For Her Future...For Her Daughter's Future Part 1

A personal account by Alexis Webb Bechtold.


Going through the attic at my Mom's house a few months ago, we stumbled upon her "Camp Fire Memories" scrapbook. Of course I took immediate interest in anything that was Camp Wakahni related. My mom was one of the first campers at Wakahni. She enjoyed many happy summers there as a camper, then a CIT (Counselor In Training), and finally a counselor. Clearly it made an impact on her--so much so, that when she had daughters, she made sure that we too attended Camp Wakahni & were involved in Camp Fire. 

Printed in 1960 - Front of brochure

But the story doesn't actually begin with Mom. In our family, the Camp Fire story begins with Granny & Gramps (Dale & Nita Allmon - my Mom's parents). They were on the board when the Ozarks Council bought Graydon Springs & renamed it Wakahni. They were there when the dreaming began to build a distictive bridge across the creek (Gramps actually designed that bridge!). They were there when the capital campaign committee designed the brochure that I found in my Mom's scrapbook 50 years later. They held that piece of paper that talked of their 10 year old daughter & her friends. They found an amazing place in Polk County where their daughter could "learn by doing". They obviously were thinking of her future...but they were also thinking of me & my sister! No really! Look at the front of the brochure! My grandparents looked at that property & thought of me almost 20 years before I was born. That hit me hard. Mom just laughed & said, "Who would have believed back then that we would be doing essentially the same thing now!?" She is right. We are back to almost the same spot, almost exactly 50 years later. Even though that can make me a little sad, it also invigorates me! 


On this Mother's Day I shout, "Thank you!," to all of the grandmothers that led Camp Fire to bring up the great women at Camp Wakahni. Those women had daughters of their own & showed us the magic of Wakahni/Graydon Springs. With their help & your help, we will proudly continue the declaration seen at the bottom of the brochure, "Tomorrow is built today."

NEW News Abounds!

Its been a big week for the GSOL community & its only Tuesday! 

• NEW twitter account! www.twitter.com/GraydonSprings share it with your friends, your family, your neighbors, your doggies...well, you get the point. Just share it!
• NEW youtube channel! www.youtube.com/user/GSOLogist 
• This is where we announced our 1st ever t-shirt winner! Wondering who it is? Well, you will just have to watch the crazy video to find out! 
• 200+ "likers" on the facebook page lead to the t-shirt winner! Congratulations! If you have not already become a liker, you should! Go, like the page & you might win next time!
• NEW Trivia Night FUNdraiser planned! The whole 1st floor of McSalty's on Battlefield will be reserved for your big brains! Come hungry, as McSalty's is generously donating 10% of all sales that night to GSOL!
• Plans are being made for not just 1, but 2 Reunion/Open House events this summer! Did you know that 50 years ago this summer the Graydon Springs property was first used as a camp?! If you or someone you know has ever been a camper there (traditionally called Camp Wakahni), please PLEASE make sure to invite them! Details will be posted soon!

Remember, the High-5 Campgain is still going strong. If you haven't already donated, its not too late!

We hope your week is as exciting as GSOL's! 

-Alexis

Go GREEN for Graydon!

This week is GREEN GREEN GREEN for Graydon!!

• You can now go GREEN in saving paper by donating online! It's simple & fun! Make sure to list Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy as your Fund/Program when you go to https://ssl.4agoodcause.com/cfozarks/donation1.aspx?id=1
• Lots of GREEN (meaning money) was raised on Tuesday night at our 2nd Trivia Night! Almost 60 people played along! We haven't heard yet how much Garbo's is generously donating. 
• GSOL t-shirts are available! No, they are not colored GREEN. They are a "GREEN" product: locally made & printed in the Ozarks (little gasoline used) with organic cotton. Please email us (GraydonSprings@gmail.com) to purchase one for $18 - all of that money goes straight to GSOL! Thank you Third Street Sportswear for donating them! 

We hope to see or hear from you all soon! Things are ramping up & YOUR donations and input matters!

We Need YOUR Donations!

Good morning all! 

We have an AWESOME opportunity for your donations to be doubled! We have a $500 matching donation waiting for us if we can raise $500 by the end of this week! That means we would be 1/5 of the way to our goal of $5000 by 5-5-11!!  WAHOOO!!!!!!!!!! Please mail donations to our PO Box or give to a board member!

Other FUNdraising items on the agenda:

• 2nd Trivia Night will be at Garbo's in Springfield, March 15, 2011 - Join a team now or form your own team!
• Belle Epoque Salon in Kansas City, MO will host a First Friday celebration on April 1 including a fundraiser for GSOL! More details soon, but mark your calendar for a great night out on April 1!
• Of course, the High-5 Fundraising Campaign is underway! Our goal is $5000 by 5-5-11!
• Have you donated $5? 
• Have you asked for $5 from 5 friends?

More to come! 

What is YOUR Legacy?

-Alexis

GSOL is movin' on up!

GSOL has taken the next step in this incredible journey of starting up! We now have a Business page on facebook. We hope this will serve everyone better than the Group page. We will now concentrate our facebook updating efforts on the business page. 

Please take just a moment to "like" Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy. As soon as we have 25 "likes" we can get a username - will YOU be that 25th "like"?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Graydon-Springs-Outdoor-Legacy/110762322333941

Logo-riffic = Susan Gill!

Have you noticed something different on our blog? You are right! We have a logo!!!!! A HUGE thank you goes out to Susan Gill!

Susan Gill volunteered her skills to bring us to the next level in our journey. She has incorporated the nature of Graydon Springs, the old Craft Hut & even the flowing springs into one beautiful logo. She welcomes commissioned designs. If you are in need of a great logo or other graphic design services, please contact Susan!


designs by susan gill
susangill@susangill.us
www.susangill.us
573-289-1460

What can I do?

Every time I tell someone about Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy, the first thing they say is, "Wow. That's neat, but its going to be a lot of work!" You are correct! But, building & securing a legacy should be hard work, right? Otherwise, why would I have reason to pass it along to the next generation? The next thing they say is, "Let me know what I can do to help." We are finally to the point that we can respond, "FUNDRAISERS!" & "Get the word out!" 

We have two things to focus on at this point in the start up of GSOL: Name Recognition & Fundraising. We have taken serious looks at who we are serving, who our supporters are & in what manner they would all like to achieve these 2 goals. We have multiple fundraisers for you to have fun with your friends & family as well as spread the word that GSOL exists. Anytime you can bring GSOL up in conversation, please do. If you know someone who is interested in any of the 5 goals (education, sustainability, recreation, preserving Ozarks history, or community building), please spread the word. 

Here are the currently planned fundraiser event. Of course, you are welcome to donate at any point without an event.

High-5 Fundraiser - ongoing through 5-5-11!


Oscar Watch Party - February 27 - multiple locations, you could even participate from your own home!

February 22 Trivia Night - Springfield's McSalty's Pizza on Battlefield

March 15 Trivia Night - Springfield's Garbo's Pizza in Chesterfield Village


We hope to see you soon! I will continue to share fun ways to spread the word about GSOL.


-Alexis/Taxi

Give a High 5 to GSOL!

You just thought the days of "High 5-ing" someone to celebrate, encourage or welcome were in the past! It is time to give a big High 5 for on behalf of Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy!


5 FAQs:

• #1: Why 5? There are many reasons, here are 5:
1. 5 Goals
1. Education
2. Recreation
3. Community building
4. Ozarks History
5. Sustainability
2. A $5 donation won't put a burden on most budgets.  
3. There are 5 Founders of GSOL.
4. Anyone can be involved, babies to college students to the wiser generations!
5. A High-5 is a really fun way to start out a grass-roots organization!
• #2: What is a GSOL High 5? Simply put - $5 donations (or more in $5 increments) from as many people as possible. 
• #3: How can I be involved? Send in a donation of $5 or more to our shiny new PO Box
• Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy, PO Box 834, Ozark, MO 65721
• ***CORRECTION ALERT! At original posting of this blog the PO Box was incorrect. The correct PO Box number is above!***
• #4: Is there an online donation option? Great question! Not yet, but it is coming soon. Keep your eye open for that awesome announcement!
• #5: Where do I direct questions about the High-5 fundraiser? email GraydonSprings@gmail.com, on facebook, or by leaving a comment here!

Back to the Future from the Year 2010!

I apologize for not posting this in a more timely manner. I was under the impression that I would be able to edit & post from my smartphone...alas, I cannot at this time. Anyway, on to the post that was supposed to be posted last year, on Dec 29. 

The last meeting of 2010 was a HIT! Last night we met at Panera & took over the little back nook. 10 people were there! 10 people in 2010! There has been a flurry of activity this month, even though our web presence has been a bit quiet. Lots of research, paperwork & networking has occured & will continue. Here are a few of the highlights:

1. RESEARCH:
• We are pretty sure the hoopla that the botanist made about "the fern" all those years ago was all over a tiny plant called the Geocarpon. It only grows in Western MO & a few spots in Arkansas & Louisianna! Listed endangered by the Missouri Department of Conservation and threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It seems that it is one of the world's rarest plants & most likely lives at Graydon Springs! We are developing plans to research it & protect it...of course, we must buy the land first.
• We have researched all kinds of fundraising ideas & details to go along with those. 
2. PAPERWORK & ADMIN:
• Plans are in place to open a bank account in the new year.
• 501(c)3 paperwork is coming along.
• As soon as that is mailed, we can open an account with Community Foundation of the Ozarks. This will enable us to take donations & donors recieve tax deductions.
• Rhonda & I will be joining the National Association for Professional Women on behalf of GSOL.
3. FUNDRAISING:
• Kristy said she & others were doing the math of how many campers were likely involved in Camp Wakahni over the years. Yes, we realize many (like myself) were multi-week &/or multi-year campers...but lets just go with general numbers here. We approximate there could have been close to 17,500 campers over the years there! Now, if we could track down all of those people & each of them donates just $5, we would have $87,500!
• I am happy to announce that we have our first $5 donation from a friend of mine that wasn't ever a camper there, but has a great enthusiasm for our goals. I promise it was super easy to ask a friend for $5. 
• For more information about this effort, please see the next blog post. 
• If you have questions about this fundraising idea, please just shoot us an email.
• We would like to create a HUGE push for fundraising & "friend-raising" in the month of April - Earth Day Month. 
• A family-oriented Adventure Race of some kind. 

More updates to come! What is YOUR outdoor legacy?
-Alexis

Favorite of 5?

As we continue on this exciting journey of revitalizing this amazing gem of the Ozarks, we have come to some conclusions that have been apparent for years. There are many camps around the country that were opened in the 1960's that were simply intended for summer camp. This was great at the time...but slowly we have seen these camps fold under financial strains, urban areas encroaching on the properties, as well as just an inability to really keep up high quality facilities (even rustic ones) during 9 months of disuse & 3 months of heavy use year after year. Because of this, we know that Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy MUST find year-round uses of the property for it to not return to what it is currently. We realize some uses of the property may not be year-round by itself. By combining all of these will make it a great resource to the Ozarks & USA at large! Below is a quick list of the 5 viable areas we see making Graydon Springs a year round facility. What is your favorite of 5? Maybe that's where you can become involved!

Education

• Environmental Education Center
• for schools
• for public classes
• for Summer Camp focuses on Environmental Education/Sciences
• Training ground for aid workers destined for remote areas
• Training ground for volunteers of all kinds of areas
• Space for a ‘Seeds of Peace’ type camp- http://www.seedsofpeace.org/

Recreation

• Campground for public use from the trail 
• Summer Camp
• Recreation - adventure training, races, orienteering

Ozarks Heritage

• Nature preserve
• Site for historic education- dealing with early settlements, 19th century medicine, early 20th century science
• A place for ‘train enthusiasts’ to gather
• Wildlife/Native American education

Sustainability

• “Lab” for green technology & techniques
• Agriculture - local, organic, gardens, possibly lease pasture land to other parties
• A teaching center for sustaniable agriculture techniques

Community

• Family Retreat Center - to foster healthy families, which prevents child abuse issues in Ozarks, etc
• Host music festivals
• partner with other organizations to find new uses for property