Letter from the Executive Director
Anyone who has been a camper or student at Kieve or Wavus knows our one rule: Everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect. Each day that rule guides us and is acted upon countless times. Below are just a couple of examples.
10 years ago we all watched in horror as the World Trade Center and Pentagon were attacked. Kieve’s instinctive, immediate response was to extend a helping hand to our New York and DC fellow Americans in harm’s way by inviting them to the safety and natural healing of the Maine woods. Out of one of the most disastrous days in the history of our country, a cascade of goodness began. We surrounded our new friends with love and time to enjoy the simple beauty all around us. Soon surviving colleagues and family members found people to share their grief who truly understood their pain. Slowly they regained their considerable strength. Now, after a decade of attending our family camp every August, the 9-11 folks are adamant that we invite the Iraq and Afghanistan returning veterans and their families to Kieve during the same week. They want to share this place and their new-found strength with other brave, young Americans who have selflessly put themselves in harm’s way.
Kieve’s and Wavus’ Maine Trails trip is a 22 day adventure, half in sea kayaks paddling the Maine Island Trail and half on foot hiking the final 100+ miles of the Appalachian Trail. This summer marked the first ever Wavus Maine Trails and the 20th year of Kieve’s Maine Trails. Between our 2 camps, this summer 6 groups of teenagers completed the grueling trip. Most of these campers grew up here over as many as 10 summers; the bonds formed and the lessons learned are some of the strongest in their lives. Early in the backpacking portion, a camper in one of the groups developed some knee problems and was devastated that he would have to leave the trip. Without hesitation the other boys in the group divided up the gear in his pack, lightening his load sufficiently so that he could continue on. Two weeks later I had the privilege of standing at the top of Mt. Katahdin on a day socked in by clouds. These same boys waited for me to summit first, followed by the Wavus girls. About 10 minutes later we heard the Kieve song and through the mist emerged a line of 12 smelly, singing, happy hikers.
Thanks to the leaders who have come before us at Kieve and Wavus, the spirit of giving comes naturally here. It is engrained in every person who spends time on these sacred shores. That is how it has been for nearly 90 years and that is how it will be forever. Thank you, our extended Kieve-Wavus family, for instinctively treating people with kindness and respect and for the critical role you play in making a difference in this world.
Faithfully yours,
Henry R. Kennedy
Executive Director, Kieve-Wavus Education, Inc.
