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What We've Been Up To
BBQ Chicken Fundraiser
On April 9th we hosted our first BBQ Chicken Sandwich fundraiser at the Farmer's Credit Bank on Deep Shore Road. We raised about $1,500 for Camp Mardela through this fundraiser, and were excited to see the community and the Camp Mardela supporters join us at this event! We are planning to host this event again next year with some changes to make it an even more successful event! Thanks to Paul and Amy Hutchison for spearheading this event.
Yard Sale
On April 30th we had a Community Yard Sale. We had a great turnout from the community reserving yard sale spaces and purchasing yard sale items. We raised about $1,000 for Camp Mardela from this fundraiser, and got to get the community involved at Camp Mardela in a new way!
Camp Appreciation Day
On May 22nd we held our annual Camp Appreciation Day to kickoff the upcoming summer season and appreciating the volunteers who make camp possible, and the blessing of the space we have here at Camp Mardela as well. We had a delicious picnic meal, performances by Lynn Butler and her puppets and FairPlay, Fairview's worship band, and a presentation of appreciation for Clyde Nafzinger by Bruce Layton. It was wonderful to see the supporting churches come out to show their continued support of our ministry here at Camp Mardela.
Next year, Camp Appreciation Day will be our 75th Anniversary celebration May 21st, 2023. That date is fast approaching, and we are still looking for help to plan anniversary events, organize camp's historical archives, and put together historical documents and presentations about Camp Mardela. Please contact campmardela@gmail.com if you are able to help us with this exciting upcoming event!
Memorials
This year, we lost two dearly loved camp supporters - Kathleen "Auntie" Cole and Clyde Nafzinger. Both of these people made lasting impacts on Camp Mardela, and we are honored to be able to have their legacy live on in this place. We received many donations in memory of these wonderful people, and plan to honor them by making lasting improvements to Camp Mardela, in the same way that they have left a lasting impact on this place in their lifetimes.
Upcoming Events
Summer Staff & Volunteers
Summer Camp is just around the corner, and it takes a village of people to make it possible. We still have open staff positions in the Kitchen and Waterfront. If you or anyone you know can cook or lifeguard, we need them here at camp! Visit www.campmardela.org/jobs for job descriptions and applications! Training will start the week of June 20th.
During the summer, we have between 50-70 volunteers come and help with our programs. We are still looking for cabin counselors to help with each week of summer camp, especially Creative Arts, Tween, The Wild, Youth and Day Camp. All volunteers must complete the appropriate paperwork and attend at least 1 volunteer training being hosted on the following days:
June 9th - 6pm-8pm (Returning ONLY - In-person & ZOOM)
June 11th - 9am-12pm (New & Returning - In-person ONLY)
June 12th - 2pm-5pm (New & Returning - In-person & ZOOM)
We are also offering canoe & kayak training at Shepherd Spring on June 10th. Contact campmardela@gmail.com for job, volunteer, or training information.
Service Camp
Last summer, we were able to host a FaithX group of volunteers through Brethren Volunteer Service to help with projects around camp. This year, we are hosting our own version of this with Service Camp! Join us Thursday-Saturday on June 16-18th to not only help with camp projects, but to also participate in camp activities, such as a field trip to the Harriet Tubman museum and Blackwater refuge, camp fires, devotions, vespers, and more! Stay overnight in King Retreat Center or come daily for service and camp activities. This is sure to be an enriching and fun-filled camp weekend! This camp is available for campers 16 years and older (this is a great way for high schoolers to earn volunteer service hours!). Register online at www.campmardela.org/event-details/service-camp.
Summer Camp
We are planning a fun-filled summer! We have traditional camps for campers Pre-K - 12th grade. We also have Specialty camps including Horses, Outdoor Adventures, Creative Arts, and The Wild for 5th - 9th grade. We are also offering Day Camp for campers 2nd-4th grade in August. Camps must have at least 6 campers registered by the week before for the camp to run. You can register by completing the form included in this newsletter and mailing it to P.O. Box 460, Denton, MD 21629 with the full camp tuition or the $60 registration fee, or register online at www.campmardela.org/camp-programs.
Family Camp
Our annual Family Camp for kids from 1 to 92 is scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, September 2-4, 2022. We will have a guest speaker (to be announced soon), plus many fun-filled camp activities for all ages. Mark your calendars and make sure to join us for this event! You can register online at www.campmardela.org/event-details/family-camp or complete the registration pamphlet included in this newsletter and mail to P.O. Box 460, Denton, MD 21629.
Camp Supper
On September 17th, 4pm-7pm we will be hosting our annual Camp Supper, featuring ham, turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cole slaw, candied sweet potatoes, rolls, applesauce, desserts, and beverages for a minimum donation of $10. There will be to-go and dine-in options for this meal. Don't miss this delicious camp fundraiser and mark your calendars now!
Fundraisers & Projects
Completed Projects
We have been very successful in completing our 2022 projects. Here are the items from our list we have completed:
Add a Nature Lodge
New ceiling in Krabill kitchen
Purchase new camp truck
Get small chest freezer for camp store
Add new camps for Summer 2022
Thank you to everyone who helped with these projects and collecting items on our wish list! Special thanks to our faithful Thursday volunteers, Stanley Hutchison, Jim Lohr, Mat Baynard, Tom Schuyler, John Earl Hutchison, Ellen Wile, Gerry Garey, Jim Seymore, Bob Musch. A special thanks to Susquenita Elementary School for the generosity of your school district for donating a large portion of our Nature Lodge supplies for the summer. I also want to thank those who gave craft and kitchen supplies and other items from our wish list. Every little bit helps, and when we all bring what we are able, we can work together to help raise up this next generation, and that is an invaluable investment in the future of our youth, so thank you to everyone who helps make that possible.
Projects in Progress
We still have a few items on our list that have yet to be crossed off. Here are the outstanding items on our 2022 project list:
New mattresses for cabin bunks
We are hosting a "Cozy Cabin Campaign" to raise the funds needed to replace the cabin mattresses. Our current mattresses are thin, and many are stained and worn-out. We have 6 cabins so if 6 groups can give $1,500 for the mattress replacements, we will have the funds needed to complete this projects. Please consider helping contribute to make this improvement possible for our campers!
Add sites to RV area / improve RV area
After moving the camper from one of the sites, we have opened up a space for additional camping, but we would like to improve the sewer hook-ups, add a couple additional sites, and improve the bath house facilities in the RV area. We are working on plans for this projects, but need help raising the funds to make these improvements for the groups who come to use the RV sites. We hope to have the funds to start working on this project by spring of 2023.
Restore camp's waterfront
We are working with a grant writing team to look for the appropriate funding organizations to restore our waterfront along Watts creek, and also reducing erosion in the main camp area.
Get 2 more 8-person tents
Our Outdoor Adventures camp typically sleeps outside in large tents. Some of our tents were damaged and we are in need of 1-2 more tents for campers to use for this camp. They must be large, 8-person tents. If anyone has an 8-person tent they are no longer using, or would be willing to purchase one new to donate to camp, we will be needing it for our June and July camps.
Improving Krabill Hall
For those of your who joined us for Sights & Sounds of Christmas and this year's auction, you may have noticed that Krabill Hall can get quite chilly! At the moment, Krabill Hall is not heated, but we are hoping to change this. We want to be able to offer this space for camp events, programs, and rental groups year-round, but it will take a great deal of work and expense to make this possible. Right now, it is looking like it will cost $25,000-$35,000 to accomplish this. We will most likely start a capital campaign or seek additional grant funding opportunities to make this possible, but if you are interested in supporting this project, you can complete the donation slip included in this newsletter and send to P.O. Box 460, Denton, MD and earmark the funds for Krabill Hall.
T-Shirt Fundraiser
We are selling summer 2022 T-shirts, featuring a hand-drawn rendition of the beloved Camp Mardela hay wagon! T-shirts are now for sale at full price for $15. You can order online at https://www.campmardela.org/product-page/camp-mardela-wagon-2022-shirt or you can email campmardela@gmail.com to arrange your order and pick-up.
Scrip Gift Cards
We are still raising funds through our on-going Scrip Gift Card fundraiser! This is a great way to support Camp Mardela without spending any more money than your would normally spend. Simply purchase gift cards to stores you typically shop at online at https://www.raiseright.com/ and Camp Mardela will get a percentage of that sale! You will have to register with Camp Mardela's code for your purchases to benefit camp. You must contact campmardela@gmail.com to receive this code (for security purposes, we cannot share this code publicly).