Building Community on the Delaware
Shore
I just had the best snorkeling day of my
life AND on my 62nd birthday! Pretty cool, huh? (Saying it was the best
is no small claim as we have snorkeled in the Caribbean and in French
Polynesia.)
Let me start at the beginning—Mary and
I went to the Florida Keys for vacation. We stayed outside of Key West
on Cudjoe Key and spent several days on the beach at Bahia Honda State
Park. (By the way, the beach offers turquoise waters and beautiful white
sand that does not have to be brought in from the Bahamas, as is true in
Key West.) The Park provides a snorkeling trip, about 45 minutes off
shore, to Looe Key Reef. When Mary asked what I wanted to do for my
birthday, Looe Key was at the top of my list. On the way out we learned
that the reef is the third largest in the world and that we could expect
to see abundant sea life. When we arrived and slipped off the boat into
the water, it was immediately obvious that the captain had not
exaggerated. You could not swim a stroke in any direction without seeing
multiple fishes. There were schools of amber jacks, grouper, and
parrotfish in extraordinary shades of neon green, yellow and blue. Then
there was brain and pipe coral plus fan coral in a majestic shade of
blue. About the time that we were thoroughly mesmerized, a 5 foot long
black-tipped shark swam about 8 feet under us followed soon after by a 5
foot barracuda. I was in awe! Mary was on her way back to the boat!
During one of the days that we spent in
Key West, we visited the gay and lesbian community center. The Community
Center is located in a small building with a great location on Truman
Avenue just off of Duval Street. While there, I met their executive
director, Michael Citro. He has spent time in Rehoboth and was very
complimentary of CAMP Rehoboth’s work and our success in growing with
the community’s needs. He remembered Sundance particularly fondly and
spoke of our fundraising successes. Now I have to confess! My biggest
reason for stopping in to visit was to get ideas that CAMP Rehoboth
might be able to use to increase our revenue or our programming. After
talking to Michael and looking around the Key West Center, I would say
that we have many things in common—right down to the big jar of
condoms.
What is seemingly quite different is our
population size. Key West has a population of 25,000 people while
Rehoboth Beach’s population is 1,500. Wait! I know; I know! The
Rehoboth Beach gay and lesbian community is much larger than the borders
of the incorporated city. Still, I suspect that Key West has a greater
number of gay and lesbian residents than Rehoboth Beach by quite a few.
It certainly accounts for why Michael Citro was so impressed with CAMP
Rehoboth’s accomplishments.
Remember Margaret Mead’s oft quoted
remark? “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed
citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever
has.” I maintain that the
gay and lesbian community in Rehoboth is uniquely served by
“thoughtful, committed citizens” who recognize that the only way to
have what you want in your community is to commit your time, talent and
financial resources to the task. Pages 8 and 9 offer ways that you can
join your fellow citizens in meeting the needs of our community.
Most
visitors to the Keys enjoy the rest and relaxation. My visit netted me
rest, relaxation and a renewed commitment to help grow CAMP Rehoboth so
that it continues to meet the needs of our community. Please help!
Beth Fitton is Development Director of
CAMP Rehoboth. She may be reached at beth@camprehoboth.com
or by calling 302-227-5620.
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