I'm sorry to have sad news to share in this holiday season. Senta Hoge, our host from 2014-2016 at the Santa Fe Tree House Camp, passed away December 9th. Please join me and our Mountain Friends Camp board in holding Senta and her loved ones in the Light. She was the heart and soul of the Tree House Camp, and I'm deeply grateful for her vision and strength. Senta passed on quickly and in her own home, leaving behind memories of joyful and peaceful times in nature in the minds of the thousands of children and adults who came through SFTHC over the decades. The Mountain Friends Camp board members prepared a few affirmations and memories of Senta to share with her loved ones. You can read those here.
If you'd like to share an affirmation, have questions for me or would like me pass on information as we get it about a memorial service or other ways to honor Senta's memory, please email me at director@mountainfriendscamp.org.
The Santa Fe Tree House Camp is a nonprofit organization, and while there are challenges ahead their board of directors is committed to keeping camp open and hosting groups in 2017. See more about our "New Location and 2017 Dates" below.
You can help by recommending Mountain Friends Camp to a friend, and by making a tax deductible donation by following the links below.
If you are a camp parent/guardian and didn't receive or complete a 2016 camp evaluation email, please take a minute to think back to this summer and give us your feedback here!
Thank You,
to everyone who participated in Mountain Friends Camp this year, whether through your presence at camp or your support of our community. I'm humbled and inspired by the hard work and growth I see each summer in our campers and staff, and we couldn't do it without help from so many.
Many thanks to everyone who has already given this year-- if you haven't yet, please consider a contribution. Any amount will give more young people the opportunity to practice peace and inclusion, make lifelong friends, and find joy in nature and creative arts. In this dark winter we look forward to the sunshine and growth next summer at camp! Anastacia Ebi
435-554-1132 // director@mountainfriendscamp.org
This fall our wonderful camp cook and MFC board member Beverley Weiler made a connection with another nonprofit in Northern New Mexico, which has developed into a new partnership and location for 2017. Collins Lake Ranch is located near Mora NM; their mission is "to provide meaningful opportunities to people with developmental disabilities who desire to participate in a rural mountain community." I visited in November with a few other MFC leaders, and was impressed with their vision and community. We see huge potential in their gorgeous mountain valley location (with a 12 acre lake, soccer field, organic garden, and farm animals!) and even more in the potential for our program and campers to grow through connecting and building community with those with disabilities. There are currently five adults with developmental disabilities living on the ranch, with 24/7 support staff. MFC would have a separate camp area, which would be quite rustic for the first year but would have access to the commercial kitchen, water and electricity, and some integrated programs ranging from plork projects (including feeding the ducks and alpaca!) to crafts and sing-a-longs.
We're still working out the last logistics but expect to move forward with a two-week session this summer! Read more and see pictures on their website, www.collinslakeranch.org, and please contact me with questions. Returning campers will have a preference for this new camp location. We're pausing Family Camp for a summer due to the challenges of adding a new location, and hope to bring it back next year. Don't set it in stone yet, but I know families are looking ahead to summer schedules and these are the dates we're working with for both locations: (Tentative) 2017 Dates: July 4-8: Staff Orientation
July 9-21: 1st Camp Session at Collins Lake Ranch
July 23-29: 2nd Camp Session at Tree House Camp Both hosts have these dates set aside for MFC, but at the Santa Fe Tree House Camp they need more time due to Senta's unexpected death to get all the logistics clear to move forward. We're hoping to open registration in January or early February; keep your eyes peeled for the next newsletter and sign up early!
