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Ireland "Friends Forever" Program at Kieve
The Rotary Club of Damariscotta/Newcastle joined with Kieve-Wavus to host the “Friends Forever” visit in Mid-coast Maine last October.
The Friends Forever program, in existence since 1986, welcomed five Protestant and five Catholic teens from Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland for a week at Kieve. They were placed into a carefully structured “life raft” being housed and transported together with the goal that they become like brothers and sisters and teach their peers at home about peaceful coexistence once they returned. This is a very successful week that takes teens that are “enemies” at home and places them in an environment where they must trust and learn from each other.
The young people visited Lincoln Academy for an entire day, spent an evening for a meal in area family homes and worked along side Rotarians in a community service project at the Lincoln Home. They were hosted by the St. Patrick’s Church Senior Youth Ministry group for a Sunday Service and were feted at a Community/Teen dinner at St. Patrick’s Parish Hall. The entire group presented a program at the Rotary Club meeting and for the residents of The Lincoln Home Assisted Living Facility.
The local Rotary Club provided a portion of the cost of bringing the group to the Mid-Coast and Kieve-Wavus provided food, housing, recreation, and the all important team building and trust training for the group.
The group consisted of ten teens (14-16 year olds, five girls and five boys) and three adult chaperone/group leaders. The teens were selected after an extensive interview and application process and agreed to meet for over a year after they return to Northern Ireland for follow up and to share their learning experience with their peers at home. Post visit communications between Rotarians and the Friends Forever teens indicate that the successful bonding experience at Camp Kieve was the highlight of this year’s visit. Thanks go out to Gary Speers and the Damariscotta-Newcastle Rotary. Plans are in the works for Kieve-Wavus to host another group this coming fall.
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| The Friends Forever program will be returning in October '08! |
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Kieve hosts 6th Annual 9/11 Family Camp
Kieve-Wavus hosted their 6th Annual Family Camp for families affected by the September 11th tragedies. Individuals and families from FDNY Ladder Company 3, FDNY Battalion 6 and Cantor Fitzgerald in New York as well as The Pentagon all arrived at Kieve for another week of laughter, hugs, support, and lots of fun, games and entertainment.
Kieve sends thanks to the many local businesses and sponsors including: Yellowfront Grocery, Big Al’s Super Values, The Pemaquid Fisherman’s Co-op, Mook Sea Farm, Weatherbird, Ducktrap of Maine, Hannaford, Artsake Framing, Judy & Louis Doe, O'Hara Ice, Mexicali Blues, The Schooner Eastwind, Round Top Ice Cream, Flowers by Judy Doe, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, Stonewall Stables, The Union Fair, Sysco of Northern New England, North Center Foods and Awshucks Oyster Shucker. In addition to all of the wonderful donations by these businesses, Kieve sends thanks to the individuals who have helped raise the funds each year to offer this expense-free week for these individuals and families.
Kieve would also like to recognize and thank the volunteers who helped make this year's camp a special success: Bill & Ann Mallory, Rich & Mimi Roughgarden, Bob & Judy Linker, Ron Gerard, Janice & Doug Burke, Alan Baldwin, Jim Dorian, Ann Marie Orr, Dan Unruh, Henry Chance, and Gary Stone. 9/11 Family Camp Director Russ Williams said, “These individuals along with local businesses and our staff helped make this year's camp the best ever in the 6 years of offering the camp.
This year, families went fishing with avid bass fisherman & Maine Guide Ron Gerard, water skiing and on the lake with Bill Mallory. Kieve opened the high ropes and adventure course at both Kieve and Wavus. Daily outings were organized for shopping in Damariscotta, Freeport and Camden and an afternoon sail on the Schooner Eastwind from Boothbay Harbor. A baseball game at Kieve’s “Fenway Park” was lots of fun as was the ping pong tournament. There were trips to Stonewall Stables for horseback riding, The Union Fair, Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens and a hike up Megunticook Mtn. in Camden. One of the evenings was filled with fun and laughter by magician Rick Bernard from St. George. There was also a beautiful star-filled evening next to the campfire with songs and stories and later there was great music by Bruce Marshall. For the 6th year the Pemaquid Fisherman's Co-op provided a great authentic lobster bake including oysters, clams, onions, corn and eggs and wonderful blueberry cake. As a special treat before the lobster bake, lobstermen Russ Nesbit, Brian Bickford and Lewis Cameron took all the participants out in their boats to haul a few traps in John’s Bay. The final evening included a surprise performance by the Rocky Bay Bagpipe Band that was very emotional and moving for all.
September 11th, 2001 changed the world and changed our lives in ways we could never imagine. Kieve has had a unique opportunity to share our beautiful campus, natural beauty and relative safety with these special families. Over the last 6 years, caring and lasting friendships have developed and grown out of the camp. Williams says, “it is very rewarding for all of us to be able to help our friends from away doing what we do best at our beautiful camps”.
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| Our friends from FDNY & The Pentagon enjoyed the pipes from the Rocky Bay Pipe Band on closing night. |
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