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."

Events! Events! Events!

So much to do! So many friends to see! So many people to tell about Graydon Springs Outdoor Legacy! If you have been wondering how to get involved, NOW is the time to do it! Check out the list of dates, times, locations, events to see how to get connected & involved!

Event Planning Meeting

May 5, 6:30pm, enthusiasm & fun ideas needed

Springfield Artsfest

May 7 & 8, volunteers needed

Camp Clean Up 

various dates in May & June (TBA)

Young Sprouts in the Garden

May 21, 9am-1pm, come see our hay bale garden in action!

The Botanical Center & Gardens at Nathanael Greene|Close Memorial Park

2400 S Scenic Ave

 

May Trivia Night

McSalty's on Battlefield

May 26, 6:30pm-9pm

Open House / Wakahni Reunion!

June 4, 10am-6pm (bonfire at 4pm)

INVITE EVERYONE!

If you have any questions, ideas, or just enthusiasm & excitement to share, then send it to GraydonSprings@gmail.com ! We can't wait to make new friends but keep the old!

See you all soon!

-Alexis/Taxi

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

Quick List = Easy to Read

Hello everyone!

There is SO MUCH to talk about! I thought I might be easier to make a list & check it twice...oh wait, that's a Christmas song. I will make a list & then expound upon each item in another blog.

1. 501(c)3 paperwork is complete & sent in!!!! Becky worked very hard at it & has made a masterpiece (can that be said about a legal form filled out?)! Thank you Becky! 
• We have also become part of the Community Foundation of the Ozarks! Wahoo! 
2. Bylaws have been adopted! Again, Becky was the brains of this legal creation. Thank you! The of the Board of Directors utilized email to discuss, adapt & vote on the bylaws. It was beautiful to see this happen over email throughout a day. Great job to our Board!
3. Speaking of our Board, we now have 9 members! This is where we will stop. All nine are excited to see this Legacy become reality. We have elected officers & formed committees. 
4. Fundraising is kicking off to a great start!
1. We have donors who have committed to a matching donation if we get $500 extra dollars raised. This is an easy way to donate & double what you give!
2. 1st Trivia Night was a BLAST!!!! It was held Feb 22 at McSalty's. Photos are posted on our facebook page.
3. 2nd Trivia Night will be at Garbo's in Springfield
4. Oscar Watch Party was a raging success in Washington DC! Thank you to Elise & her friends who had fun watching & donating!
5. Of course, the High-5 Fundraising Campaign is underway (notice this is #5 on this list)! 
• Have you donated $5? 
• Have you asked for $5 from 5 friends?
5. This is just a little thing, but exciting nonetheless. We have new tabs at the top of our blog. Did you see them? Please take a moment to check them out. You will see we have some links to really great friends of GSOL. Do you know someone's business (or your own) that could become a friend of GSOL? Let us know!

Ok. That's 5 in our list. I hope it was a quick read & come back for the details. 

What is your legacy?

-Alexis

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

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

I'm So Excited - for Next Tuesday's meeting, that is!

In case you haven't heard, we are holding our first Public Discussion Meeting next week! Consider the blurb below the "theatrical trailer" for the meeting:


We wanted to tell you about something we're pretty excited about... do you remember Camp Wakahni? The property is up for sale again and we are creating an interest group to find a way to purchase the property and make it usable to the community for a variety of purposes. The property is a little run down, but has excellent potential for a variety of Educational, Recreational, Historical, Sustainable and Community uses. It is just too much of a gem to let go! Right now, we are just gathering ideas from various groups and community members with the hope that together we can make this happen. We are meeting to discuss ideas next Tuesday night, October 19 at the Shewmaker Center at Drury at 7pm. We would love for you to join us!


You know you are excited! You just can't wait to get involved at the very beginning of this AWESOME legacy project! Thus, you should come!!!


If you cannot make it, do not fret! We will be posting minutes of the meeting soon after. Read them. Love them. Feel like you were actually there...then respond to the info. YOUR participation is desired! This is a legacy for everyone - including YOU!


Lastly, if you know someone who you think would be interested in hearing more about GSOL, please pass this along to them. THANK YOU!

GSOL meets Go Lead & Monthly Meet Up

Posted by Alexis

My wonderful momma heard about a great opportunity in Springfield. I will be attending a monthly class/networking for new Non-Profit professionals, Go Lead at MSU. As you might know, the non-profit world is where my heart lives. I am not motivated by the bottom line (although we always have to keep it mind), but alturism spurs me on. How can I help someone else? I have worked many years on the programming side of non-profits & LOVE it. You have deemed me worthy of taking that next step though. Jumping into a different realm of the non-profit world...Executive Director. Honestly, I am terrified of this idea, because I have always found myself flourishing in the programming side. Now its time to take the leap. This class will help give me the skills to take our little idea of GSOL (ok, its a really BIG idea) from idea, to reality. The class, paired with you (if you are reading this, I AM talking to YOU, even if we haven't met yet) & your support will get us to the next step.

In light of the fact that many of us will be in Springfield at the same time, we have decided a monthly meeting is called for. Our first of these (does this feel like history in the making?) will be held on September 29 probably in the evening. Please leave a comment, or email us (graydonsprings@gmail.com) to let us know if you would like to join the conversation & what time would be best for you. 

I leave you with a question, "What is your outdoor legacy?"