One never knows what to expect sometimes! After 10 years of camp, the two founders of the organization are ready to step down for personal reasons, which is completely understandable. So, on several occasions they suggested to the Planning Committee that we take a year off from holding Camp and reorganize--bring in new volunteers, new ideas, etc.
The Planning Committee at it's post camp meeting in October 2015 failed to act on the idea of suspending camp in 2016 so we scheduled the first planning meeting for 2016 to be held on January 14.
So what do these gentlemen do? On January 12 they send an email to the entire list of campers and former campers telling them (and the Committee) that the committee meeting for Jan 14 and the entire camping event for 2016 is cancelled.
I, for one, was amazed that the "leaders" of a volunteer organization would consider themselves so vital and important to the operation of 4C Camp for Adults that we couldn't possibly proceed without them. But this is apparently the situation.
These gentlemen don't seem to realize that it's this sort of mindset that caused the problem that they won't to solve by taking a year off. Get it? Yeah, me neither.
A volunteer organization can't be run by a clique who offer their opinions as the only correct way for the organization to proceed. I can't count the number of new volunteers who came to meetings prepared to join the Planning Committee only to have their suggestions rebuked by the "experts" and the offer of their time and talents disregarded by control-freaks who never learned that successful leadership includes the fine art of delegating responsibility to qualified (in this case) volunteers.
Last night in town I found out that at least three other Committee members are as outrages as I am. One didn't even receive the memo and showed up for the nonexistent meeting. So here we are, a group of volunteers ready, willing and able to conduct business and the keepers of the checkbook ready and willing to hold us back. The big question is, tho, will they be able?
I think the concept of Camping to Create Caring Communities and getting citizens involved in doing for ourselves what the government can't or won't do is too important to walk away from. So I won't, and if I'm correct, neither will most of the other volunteers.