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

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

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

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