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

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

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