Wavus celebrates Grand Opening with special friends

June 24, 2006

Jefferson, ME ? This past Saturday the Wavus Camp for Girls on Damariscotta Lake in Jefferson, Maine, celebrated the re-opening of the camp with 70 special guests and a few elated camper parents. The new ?sister camp? with Kieve Camp for Boys, has over 225 girls from ages 8-15 signed up for this summer.

"Opening this camp has been a dream come true?, ?this is such a beautiful campus and a special place that allows the girls to be free and be themselves" adds Suse Wicks, Director. "It is so exciting seeing enthusiastic girls running around exploring and having fun?.

The camp specializes in all the traditional in-camp activities such as pottery, sailing, swimming, canoeing, woodworking, arts & crafts and tennis. There are numerous day trips for the campers as well. Co-director Katie Moulton organizes the wilderness tripping program that provides every girl and her cabin-mates a wilderness tripping experience such as hiking, canoeing or kayaking either at Kieve-Wavus? Bremen property, Baxter State Park, numerous Maine Rivers, Mt. Washington and other parks throughout the state of Maine.

"We are excited to provide girls with the same summer-long opportunities that boys have enjoyed at Kieve since 1926," notes Henry Kennedy, Kieve-Wavus' Executive Director. "The Wavus Camps have a wonderful tradition of outstanding summer programs for boys & girls dating back to the early part of the last century, and we look forward to continuing the Wavus traditions of summer camping on Damariscotta Lake."

Guest speakers at the ceremony included Henry Kennedy, Executive Director of Kieve-Wavus Education, Inc. and Dick Kennedy, Founder of Kieve Affective Education, Inc. David Keeley, co-chair of the Kieve-Wavus Board of Trustees and Mary Senter Hart both thanked all the past Wavus supporters who helped the re-birth of Wavus from 1992 to 2005. Bob Hansmann also a trustee honored Marcia McCarthy Brown who was an inspirational leader of the Wavus Camps right up until her passing last year. Special thanks were extended to architect Eric Beckstrom, builder Bruce Laukka and his crew of craftsmen, Sean Richards of Farley & Sons Landscaping, and to a special lady who provided the inspiration to help us start this camp for girls and some of the seed money to start the camp renovations last Fall.

Kieve-Wavus Education, Inc. Trustee Daren Hudson who attended the ceremony said, ?It was fantastic to see the place full of activity, towels hanging from the railings, kayaks and canoes in the water, soccer being played. Best of all, the happy voices, smiling faces and eyes bright with enthusiasm.?

Construction began last September getting ready to open camp and welcome the new campers this past week. Kieve-Wavus has built four new double cabins overlooking Damariscotta Lake as well as a new Director?s cabin and Infirmary. In addition to the new facilities, there is also a new ropes and adventure course out on the point and all new equipment, kayaks, canoes, sailboats and gear for outstanding in-camp activities and wilderness trips.

Kieve, which began as a small summer camp for boys in 1926, has grown into a highly acclaimed year-round educational organization operating the Leadership Decisions Institute, a program for Maine middle school kids, their teachers and parents, the Kennedy Learning Center, Kieve West - a co-ed mountain wilderness program in Colorado, a Family & Alumni Adventure Camp, a 9/11 Family Camp for September 11th survivors, in addition to the summer-long Boys Camp.