Register Now for 2009 Oakland Feather River Camp!

I will reprise my role as voice teacher, singer, repertoire coach, chief percussionist, mistress of keyboards, inspirational eater, hiker and mom this year at Oakland Feather River Camp, during Family Garage Band Week, July 12 - 19. Call 510-336-CAMP (2267) or fax your form to 510-601-1595. Details are posted at www.FeatherRiverCamp.com, where you can print the registration form from the site. If you register by January 31, 2009, you'll receive the 2008 rates!

I just received this lovely note from Lily Kaplan, the executive director of Oakland's historic city camp outside Quincy, California in the Plumas National Forest. I thought I'd share it:

From the Executive Director

Happy New Year Campers!

As I look ahead, 2009 holds great promise for us here at Oakland Feather River Camp, and after watching the inauguration of our 44th president I'm inspired by the vision that Obama laid before us of service, social justice, and shared spirit. Though the daily news is full of daily doom, I think that there is a great potential for silver linings in the clouds above our heads. As far as I can tell, the sky is definitely NOT falling!

As our culture undergoes a great shift we have a chance to re-evaluate what is most important to us ... and to choose more carefully how we spend our precious resources. Whether those resources be time, money, energy or gasoline we seem to be making more cautious and considered choices at this time in history.

The dialogue of the day revolves around safety, stability, and security and the whirlwind of fear is filled with thoughts like, "what is going to happen next??" As a result, do we choose to tithe as we did last year or are we holding on more tightly? Do we invest in our youth or are we pulling ourselves back inward? Where do we find the grounding to help us hold steady as the winds blow us about? The fear is there to grab us up in a heartbeat. In some places the anxiety levels are soaring, yet in others a sense of hope and possibility abide. Here in Oakland we are tested to find our resilience as we face budget deficits, a community seeking justice, and a city struggling with issues of violence.

And yet, I believe in the people of Oakland. The first thing I noticed, the first time I went to Oakland Feather River Camp was the wonderfully interesting community of people that I met there. Somehow I was surprised to discover that nearly everyone I met was a neighbor. Or felt like a neighbor. Although not every single person at camp was from Oakland, most were, and I found an experience of connection and pride there that is rare and special.

I've learned, over the years of going to camp that this symbiosis comes from what I think of as the magic of place. The magic of Oakland Feather River Camp and the sacred Maidu land upon which it sits helps us to let down the defenses we wear in the city. The community of camp creates a safe place where, though we may be different in appearance, ideology or creed, we are able to connect with one another in ways that feed the spirit and the soul.

I hope that in 2009 more Oakland residents, especially YOUTH, find that pride and connection to Oakland as they discover their community up at camp and expand their Oakland identity to include Quincy or Plumas National Forest. This is the promise I see as I look forward into 2009. I see a continuing growth of community at Oakland Feather River Camp, particularly for our youth.

As we prepare to host the Fourth Annual Camp Kick Off & Ice Cream Social [on January 31] with the Silent Auction Fundraiser to benefit our Youth Programs, I hope that you will join us!

And, as always, I look forward to sharing camp with you this summer.

Fondly,

Lily