnificent campus and in their home communities.

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THIS ISSUE:

MOVING FORWARD

Dear Reader, There is no doubt that we can all recall a special moment in our lives that sticks out more than the rest. Perhaps you have several memories that bring a smile to your face and fill you with warmth. I hope you have many joyful moments that rise easily to the surface. There are also likely some moments you would prefer to forget.

We all know that life is not perfect and there are bound to be some memories that make us wince or remind us that something wasn’t what we thought it would be. The pandemic certainly qualifies as an unexpected, ongoing event that we all dearly wish would just go away. That said, no matter what the nature of these moments, whether they are good or difficult, beautiful or painful, they all are what I consider life-changing experiences that affected us in some unique way and that we have had to move on from.

This summer, we all had to move forward despite the obstacles around us. The cards dealt were not easy, especially when it became apparent that the “normal” of pre-COVID times was farther away than we thought.

Nevertheless, our community rallied in marvelous ways: volunteers shared their time and talents to open cherished program areas; staff adapted to meet each challenge with grace and teamwork; and our community came together to have a wonderful summer.

We are all so grateful for the ways that each of you helped Silver Bay to thrive this year.

This issue contains stories of friends of Silver Bay that reflect on how we move forward after a moment of change in our lives. There are reflections on Silver Bay experiences that sparked joy and musings on how we have had to adjust to life during the pandemic.

These stories all celebrate one simple

notion: in all moments - whether they are moments of joy, moments colored with grief or somewhere in between there is always hope for the future.

We hope this issue will inspire you to appreciate the memories that led you to both where you are today and to Silver Bay, as well as encourage you to nurture the values, programs, and environment with a gift that makes you feel good. We are thankful for these moments that created so many unique individuals, who in turn make up this kind and caring community. Your support sustains all the wonderful things that make Silver Bay a vibrant and thriving community, and we are grateful to you.

With gratitude,

Hannah Jay

Development Director

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BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

Stephanie Wagoner, Chair Joel Wattenbarger, Vice Chair Phil White, Vice Chair Emily Clark, Secretary Dominic Colafati, Treasurer

Governance

CEO

Strategic Planning

Steve Tamm

Joel Wattenbarger

Finance Dominic Colafati

Phil White

Audit Paul Bell

DIG Task Force Michelle Hay

CEO Review Emily Clark

TRUSTEES Melissa Adams Mark Adzigian Kathryn “Katie” Bang Paul Bell Denise Carter Emily Clark Dominic Colafati Matthew Crusey

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Lee Farmer David Gray Andy Gorelik Michelle Hay David Kaiser C. Walter Lender Jonathan Loane Jack Mangiante

Adam Pearsall Morrie Peters David Ports Stephanie Wagoner Elise Walton Joel Wattenbarger Phil White Kathy Wilson

A MESSAGE FROM THE CVO ONWARD & UPWARD

years as my father served different churches. As an adult, I changed jobs seeking broader opportunities.

One opportunity took our family from the East Coast to the Midwest.

We left where we were living close to immediate family and moved to where we knew no one. Rather quickly, we became close with neighbors and friends from our church… and they became family.

Dear Silver Bay Friends, All of us have experienced life changing moments. Whether it be a marriage, the birth of a child, the loss of a loved one, or moving from a place you have lived for a long time, we have all experienced situations that profoundly changed our lives.

It is human nature to be resistant to change. For the most part, change for me has been welcomed as a new opportunity for learning and growth. My family moved every few

We love the many aspects of Silver Bay that are the same as they were decades ago. This gives us fond memories of our times here in the past. We honor those traditions, while embracing change that moves us forward and strengthens our community.

Silver Bay sought change in 2018 when we built the William Boyd Center to enhance our conference capabilities. We adapted to change in 2020 as the pandemic hit our country, and now in 2021, we seek a new CEO to lead our dedicated staff.

Your Board of Trustees held a gathering over the summer to honor Steve Tamm, our current CEO and to thank him for his leadership since 2015. We also gathered as a community to honor the life of

Mark Johnson, Silver Bay’s Executive Director from 1990-2001. If you receive Silver Bay’s emails, you have heard updates from me on our CEO search. As we move through the Fall of 2021, we will meet with potential candidates who are interested in leading our staff of dedicated professionals.

As a community, we celebrate the leaders we had in the past, while enthusiastically embracing opportunities that lie ahead.

Throughout its history, Silver Bay has honored its past while planning for its future. When we focus on our mission, we create opportunities for more people to experience this special place we love and to be in community with one another. I am grateful to be a part of this community with you as we lead Silver Bay forward.

Stephanie Wagoner

Chief Volunteer Officer and Chair of the Board of Trustees

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A MESSAGE FROM THE CEO ONWARD & UPWARD same.” The MBR wastewater system, the relocation of the parking area, the William Boyd Center and many other recent renovation and building projects are wonderful examples of change. Then of course there are all the things that COVID has forced us to change, many of which were less positive.

But as I recently noted at our Annual Meeting, 2020 was like a bad storm, and yet, after a storm there are often rainbows. For me, this past year offered up many change induced rainbows: • How the full-time staff stepped up to the challenge in so many ways was an amazing rainbow.

Change. It’s a word that often evokes fear and anxiety for some, and for others change is exciting, new and fresh. Whatever your perspective is, we all know that change is a constant and that things rarely stay the same.

One of the things I said early on when I arrived here at Silver Bay was that “we won’t change things just to change them, but we won’t keep them the same just to keep them the

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• How so many volunteers stepped forward and worked so hard was a humbling rainbow.

• How donors over various categories gave so generously was an extraordinary rainbow.

• The kind notes, emails and phone calls of encouragement and support from so many Silver Bayers were a wondrous rainbow.

2022 will mark another chapter in our history and another change.

Silver Bay will celebrate its 120th year. The Helen Hughes Chapel will celebrate its 100th anniversary and in 2022 Silver Bay will welcome its 23rd Executive Director.

While we should never settle on our past achievements as entitlements for a future, we should always remember how we have come together time and time again to secure the future and to help lead and manage the change.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your CEO these last 7 summers. I wish each and every one of you, individually and collectively, the very best for the future.

Steve Tamm

Chief Executive Officer

THANK YOU

FOR A GREAT 2021!

VOLUNTEERS

THRIVING IN 2021

It was 9 o’clock on a Friday night and volunteer Bruce Scott had one thing on his mind – MULCH! “We are going to need more mulch.

Two to three wheelbarrows at least,” chirped my cell phone.

“Okay,” I texted back.

“And I’d love to get a couple witch hazels for the Liz Gray Pavilion,” his next text read.

“Sounds good,” I thumb-punched back.

Full disclosure, the only “witch hazel” I know is the stuff in the medicine cabinet. For one who drops plant names with reckless abandon, I trusted that Bruce wasn’t talking about tonic to tighten the pores.

“We also planted an evergreen and a serviceberry shrub at the back of the chapel. Then we went down to the gym…” his enthusiasm infectious.

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Bruce was giving to a place he loves, a place loved by so many these past 120 years, and he can’t seem to get enough.

But Bruce’s story is not unique. He is one of the record-breaking 152 volunteers who stepped forward this summer to give of their time, talent, energy, passion and love to make sure Silver Bay not only survived a difficult post-COVID season, but THRIVED! For Bruce and the other volunteer gardeners, the area of giving was Silver Bay’s many, many beautiful gardens.

For others, it was the Fisher Gymnasium. When regional labor shortages made it impossible to staff the gym, our volunteers stood in the gap. They showed up every day to open the gym, clean the equipment and monitor the building.

For others, it was the library. Another

area that would not have opened was it not for our volunteers.

Others gave to The Store, spending their evening scooping ice scream, making milkshakes, and delivering smiles.

Others cleared trails or lent a hand at special events like the Gibson Brothers’ concert.

Some cleaned cabins.

And helped staff the dining hall.

Again and again when help was needed, Silver Bay’s volunteers answered the call with enthusiasm; ever eager to give to a place and a people that we all hold dear.

Thank you to all our 2021 volunteers.

You make this place look good.

Martha Petteys Volunteer Coordinator

MOVING FORWARD ONWARD & UPWARD

before us and paved the way for us at Silver Bay. There has been much laughter and reminiscing.

There will be a great legend told. It will be a story of how a community came together to achieve an amazing feat. This community knew to achieve greatness they needed to have three unique qualities – community, service, and dedication. This is the story of Silver Bay. It has been a summer of renewal. It has been one of moving forward as a community to make this summer a success. Everyone has pulled together in their own unique ways.

The result has been a memorable and one-of-a-kind summer!

I have been honored to be part of this great community. Thousands of volunteer hours have been spent in making various programing activities throughout the summer a huge success. Community, service, and dedication have been evident in the lives of many of us resulting in positive outcomes. We have reconnected and met amazing people this summer. What a great renewal!

This summer was particularly special to me. I have been privileged to go through memory lane with Silver Bay families and friends on the rich history of generations who came

The Store is part of this exciting history. Did you know The Store was once a post office? Gift shop?

Barber shop? And at some point in 1974, a hurricane shelter for some! Many pleasant memories have been associated with The Store.

This summer is no different, it has been a place of joy and happiness.

Hundreds of volunteer hours have been graciously spent at The Store.

I want to personally thank each and every one of volunteers (and now expert Scoopologists!) who came through and shared their time at The Store. We could not have done it without you! The blessing of family at Silver Bay is important. A special mention to my remarkable parents - James and Catherine, and amazing siblings Stephen, Evelyn and Isabel.

Love and blessings to you all.

Asante! (Swahili for thank you)

Patrick Kamau

Summer 2021 Store Manager and Spiritual Life Assistant

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SILVER BAY COUNCIL OFFICERS

COMMITTEE CHAIRS

President

Nomination Committee

Anne Erling

Vice President Peter Meyers

Secretary Chris Kleinhenz

Treasurer Natalie Shotts

Staff Liaison Carolyn Close

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Paul Duggan, Co-Chair Jane Sheldon, Co-Chair Tidy Time Committee Natalie Shotts, Co-Chair Penny Siesko, Co-Chair Allocations Committee Peter Meyers Fundraising Committee Natalie Shotts

A MESSAGE FROM THE SILVER BAY COUNCIL conversations with old and new friends, activities of any kind with groups of people, choir rehearsals… could we spend time at Silver Bay and still feel safe?

When the pandemic upended our lives, like many, we parked our car, rearranged our home to enable remote work and study for us all, and canceled plans of traveling anywhere where we’d feel unsafe. The question emerged, “Would Silver Bay feel safe?”

In the summer of 2020, before we had access to the vaccine, and before we had a sense of where we were heading as a country, we rented our first Oneita Bay cottage and experienced for the first time what so many in the Silver Bay community have known for years – Silver Bay cottages are wonderful places to stay! Without a doubt we missed the ease and tastiness of mealtimes in the dining room, but in their place we got to enjoy regular nightly campfires. And the walk through campus – past the Store, the Inn, the Auditorium, the Boathouse, the Chapel, the tennis courts, Bay Beach, the Gym, and finally to Slim Point – was just as restorative as it has always been, and the people we met on campus just as friendly.

Time at Silver Bay has been so dear to us over the years, the source of so many cherished memories, a place that’s deeply refreshing – but many of the things we so enjoy at Silver Bay were things we were putting on pause at home. Mealtime

With the opportunity for vaccination this spring, we felt free to experience more of our regular Silver Bay experience, and this summer’s week at Silver Bay felt like a true homecoming, from the friendly greetings at registration to chippies

at The Store. None of this would have been possible without the dedication and positive spirit of Silver Bay’s extraordinary staff and the extensive contributions of volunteers.

If you don’t know about Silver Bay Council, we’re a home for people who care deeply about Silver Bay and we welcome new members. We host two volunteer weekends a year – one in the spring and one in the fall – when we come together to restore water bars on the Jabe’s Pond trail, help prepare or put to bed cottages and gardens, and build or restore things that need building or restoring.

Along the way, we get to spend time in a community of people who love Silver Bay and get the privilege of contributing to making Silver Bay the lovely place and community that it is.

With all of this in mind, when I think about this theme of moving forward, I realize that we do that best when we make sure to connect with people and places that are dear to us, and when we give of ourselves to help the wider community. Please join us!

Anne Erling

Silver Bay Council President

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FAMILY AND FELLOWSHIP ONWARD & UPWARD

shared with my fellow Silver Bay Trustees a few years earlier (I served 2014-2019) and which resonated even more strongly today: I am passionate about Silver Bay because it is the manifestation of what is possible when natural beauty and human compassion combine, what I think may be the best of what life has to offer. In this place, we are freed to be a truer version of ourselves than anywhere else.

More than passionate, though, I am grateful.

On July 30, our car was packed. We were ready for our annual Silver Bay visit (that, like for many others, hadn’t happened in 2020).

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During those glorious two weeks my husband, Jeb, two young daughters, and I splashed, ate ice cream, played kickball, frequented Collins and the kid art area behind the craft shop.

We embraced family we hadn’t seen in too long, caught up with old friends, and even managed to make some new ones.

lots of in-person interaction, sleep, and exercise; little screen time (for grownups and kids alike!). And, while at times we all had to try a little harder to avoid politics in our interactions at Silver Bay, we really didn’t have to try that hard because there we are grounded first in the values of what makes the place sacred, transcending for a moment the rest of the world to recenter ourselves as citizens with different realities and perspectives, but with a shared humanity.

Silver Bay’s magic was the antidote (on top of our vaccinations!) to our pandemic lives. We joked that Silver Bay inverted our pandemic lifestyle:

Two weeks later, I returned home with my mind, body, and spirit refreshed, renewed, and restored. I came upon the following remarks, which I had

There are so many changes in life – homes, jobs, people growing up and moving away, etc. Much of that movement I have not only welcomed but have actively sought out. To remain balanced amidst all this change, I’m grateful for the constancy of my family. As I’ve grown up, I’ve come to appreciate that place and community matter, too.

Silver Bay is this constant for me – a place and community I share with my immediate family but also with my broader family, of which many of you have long been a part and some of you are now a part.

I can’t wait to be back there again soon, together with my family and together with yours.

Lea Crusey

Lifelong Silver Bayer

SENEGAL TO SILVER BAY ONWARD & UPWARD New York is greener than I thought it would be.” I thought I was going to be in the city like we see in movies!

When I then arrived at Silver Bay, I was amazed by its beauty and then realized how unique the place is.

“The American Dream can start,” I said.

To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect when coming to Silver Bay. Leaving Senegal to venture into a country that is unknown to me was a great challenge. But today I can tell that it was worth it!

I remember my very first day in the USA when I was leaving JFK to go to Albany and saw the amount of trees.

I remember telling myself “uh ... ok ...

Practicing my English and having the best summer of my life were my main goals for the summer 2021. My first contact with people was full of kindness. I was surprised and wasn’t expecting that much attention. There is always a smile on the faces of Silver Bay people, always someone to ask you how your day is going just to be sure that everything is going fine, always someone to invite you to do an activity. One of the things I like the most about Silver Bay is that there is no time for you to get bored, there will always be something to do, learn, or share.

It’s crazy how time goes fast.

Two months of pure joy, fun, and friendship. I have met incredible

FRIENDS that will ALWAYS stay in hearts. I was afraid to miss my family by being far from them, but I can say that Silver Bay has given me a second family. I have never felt alone or set apart, and have always been learning something new every single day.

Working in food service is the best position I could have. Being in direct contact with staff and guests by serving them allowed me to work on my English and also exchange about cultural subjects. I’ve learned a lot about the American culture and shared a lot about the Senegalese culture, too. I am and will always be grateful for this opportunity that Silver Bay gave me. So many memories and experiences that I lived during this summer, and for that reason, Silver Bay will always have a special place in my heart.

Siga Gueye Summer 2021 Emp

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DIG: CATALYST MOMENTS ONWARD & UPWARD to evolve, we need to look at our catalyst moment. These are events that spark change, they can be good or bad, large or subtle– but they affect us deeply enough to alter our journey.

If you had the opportunity to listen to my invocation speech at the Annual meeting, you heard me speak about finding my spirit of Silver Bay, and you also heard me speak about change. Change is an evolution, a winding path on the journey we are taking. When we think about the origin of change, what moves us

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For me, my catalyst moment started when I married the handsome, funny, caring, and smart Matt Hay. Marriage will create a fundamental shift in purpose and priorities, a true catalyst moment in anyone’s life. My marriage led me to Lake George and the moment I stepped onto campus, I fell in love with Silver Bay and I knew that I wanted to serve in any capacity that I could. Becoming a Trustee was another moment, one that has been a challenge and an achievement. I learned so much about Silver Bay (outside of being a family week guest) and fell more in love with the place. These moments inspired change in me. These catalyst moments in my life helped me on my journey, with hope for the future of Silver Bay and all the amazing things that Silver Bay can facilitate.

Part of my journey is helping move Silver Bay forward and embracing diversity.

The DIG Taskforce is actively working on making Silver Bay a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive place. Not just through our words, but through our actions also.

This past summer, the task force held a diverse youth panel where we had an open and honest dialogue about where Silver Bay is, and where Silver Bay can go. We received great feedback and have some ideas on how to keep the momentum going.

Change can feel intimidating or daunting, but it is also energizing, refreshing and healthy. Embrace the new direction, embrace the opportunities, and embrace your community. When I look back at my catalyst moments, they brought me to Silver Bay and they inspired me, but the community of Silver Bay keeps the motivation, love, and hope in me.

Michelle Hay DIG Task Force Chair

MILITARY R&R WEEKEND ONWARD & UPWARD

This past July, I set foot on the campus of the Silver Bay YMCA for the first time. I was there as a guest of the Military R&R program. It was a warm, sunny afternoon when it looked like most guests were just leaving the beach or tennis courts and heading to their rooms to get ready for dinner. I walked down the hill along the beautiful impatiens and the freshly-cut lawn and looked at my old shipmates sitting in a circle of Adirondack chairs near the shuffle board courts - Frank, Felice, Jeff, and Susan. I threw my hands spread wide, motioning to the waterfront of Lake George, “How beautiful is this?!”

Frank laughed, “Can you believe it?”

Felice added, “What took you so long?”

The three days we had together were spent in the water doing Stand Up Paddling (SUP) (a first for many of us), sailing, and swimming. Shuffle board, disc golf, and archery fueled by old, friendly rivalries seemed to fill the competitive nature I still had.

Everyone left a day earlier than me, so during the last day, I had a chance to reflect on my 30-year Navy experience. I walked around the beautiful and scenic grounds

on the shoreline of Lake George and read the plaques thoughtfully displayed on buildings and fire pits.

Many memorialized a generous donor or volunteer who provided a lasting legacy to every visitor to Lake George. Other plaques memorialized veterans or soldiers and sailors who served in America’s previous wars.

I was reminded of my uncle, Robert Burroughs, a Marine private first class, who fought in the front lines during the Vietnam War in 1967 and 1968 and never returned. Why was I still breathing and living this beautiful experience when other soldiers and sailors gave the ultimate sacrifice?

Viewing these made me reconsider how I could make a difference.

My visit to Silver Bay was truly a life-affirming gift for which I will be forever grateful. Everyone I met who worked for Silver Bay was so friendly, welcoming and valuesbased. This experience reinforced in me a desire to continue to forge deeper connections with my fellow shipmates who might be facing greater life challenges than I really understood. It is my hope that others will benefit from Silver Bay YMCA as I did. As we like to say in the Navy, “Bravo Zulu” to you all!

Richard Fahy

Capt. US Navy -Retired Military R&R Participant

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FOREVER MOVING FORWARD ONWARD & UPWARD

As we continue to adjust to the reality of life with Covid-19, we might be tempted long for the “good old days” or to simply complain about how things are in the present.

At Silver Bay YMCA we value spiritual life and our faith provides us with amazing resources that enable us to continually move forward. One of these spiritual resources is the comforting stories contained in the Scriptures.

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One of the most powerful stories is found in the Babylonia captivity of the people of Israel. In 586 BCE, the people of Israel were defeated by the Babylonians. They were taken from their homes in Israel. They could no longer worship at the Temple in Jerusalem. They lost everything familiar and were transported to live in exile in Babylon. Their grief and pain was overwhelming. In the midst of these hard times, Jeremiah the prophet wrote these words of encouragement to his people: “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT) The people of Israel held on to these words fiercely and in 516 BCE they were finally able to return to Jerusalem.

As we approach the two-year mark of the Covid-19 pandemic, our work at Silver Bay YMCA and in the Spiritual Life Department continues to move forward. During the summer of 2020, we were grateful to offer worship services in the Auditorium

and to pitch in wherever we were needed in other departments so that we could open for the summer. In the summer of 2021, Tent Classes, Vespers, and Sunday Worship in the Chapel all returned. We are hopeful that we will continue to expand our offerings in 2022.

The community and staff of Silver Bay YMCA are a resilient bunch.

Although we do not know what the future holds, we trust the One who holds the future. We wholeheartedly believe that the future will be good and filled with hope, and therefore we are forever moving forward!

Garth Allen

Spiritual Life Director

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HOPING AND WISHING

MOVING FORWARD WITH HOPE “I hope I win.” Let me suggest that this man was not hoping . . . he was wishing. And there is a world of difference between wishing and hoping.

The setting is a Stewart’s Shop. It is late and I need something to keep me awake for the drive home. I pull into the parking lot and go in. There is a line. What are all these people buying at this late hour on a Tuesday night? As I got in line I looked more closely. They were there to buy lottery tickets. The payout had run up to mega millions. As I got closer to the counter, that’s when I heard it. A man with a fist full of lottery tickets, as he turned to leave, said for all to hear, “ I hope I win!”

What is hope? The setting is a Nazi concentration camp where Dietrich Bonheoffer is being held. Bonheoffer was ultimately put to death by the Germans, but his story is a manifesto on hope. They took away his books, his children, his wife, his clothes, and his wedding ring. As he was about to be hung, he triumphfully declared that they couldn’t take away what is most central to him, his faith. They could take away everything except his hope . . . because hope is eternal . . . hope is of God. “I hope I win,” said the man. This is not hope. This is wishing. Wishing is a human expression. It is created by us. It comes from us. Hope on the other hand is eternal. It comes from God. Hope is closer to us than we are to ourselves. Because hope is centered in God, nothing can take it away . . . no person, no disease, no nothing.

Pastor and author

Rick Warren got it right when he said, “what gives me the most hope everyday is God’s grace.”

This brings to mind something the Apostle Paul wrote. His audience was a small group of people struggling to be a church. He wrote from a prison cell in Corinth, “Therefore, we should rejoice in our suffering, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.”

(Romans 5:3-5) The hope that Paul writes about is real, true, and worthy of our trust.

This hope never fades. This hope is with us always . . . until the end of the age.

May the God of forgiveness, grace, mercy, and love fill each of us with the gift of hope this day, tomorrow, and forever more.

Bruce Tamlyn Chaplain

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS

MILITARY R&R: Thank you so much for a wonderful stay at Silver Bay courtesy of the Military R&R program. We coordinated the June stay so many of my retired Navy shipmates from the Glens Falls Naval Reserve Center could reunite and catch up. Without this program this reunion could not have been possible. I cannot thank you, Silver Bay YMCA, and the generous donors who make this program possible enough. It truly is a blessing.

- Kevin Madsen The Silver Bay staff were wonderful with their service. Thank you so much for all you do.

-Frank Schmidt

CANCER RESPITE: We had a very special time at Silver Bay that we will remember forever.

Being on the shores of Lake George among those beautiful buildings and grounds created a feeling of tranquility and peace. But, that said, it’s the people there who really make Silver Bay what it is. We felt so welcomed by both the other visitors and by the staff. The Silver Bay staff are great!

They’re so friendly and accommodating. We were fascinated by how many of them had first come to Silver Bay as little children with their families, and then had gone on to work there, some for decades!

And that’s the key—there is a true sense of family at Silver Bay. It was wonderful to see families with their kids. We loved watching the children’s groups, being led in playing games and singing. It was like going back to another time. Thank you so much for our visit with you.

- Joe and Sara Cutshall-King

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH CREATING COMMUNITY

Silver Bay YMCA’s community outreach programs are made possible by the generous donors to the Fund for Silver Bay. Thank you for helping families reconnect through your generosity!

Military R&R: 16 families

Vacations Made Possible:

10 families Cancer Respite Program:

Pastoral Respite Program:

6 families

Over 350 people

Open Pathways: 26 campers • 11 from Hague • 5 from Ticonderoga

• 3 from Bolton Landing, • 1 from Clifton Park

• 3 from Adirondack • 3 from Newburyport, MA

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PARLIN RIBBON CUTTING ONWARD & UPWARD

On Monday August 9, 2021 many gathered together at the front entrance of Parlin Dormitory to watch as Silver Bay CEO Steve Tamm and Emp alumni Paul Ingrey cut the red satin ribbon to the newly renovated structure. This special ceremony took place 68 years to the day and time as the original dedication of the building, which has been a summer home for Emps of Silver Bay for years.

Parlin Dorm was originally erected in 1953 as a boys’ dormitory in memory of Edward Parlin, who met a tragic death when he tumbled off a cliff one dark night while solo hiking.

It has undergone many changes since then and is now a coed dorm with

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different halls for the young men and women who serve as summer staff at Silver Bay.

has now become the new summer home of many who hold Silver Bay close to their heart.

Renovation of the building began in Fall 2019 with the goal of fixing structural components and bringing the building up to code. Wiring and floors were replaced and engineers were recruited to solve the moisture issues that previously rendered the first floor unusable. Thanks to over 100 donors, the project was completed under budget and ahead of schedule. The building was ready to host Emps in Spring 2020, but the many difficulties of COVID-19 prevented them from coming to campus. The first Emp moved into Parlin on June 3, 2021, and the dorm

“Emps have been a key element in defining Silver Bay’s culture for years,” said Development Director Hannah Jay at the August ceremony.

“Through your support, a new generation of Emps will create their own stories in Parlin, experience their own life-changing moments, and fall in love with Silver Bay just as you all have, within the halls of this renewed, revitalized building.”

Thank you for making the new Parlin Dorm possible!

SILVER BAY CELEBRATES

10 YEARS OF RESPONSIBLE RECYCLING

The Silver Bay YMCA Conference and Family Retreat Center held its 10th annual electronic waste recycling event on June 19th, collecting three thousand pounds of computers, televisions and other electronic waste, announced Chief Executive Officer Steve Tamm.

“We are so pleased that another three thousand pounds of e-waste is going to be recycled and put to good use, instead of these harmful materials winding up in a landfill,” said Tamm.

“The impressive turn out speaks to the need of this event and we are happy to provide this service to the community.”

Tamm thanked Silver Bay’s IT Manager Alex Tretiak, who has organized the popular event the last several years. Silver Bay’s E-Waste Day was launched in 2011 as a means to keep harmful materials out of landfills while allowing recycling companies the opportunity to repurpose electronic components elsewhere.

“Being good stewards of the environment is a key part of Silver Bay’s mission,” added Tamm. “We love supporting our local community and enjoy the opportunity to offer them a place to recycle the electronics they no longer need in a way that is respectful to the environment.”

Silver Bay will be having the next E-Waste Day in June 2022.

Thank for partnering with Silver Bay to be stewards of the environment!

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THE TELLING OF OUR STORY ONWARD & UPWARD

Photo credit: Robert Joy

Scott: Truth! We did not meet at

Silver Bay and then got married.

We got married and then met Silver Bay.

Jane: Searching for summer jobs, I serendipitously met Moira Mewha, ‘68 Silver Bay Emp, who suggested we try this “Silver Bay” place.

Scott: “Awesome!!” we said. Two

weeks after our wedding, we joined the ‘71 early crew, wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into?

Jane: When we saw Lake George for the first time, we realized exactly what we had gotten into… .a beautiful and special place!

Scott: And so we started what

I refer to as the “3-month honeymoon we were paid for”.

Jane: Silver Bay magic took over.

We jumped into Silver Bay with all four feet, and Silver Bay jumped back.

Scott: A wealth of incredible

opportunities awaited us: starring in musicals and operettas, singing in choirs and small ensembles, and entertaining in dozens of variety shows. How many people get to do that for their honeymoon! So we came back for ‘72 and ‘74.

Jane: And the Silver Bay circle

keeps turning.

Our son Ben worked in the children’s program in the 2000’s. We’ve come back frequently to reconnect with the many folks we have met through the years. The bond we’ve made with the Silver Bay community and spirit continues to play a strong role in our lives. In July we were back once again, this time with our three sons’ families to celebrate our 50th anniversary!

Scott: Silver Bay is a place that

demands and embraces an intensity of community that has been unparalleled in our lifetimes, and that we have taken with us in our marriage and our relationships ever since. It taught us the power of running at life with joy!

Jane:

We continue to throw ourselves into music through choir, vocal quartets, theater, and our bluegrass band. We’ve served at our Unitarian church, our kids’ schools/activities, and the community of Chapel Hill. Our social circles at home and afar are strong and supportive. Above all, we have this amazing family we adore and enjoy!

Jane/Scott: Thank you, Silver Bay!!

Scott & Jane Provan Lifelong Silver Bayers

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THE ORIGINS OF EMP ALUMNI FELLOWSHIP & OTHER LONGTIME SILVER BAY PRACTICES

Like so many other organizations at the time, the 1930s found Silver Bay Association, as it was known by then, in a most difficult and challenging acute financial situation with facilities badly in need of repair.

In 1937, a small group of Emps approached Charles C. Parlin, who was then president of the Silver Bay Board, about the possibility of organizing a Silver Bay Employees Alumni Association. The Silver Bay Breeze for July 18, 1937, records: “ALUMNI? AT SILVER BAY? – Under the leadership of Mr. Charles C. Parlin, President of the Silver Bay Association, a group of former ‘emps’ are attempting to organize a Silver Bay Employees Alumni Association, to help this institution carry forward its objectives.”

This group immediately commenced work on establishing a permanent alumni organization and drawing up the By-laws for that organization along with hosting an annual Emp reunion dinner.

The group also created the first alumni newsletter titled The Fellowship Bulletin — Emps Alumni

of Silver Bay dated December 1937 — Vol. 1, No. 1., which was mailed to as many former Emps for whom current addresses could be obtained.

It emphasized the formation of an alumni organization and the Grand Reunion at Silver Bay in 1938. The newsletter continued in 1949 to 1954 as Bay’s Rays and in 1955 became the Empilog. The newsletter continued as the Empilog until the Spring 2017 issue. Emp Alumni Fellowship news now appears in Bay Windows.

1939 – “3 pm – Emp Alumni vs. Emps”

Unfortunately, no official record or any official documentation has surfaced yet regarding the annual softball game that has occurred at most of the Emp Alumni Fellowship Reunions since that first one in 1937. The title of the event has had many names over the years. A small sample follows taken from the newsletters, reunion programs and other publications:

The first edition of Baylights, the summer yearbook of current staff, was published in 1937. The yearbook for The Silver Bay School for Boys, which closed at the end of the school year in 1935, was titled Baylight. There has been an edition every summer since 1937 and serves as a poignant and happy memory of the Emp summer and an historical record of Silver Bay history.

1938 – Thurs., August 25 “Soft Ball Game – Alumni vs ‘Beginners’” Wed., August 24 “3:00 pm Soft Ball

Gale Halm

1940 – “Monday, August 11 – P.M. Softball Game Emps vs. Old Timers” 1949 – “Old Emps 5 – Current 4” (Played on the diamond by Fisher Gym) July 5, 1975 – Softball game – former Emps beat present Emps 15-13 July 4 1987 – Present Emps vs.

Former Emps

Archivist

Game – ‘Alums’ vs ‘Stud-emps’” (Note: The game’s original date was changed.)

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WHITE BIRCH

PRESERVING WHAT MATTERS and grey (but still fit), may himself take a moment to stand apart and just observe the scene. For myself, I will not be there physically, but in memory I will still be in that group in a profound way. It is called love.

It was such a pleasure to be back at Silver Bay for Family Camp in 2021 after a year of pandemic separation.

As a family, we are separated by geography so even with Zoom, we all felt the longing for being together.

Not to mention our Silver Bay family whom we have known for more than 25 years of summer reunions. So it was joy to be together again. There was bitter with the sweet, as we also came together to hold memorials for a dear brother, Dan Bergfeld, and dear friend, Mark Hudak.

Silver Bay has always been the place to mark and share the events of our lives - engagements, births, graduations, weddings, and the deaths. The arcs of our quotidian lives are ruled by time, but at Silver Bay, the timeless and lasting connections between us, and between us and the universal, are present to anyone who will look for them.

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I had a profound experience this year. I was standing at Slim Point, apart from my family in the late afternoon golden hour. They were all standing together in a rough circle at the water’s edge. A baby, a toddler, our sons, our nieces and nephews, and their generational counterparts from other families. I watched them from a distance in that warm light for quite a long time, the animated gestures, the laughter, the hugs.

I was conscious that I was not in the crowd, in the mix so to say, but I found myself almost overwhelmed by how beautiful a scene it was. These are my loved ones who I hope will play out this scene for generations to come, I thought. My two-and-ahalf-year-old grandson playing in the sand one day will be a parent himself, holding my great grandchild in his arms and standing in the shallows of the lake. By then, my son, aging

There is only one way to make this happen, and that is to ensure that Silver Bay remains healthy and goes on as a gathering place long after I have gone. At some level, we are but dust from the stars and quite insignificant standing alone. It is only through connection and acts of generosity, kindness, and love that we become a part of a whole. Any place that creates the opportunity to access these truths, to lose oneself, and be a gravitational nexus for the timeless things that truly matter, deserves to go on, and on. For us, that’s Silver Bay. That is why Melissa, and I are proud to be members of the White Birch Society. It is our small act of commitment to preserving this special place. Preserving it so that someday someone we know and love, or someone yet unborn who we will never know but would love nonetheless, can stand alone on the shore at Slim Point, observing the scene, and be at peace and serenely content with his or her own temporary place in the World.

John Adams

Member of White Birch

WHITE BIRCH

PLANNED GIVING The White Birch Society is a way to connect with the long-term future of Silver Bay that transcends the day-to-day policy and operational matters that we pay attention to as members and guests.

These are important of course. But there is something quite special and rewarding about meeting other White Birch members at the Boathouse reception every year at Family Camp and marking the passage of time. We care deeply about Silver Bay and belonging to the White Birch Society is how we express those feelings.

- Melissa Adams, Member of White Birch

The members of White Birch are a caring group of individuals who have decided to make a gift to Silver Bay YMCA through a planned or deferred gift. A planned gift allows you to preserve the Silver Bay YMCA that you love for future generations in the form of an estate bequest, a beneficiary of a retirement account or life insurance policy, a charitable trust or gift of stock, real estate or other assets. Through a planned gift, you can make a meaningful gift to Silver Bay YMCA because it does not depend on your annual discretionary income. If you are intending to leave Silver Bay YMCA a planned gift, you immediately join the society of donors of White Birch. Please let us know of your intention so that we may honor you now for your generosity that will come at a later date. To learn more about White Birch, please contact Hannah Jay at hjay@ silverbay.org or 518-543-8510.

WAYS TO MAKE A PLANNED GIFT Bequests: Silver Bay YMCA can be named in your will with a specific bequest of cash, named securities, or other assets. You can also provide for Silver Bay by designating all or a percentage of the remainder of your estate. Use this bequest language to bequeath a gift to Silver Bay YMCA from your estate: “I, (Name), of (City, State Zip), give, devise and bequeath to Silver Bay YMCA Tax ID# 13-5604788 (written amount, or percentage of the estate, or description of property) for its unrestricted use and purpose.”

Planned Gifts from a Retirement Account: Silver Bay YMCA can be named as the full or partial beneficiary of

your IRA or retirement plan. This is easily accomplished by filling out the appropriate beneficiary designations online or by mailing in forms to your retirement plan provider.

Gifts of Life Insurance: You can name Silver Bay YMCA as the full or partial beneficiary of a current life insurance policy or you can purchase a new policy and name Silver Bay YMCA as the owner and beneficiary.

Gifts of Stock and Real Estate: Silver Bay YMCA is also capable of receiving gifts of stock or real estate. If you are considering either of these planned gifts, contact the Development Office to get the needed information and ensure that your gift is used precisely as you intend.

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A STRONG LEGACY A SILVER BAY STORY

At two hours past noon on a warm June day in 1921, Edith Strong nervously stepped down a shifting gangplank from the steamboat Horicon that brought her south from Ticonderoga to Silver Bay’s steamer dock to begin her first summer as a Silver Bay Emp.

with her lifelong girlfriends about the boy, also an Emp, who took her to the movies the previous night, and whom she would marry in just a few years. This year, thirty four years after that, Edith’s two greatgrandsons are working as third-year Emps.

Edith’s few steps down the gangplank may have felt insignificant to an excited Syracuse University student who had learned about Silver Bay through the university’s YWCA club, and who had travelled that day by buggy, train, and steamboat from her home in East Warren, VT to this remote, beautiful spot. But those few steps grew ever-branching trails that led her descendants to many of their happiest moments, and the most consequential relationships of their lives.

Forty-two years later, on that same dock, Edith’s son would court a fellow Emp whom he would later marry.

Twenty four years after that, Edith’s granddaughter, an Emp, would bask in the sun on this same spot chatting

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That summer of 1921 Edith waitressed (that’s her pictured in her uniform). Two years later she was back as a housekeeper in Forest Lodge (Hepbron Hall). In 1924 again a housekeeper. She was active in plays in the auditorium.

The friendships she made those summers lasted throughout her life. While an Emp, Edith took a photograph from the steamer dock (ERC) looking north. Unknowingly, she had just photographed land she would purchase thirty-five years in the future.

A decade after Emping, she met and married fellow teacher and Olympic hopeful, Clair Kelley, who played football on the same Shippensburg, PA team as Harold Kline, long-time Silver Bay Program Director. In northern NJ, Edith and Clair raised two boys, Stuart and Scott, and when they entered their teens, Edith began scouting out sites for a summer camp, quickly zeroing in on Silver Bay. In 1956 Edith and Clair bought the property in Edith’s 1921 photograph, and the following summer built a cottage there. They spent their summers in that cottage well into their nineties, loving the beauty of Thomas Jefferson’s “Queen of American Lakes,” entertaining their close friends.

Scott Kelley’s daughter Jessica laddered through the children’s programs at Silver Bay before becoming an Emp. Her newborn son, Carrick, has just spent his first summer at Silver Bay. Stu Kelley participated in teen programs at Silver Bay and was an Emp in the early ‘60s. He dated Melissa Sutton, a fellow Emp, who was guided to Silver Bay by the wife of the then-Executive Director, Doc McConaughy (The subtitle to Doc’s photo in the 1962 Baylights prophetically reads, “Where you meet your life’s companion”). Stu and Melissa married and raised son

Chapel, whose construction was begun in Edith Strong’s first year as an Emp. They have two sons, Lucas, and Sam, who rose through the ranks at Silver Camp. Both attend West Virginia University. Lucas is an Eagles’ leader. Sam works at the Boathouse, and wowed us with his aerial videos of Silver Bay’s dramatic surroundings, captured by his drone.

In their photograph, Lucas is on the left, and Sam is on the right.

This summer, Lucas and Sam Buell mark a milestone. It is now one hundred years since their greatgrandmother, Edith Strong, took those few steps down Horicon’s gangplank to begin Emping, steps that have enriched so many lives for so many years.

Brooks and daughter Laura. The two children delighted in making new friends at Silver Bay’s children’s programs while their parents renewed friendships with many former Emps who returned to summer at Silver Bay. Stu says his Silver Bay friends are his best friends, and his family agrees.

Brooks Kelley was an Emp in the ‘80s. His son Avery and daughter

Taryn are active in Silver Camp each summer.

While an Emp in the ‘80s, Laura dated fellow Emp Jeff Buell. Jeff, whose mother Joyce was introduced to Silver Bay by her Highland Park, NJ neighbors, the McFeelys, comes from a family of former Emps and summer residents living on and near Silver Bay’s campus. Laura and Jeff were married in Silver Bay’s Hughes

Edith and Clair’s family, four generations of Emps now, are grateful for the opportunities Silver Bay has granted us, for the lessons we learned during our formative years, working under gifted mentors, especially for the brilliant staffing that provided us with such exceptional co-workers (and spouses), and for the Silver Bay team spirit that nurtured intimate and enduring friendships here amongst the purple mountains’ majesty surrounding this bright, shining inland sea.

What would you like your “Strong Legacy” to be a century from now?

Stuart Kelley Lifelong Silver Bayer

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SUSTAINING SILVER BAY ONWARD & UPWARD

This season, please consider making a gift in support of the Fund for Silver Bay as well as one of these prioritized capital needs. Your support preserves the programs, environment, and values you cherish today and for the families of tomorrow!

NEEDS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION COTTAGE ROAD WORK

ZERO TURN MOWER

$45,000

$11,500

The road leading to Juniper, Sycamore, and Hillcrest Cottages is in dire need of repair. Your gift will support the paving of this road so that these hillside

The fields and greens that define Silver Bay’s landscape require continuous upkeep and care. Your gift will support the purchase of a mower, ensuring that the Maintenance department has the equipment necessary to keep Silver Bay’s lawns well-tended.

cottages are easily accessible to all!

COMMERCIAL WASHER $16,000 This item is critical to our mission. Your gift will replace an essential piece of equipment that is needed in order for the Hospitality Services department to perform their housekeeping services.

ICE DAMAGE TO DOCK $14,500 One of the docks at the Boathouse was damaged this past spring from the melting and breaking of the ice.

The dock has been partially fixed but we are in need of additional support to complete this work. Your gift will support the completion of the remaining repairs needed for this cherished dock!

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REMOVE ANTIQUATED OIL STORAGE EQUIPMENT $10,000 As Silver Bay continues its modernization efforts, the removal of obsolete materials that are considered harmful to the environment is essential. Your gift will support the removal of outdated oil tanks that were previously used for some of Silver Bay’s cottages.

COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH INN BACK-UP GENERATOR $2,500 No more power outages in the Inn! A generator has been connected to the iconic Inn to ensure it will remain powered no matter the weather. Your gift will support the costs associated with the installation and maintenance of this exciting piece of equipment.

EXPERIENCE EVERY SEASON OF SILVER BAY

If you need to bring the office with you, most cottages have a dedicated work space with a desk that overlooks our beautiful campus or has views of Lake George. Some of our most sought after cottages have fireplaces perfect for enjoying a cup of coffee and a book on a cool evening.

Cottages at Silver Bay YMCA are perfect for any season! This is a time in the Adirondacks when the lakes are calm, the sky is a beautiful shade of blue, and opportunities abound for both cozy nights in and outdoor adventures. Join us as the leaves fall and the air gets crisp!

Silver Bay’s cottages are perfect for couples, small families, or groups looking to get away and enjoy quality time together. Our cottages come equipped with many of the conveniences of home, including a kitchen with appliances, cooking utensils, cutlery, plates and more.

If you have experienced a cottage during summer or have never experienced one of our cottages at all, now’s the perfect time to try something new. Enjoy a different season at Silver Bay. From now through the winter season, when you book you will receive 20% off our published rates. Don’t miss out! Call our Reservations Team at 518.543.8415, or email us at reservations@silverbay.org to book your stay.

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WELCOME NEW STAFF STAFF BIOS

KELSEY A. NOBIS - HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR Kelsey serves as the Human Resources Director here at Silver Bay, taking on personnel, compliance, leadership training, recruiting and anything else thrown her way. She received her Bachelors of Science in Youth Development, YMCA Professional Studies and Nonprofit Business Management at Springfield College. Shortly after, Kelsey moved to Vermont where she received her Juris Doctorate from Vermont Law School. During her studies and subsequent practice, she worked in criminal law, appellate trial work and employment law.

The YMCA is a familiar place for Kelsey; being a participant in the YTeen Leaders Programs, growing up

in the afterschool program and even her first job at 16 was lifeguarding at the Fayetteville YMCA. Kelsey has served the YMCA across 13 years, 5 associations and over 8 departments. Most recently, Kelsey served as the Camp Director for YMCA Camp Gorham located outside of Old Forge, NY. Kelsey loves the Adirondack Park.

When she is not working at the Bay, you find her in a canoe, taking her dogs (Scout, Bana & Bow) to a nearby lake for a swim, or working on one of her Airstreams. She loves DIY projects, pancakes and helping people find solutions to their problems.

PATRICK KAMAU - SPIRITUAL LIFE ASSISTANT

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Patrick has been a friend of Silver Bay since being introduced by close friends and former Emps - Beth Whitaker and Jason Giersch. He has served as children’s leader and recently as Store manager where he had the opportunity to interact with amazing volunteers, colleagues, families and friends.

recent assignment being in global healthcare positively impacting thousands of patients.

Professionally, he has travelled extensively throughout Africa and worked in various roles in sales and business development with his most

Patrick is excited to join Silver Bay in this new capacity and looks forward to having a great year.

An outdoor enthusiast, He enjoys hiking and plans to explore the great trails of the Adirondacks. He also hopes to perfect his recently acquired golf and sailing skills.

WELCOME NEW STAFF STAFF BIOS

MARGE ANDERSON - RESERVATIONIST Marge is happy to be a part of the Silver Bay mission as a member of the Guest Services Department! She looks forward to speaking with you as you make your reservations. Originally from northeast Pennsylvania, she has lived in New Hampshire for the past 10 years with her husband, Damon. During that time she became acquainted with Silver Bay through the Pastoral Respite Ministry program and was always grateful for the opportunity to get away to such a beautiful setting. While in New

Hampshire, Marge was self-employed as a professional organizer and home stager. Since moving to New York she is eager to scout out all the local ice cream locations. Other hobbies include reading, weaving, sewing and other crafts, and playing the bassoon. Marge and Damon enjoy travelling to Iceland whenever possible and spending time with their new cats which began their lives at Silver Bay!

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EMPS ALUMNI FELLOWSHIP STAY IN TOUCH

Gale Halm’s wonderful article elsewhere in this issue of Bay Windows about the origins of Emps Alumni Fellowship (EAF), Baylights, the Empilog, and the Emps vs. former Emps softball game makes it clear that Silver Bay has a wealth of traditions that go back decades.

Likewise, the EAF Scholarship Fund is an important, albeit newer (in comparison) part of Silver Bay life.

And while the past two years have made EAF reunions impossible and put off the EAF Annual Meeting, Emp alumni can continue to participate in EAF activities in other ways:

• Sharing in the “Silver Bay,” “Silver Bay Friends,” “Silver Bay Emp Address Book,” and “Silver Bay Emp Alumni Fellowship” Facebook groups.

• Sending in your pictures and news to be included in the next issue of Bay Windows: Hannah Jay at hjay@ silverbay.org • Pay your annual EAF dues ($10) so that EAF can support the current Emps during their time at the Bay. • Send in a separate gift to the EAF Scholarship Fund, the proceeds from which are awarded annually to Emp undergraduate applicants.

SILVER BAY YMCA

EMP ALUMNI

• Attend the EAF Annual Meeting this fall via Zoom on November 3, 2021 at 7:00 pm.

• Consider becoming an EAF officer.

All offices are open this year, each of which runs for two year terms.

Attend the EAF Annual Meeting and throw your hat in the ring!

Best wishes for an enjoyable fall and winter. See you next year at the Bay!

James K. “J.K.” Boodley President, Emp Alumni Fellowship

2021 EAF Annual Meeting via Zoom this Fall Date & Time: November 3rd, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m.

Watch Silver Bay’s e-Breeze, the

FELLOWSHIP 32

EAF, and Silver Bay’s Facebook page for more details.

EAF SCHOLARSHIP FUND

2021 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS ABBEY MCFEELY - GROVE CITY COLLEGE I am thankful for how the EAF scholarship enabled me to continue to serve at Silver Bay this summer as a camp counselor, swimming instructor, and lifeguard. As a result, I made many life-long friends, lasting memories, and further developed my passion for serving children. The EAF scholarship is helping to fund my education at Grove City College where I am pursuing a degree in English and Secondary Education Certification. Thank you for your investment in me so that through my education I can invest in my future students.

ELLEN KORVER - YORK COLLEGE OF PA I would like to thank the donors for the EAF Scholarship. Thanks to your donation I am able to confidently study and pursue my Graphic Design BFA Major at York College of Pennsylvania. My Junior year of College has gone well so far and I am grateful to finally be back in person to truly study and create hands-on projects.

The scholarship will allow me to be able to create digital and physical products with my passion and vigor for craft in my future career.

MICAH TESTA - LANSING COMMUNITY COLLEGE I am very thankful for the people who made this scholarship possible. My desire is to make it through school without any debt, and this scholarship has been a blessing for me on my academic journey and the path to graduating debt free. Silver Bay has always held a beautiful place in my heart, and this scholarship made it possible for me to work there over this past summer and still strive for my debt free goal.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THOUGHTFUL GIFTS TO THE EMP ALUMNI FELLOWSHIP SCHOLARSHIP • Mary M. Albright • Carol and John Kanis in memory of Ellie Halm Since 1997, when the first EAF scholarships were awarded, 73 Emps have received scholarships for a total of $94,414.00. Total market value of the Scholarship Fund as of the first quarter of 2021 is $291,830. Many, thanks to all who have made these scholarships possible with their gifts.

• Jean Mielke-Avery • Barbara Booth and Randall Harmon

Looking ahead to this spring, any first-time or former Emp enrolled fulltime in an accredited college for the school year following the summer of employment who would not be able to work at Silver Bay because of financial reasons is encouraged to apply to the scholarship. Applications may be

submitted at any time prior to May 1st.

Applications for the coming summer will be reviewed by the committee on or about March 1st and May 1st.

Contact Carolyn Close at cclose@ silverbay.org for more information and an application.

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MILESTONES SILVER BAY

Dan Bergfeld

Passed on September 25, 2020 Age: 78 Dan Bergfeld died peacefully at home after a long battle with cancer. He never complained, and the genuine smile that lit up his face reflected his lifelong gratitude for a good life, well lived, with people he loved and who loved him. Dan will be remembered for his warmth, his welcoming smile and white fluffy hair, his kindness and thoughtfulness for others, his wit, his embodiment of love.

His career in NYC was in management consulting and operations analysis for NYC government during Mayor Lindsey’s administration. But his real life passion was music, and his tenor voice gifted quartets, choral groups, Whiffalumni benefit concerts, and church choirs in NYC, CT and FL. If not singing, Dan could be found on a tennis court in men’s and mixed doubles.

Or in the workshop at Silvermine Arts Center where he’d create large sculptures to move in the wind, as evidence of the invisible Great Spirit. He was raised in the Quaker tradition, but he drew his faith from many traditions, particularly the Lakota Sioux: “Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.”

He is survived by his wife, Holly Adams, the love of his life, step-children Lisa (Pope) Ward, Andrew Regier, and Abby Regier (Burton Fletcher) and grandsons Tucker, Chris, Briley and William; brother-in-law John Adams (Melissa), sisters Lisa Bergfeld Soleau

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and Kristin Bergfeld, and nephews Jason and Tyler Soleau.

Bonnie Joan Brod

Passed on February 24, 2021 Age: 83 Bonnie spent most of her youth in Moriah, NY, attending both SUNY Plattsburgh and the University of NYC. She later moved to the Stamford, Connecticut area before returning to the North Country, specifically Ticonderoga, in 1986.

After returning home, she worked at Silver Bay YMCA for many years before retiring in 2010. She was an amazing cook and her famous perogies, pasties, and other polish delights will be fondly remembered and never quite duplicated correctly by those who try.

She also loved knitting, gardening, reading, was a whiz at crossword puzzles and never lost a game of scrabble.

Bonnie was an amazing daughter, mother, aunt, grandmother and friend, who will be truly missed. Bonnie is survived by her brother, David (Teresa) Dufrane, sons Howard Brod and Daniel (Lisa) Brod, and daughters Debbie (John) Crosby and Cynthia DuJack. She will also be missed by her grandchildren all of whom she was especially close to and very proud of.

James Sterling Dixon

Passed on September 9, 2021 Age: 92 James Dixon passed away after a short illness in Burlington, NC on September 9, 2021.

James was born in 1928 in Queens

NY and Married Barbara in 1953.

They resided in Rockville Centre, NY eventually retiring to NC. A Comptroller and Accountant by trade, Jim worked for the Family Business (Gray Cadillac) for 32 years and the last 5 years prior to retiring for the Town of Hempstead.

Jim was a devoted volunteer: Kiwanis, UNC/Chapel Hill Hospital, NY and NC Churches, Habitat for Humanity.

Jim and Barbara’s love for Silver Bay began in 1964 where they were seasonal visitors for 50+ years. Jim’s Silver Bay passions were Morning Dips, Craft Shop-Stained Glass and Mozart Singers. Predeceased by Wife, Barbara; Survived by Children David and Suzanne, Grandchildren, Patrick and Jessica. A Memorial Service/ Celebration of Life for both Jim and Barbara will be held on August 6, 2022 at the Silver Bay Chapel. Donations in Jim and Barbara Dixon’s memories can be made to the Silver Bay Association.

Royce Flippin Jr.

Passed on July 31, 2021 Age: 87 Royce passed away at his home. Born and raised in Montclair, NJ, Royce gained fame early in life as one of the leading scholar-athletes of the 1950s in high school and college. He lettered for three years in four sports — football, basketball, baseball, and track.

Royce went on to become a Princeton University football and baseball standout and student leader. After college, Royce served in the Marines and worked for Standard Oil before attending Harvard Business School.

Following stints at General Foods and

Smith, Barney, he joined colleague Tom Delaney to start First Spectrum, the nation’s first-ever corporateresponsibility mutual fund. In 1973, he became Princeton’s athletic director.

He went on to be athletic director at MIT for 12 years, serving five years on the NCAA Executive Committee and one year as President of the ECAC. He sat on the Ariel Investments and TerraCycle Inc. boards, among others, and advised companies including Lightbridge and New Reality Solutions.

For all his professional success, Royce’s life was expressed most deeply in the personal impact he had on countless individuals over the years. He loved lifting up others wherever he encountered them, and the stories of those he assisted along their life paths are legion. He was also devoted to his family, including his soulmate and wife of 65 years, Louise Ferdon Flippin, who survives him; his late daughter Diane Nole and her late husband Art; sons Royce 3rd (Alexis) and Robert (Patricia); six grandchildren, four siblings and their families; and his Ferdon in-laws and their families.

Royce’s energy and optimism and his willingness to go the extra mile for others have left an indelible mark on all who knew him. He will be greatly missed.

Betty Lou McClure

Passed on September 6, 2021 Age: 90 Long-time Silver Bay member, Betty Lou McClure of Lewisburg, PA, passed away at age 90. She was the daughter of a YMCA executive and a granddaughter of two international YMCA missionaries.

Betty Lou met her husband, Jim, at Silver Bay when they were Emps in 1950. All five of their daughters were Emps as well as were many of their grandchildren. She will be fondly remembered for her joyful, generous, and godly spirit, her love of singing, books, flowers and dogs, her open

hospitality and her deep love for her family.

She is survived by five daughters and sons-in-law, Holly (Terry) Kerwin, Kimberly (Mark) Pacala, Jamee (David) Sealy, Mary Elizabeth (Michael) Hudec, and Margaret (Marc) Persing as well as by 14 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Judge James McClure, her first-born daughter, Betsy, her brother, John C. Barber, Jr. and her parents, John and Elizabeth Barber.

A memorial service will be held on August 1, 2022 at Silver Bay.

Kirby Hardy Smith

Passed on March 5, 2021 Age: 60 Kirby died March 5, 2021 in a tragic skiing accident in Big Sky, MT. Kirby is survived by his devoted family: wife, Stephanie and sons, Aidan and Weston; brother, Ray Smith; sister, Sharon Short; niece, Cally (Cory) Adcock; nephew, Drew Short; and two great-nephews, Ferguson and Fitz Adcock; mother-in-law, Jean Alston; father-in-law, Thomas J.; sisterin-law, Elizabeth Alston Sheehan; brother-in law, Paul Sheehan and their sons, Connor and Avery.

Since 2005, Kirby worked at Barrow Hanley Global Investors in Dallas, serving most recently as managing director and client portfolio manager.

Kirby played as hard as he worked, if not harder. He loved researching and collecting Klipsch speakers, his earlymorning tennis matches before work, dirt bike racing, golf, skiing (water and snow), boating and riding his jet skis on the lake and riding his motorcycles.

But nothing gave him more pleasure and satisfaction than spending time with and providing love and support to his family both immediate and extended and his legions of loyal, longtime friends

Vincent Smith

Passed on May 20, 2021 Age: 80 Vincent passed away on Thursday, May 20, after a battle with cancer. A man of many creative interests and talents, he was a lawyer, designer, Feng Shui consultant, environmental psychologist, educator, writer, singer, actor, designer, and director.

He began his professional career as a lawyer in New York City. In the late 1980’s, he was introduced to the principles of Feng Shui and began studying in the United States and in China. Vincent retired from the practice of law in 1995 to devote himself to Feng Shui and the principles of environmental psychology, founding VMS Feng Shui Design Co. and Panergetics, LLC. In 2009, he took on the role of Interim CEO of Silver Bay YMCA. Upon leaving that post, he and his wife, Alice, purchased a home in Hague, NY and became active in nearby Ticonderoga.

In recent years, he worked with the town of Ticonderoga on several community projects, including the Festival Guild Players, which he founded in 2015. His final production with the Ticonderoga Festival Guild was his original play Solving Mr. Appleton’s Demise, which he directed in 2019. He was completing a sequel at the time of his death.

Vincent will be remembered by his wife Alice Silkworth, daughter Jessica Smith and her mother Eleanor Smith, son Duncan Hughes (Linsey), brother Lachlan Smith (Lynne), nephews, nieces and grandchildren, as well as extended family and friends.

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SILVER BAY YMCA of the Adirondacks

87 Silver Bay Road Silver Bay, NY 12874 www.silverbay.org

Together We Thrive

November 30, 2021