Getting More Online Networking Going About Sending Kids to Camp and Planning Their Lives for Shared Success (Families and communities growing together!)

First things first....That means many things to different people. I want to ask for 'prayers and healing' and encourage everyone to picture themselves and all in their families and circles as well and feeling good about their path, meeting friends to help do things and stay strong. Then the burdens and 'dis-ease' can slip away and energetically we are all filled with light and goodness.

Thanks for sharing in this moment and 'allowing the flow and connection with all that is nurturing to flow in you and your networks...for a few moments, minutes, as you enjoy time outdoors and look up to see trees, birds and feel the earth below your feet and 'grow roots into the ground...' See the stars at night and feel the sunlight during the day..it's all part of life and the blessing we share. These posts on this blog Livfully.org are ways of shining a light on a question, a concern, a hope, a person in need--named or not. One of those is my brother Jeff Palmer Sr of CT who is in need of healing from cancer and is at Yale at this time, rather weak and needing support. Thank you if you can consider sharing and donating to his gofundme.com set up by our sister Lisa Palmer. This is the link to share and a gift of any size is much appreciated! https://gofund.me/26404ca2

 Now this was the post I was working on....a spin off from some that I have shared on the Great Barrington Community Forum but with more details and other thoughts as well...

 I am hoping more families can network to help me find one youth who can really attend a nice camp in The Berkshires  (Great Barrington MA) with rides, family or safe housing with friends etc for a 2-week program that runs Mon-Fri from 9am to 3pm for one of 3 sessions This Summer. The first session starts June 19th...and the other is mid July, then the last is in later July. If you'd like to be in touch with me, please use my public FB page, Catherine Palmer Paton or Livfully to  message me or email me at cathpalmercares@gmail.com. Also if you'd like to donate to help a youth go to camp OR help me offset my investment of $350 (I would be happy to have barters too, help with online or real work etc...) So donations could be made to paypal.me/cathpalmpaton333

Many thanks and I explain a bit more here...and it's taken about 100 hours of 'back and forth from here to NYC and about a dozen adults and FB postings to groups and more to think this through..Plus meeting a handful of great kids who wanted to go but it didn't work out after due to various details. For a great tip however consider seeing some info online about The Grumbling Gryphons (of Cornwall CT) and see their upcoming performance on June 10th on the New Haven Green for free! Inspiring snippets of that online (and I'm in some of the video, lifting a child up to see The Golden Lady, a larger then life puppet that's been inspiring many!) There may be scholarships for the camp offered by them through Berkshire Taconic Fdtn but the deadline to apply is tomorrow 5/15/23 this year  (for kids in the Reg. One School District of CT.)

This is a process I have been working on for a few years since I purchased a 2-week session for $350 (but misplaced the certificate when asking someone else to hold it for me so there's a big lesson for all about making a third party accountability plan and clarifying with the giver and receiver of an item or written or digital product or cash etc that the transaction was made and will be followed whether for days, months or years.)

Thankfully with someone advocating for me, I was allowed to have one-week and have a couple of kids I am still hoping will feel more confident about attending the farm/nature/riverside and crafts camp with a nice small group of kids. many who go to a private school and learn about working as team and doing crafts,  speaking in unison and singing and playing the recorder together over 8 years.More public schools could benefit from that and having people share stories from their lives in a direct 'old fashioned way' or just tell as fairytale or simple story without much fanfare but let the young person's imagination 'fill in the dynamics and characters..."

I may have to offer that in a set of zoom sessions, record them and put them on a site via Clubhouse (and payhip with I have a link I will share soon about that too...) I try to pass on what I learn as I can but get busy caring for people and miss out on a lot of time online to share. Hope this is helpful!

That is a huge important Business Idea people could 'take the ball and run with' and hopefully circle 1% or more back to me going forward as I offer many such great ideas on my blog, my own and some I've learned from others and hope we can create positive flow and be more on the go about 'supporting those who have supported us over the years on various levels... or pay it forward which is what my blog effort aspires to do!) 

Like a garden with many perennials, these ideas can grow over time when given thought by a few people (that's considered a guild in permaculture terms rather than just by one person who feels they need to figure everything out for themselves). We can explore how to  support others with a little help in learning about planning for fun and asking for help. When requesting help to afford a camp or do some project whether for one person or more, usually a group such as a church or  Rotary needs more notice or information and I will explore that. Some churches may help support requests from members or have some funds for local needs of many kinds.

The Berkshire Taconic Foundation of Sheffield MA has a host of scholarships but one needs to qualify and apply in a timely manner. Every town and school could create liasons to help each family (even residents etc with grandkids or others they are helping) be aware of funding for needs and special events or programs. It's all a lovely way to encourage one another. Times can be pressing but it's all worth addressing!

I have joined Rotary (which loosened its membership requirements and is open to all who agree to their terms...and wants to get a million members!) and go to some meetings (as a guest at this point.)

I was also part of Toastmasters in the GB area for over a decade and loved learning about what people are doing and we'd have social visits for an hour after the meetings.

Mainly many people kept up with such groups because of the positive (and even at times challenging) interactions but we saw it through to good ends.

There are many cool underground efforts, even many faith-based situations and missions that would be appreciated by many more people 'if only they knew about them.'

Encouraging kids was something churches, scouts and school in NWCT and at NECC in Millerton did well so kids could feel comfortable asking for help with a fundraiser for the church, the school, camp or a mission etc.

They made friends and felt the benefit of endless gatherings for meals, friendly outings (usually that was an offshoot of the friendships made) and much more.

We couldn't keep up with the church camp outs but overall the idea that when people can get to know one another and build up some ways to share resources (at schools, faith or non-profit locations, libraries and outdoor spaces --with parking and bathrooms ideally) more people could share their skills, time and grow socially in positive ways.

We have to 'be ever so mindful and careful' about supervising youth and hopefully more private situations would factor that in as well with enough adults helping kids and even teens and young adults plan for safety, reasonable support signing up and planning for the next year and even 5-year blocks of time with more networking to help people be independent but not loners and know safe places to go and people to work with.

Thanks again and hope this discussion is helpful. I'll put this on my blog Livfully.org and hopefully Be Encouraging Others to Expect some uphill parts of a journey but see the rewards of Thinking Such Matters Through whether small scale or larger.

Each person, whatever age, counts and systems to address basic needs should be as clear and FUNctional as possible for 'easy access' even if it takes a few months or years to implement them! But time is money and efforts exerted can benefit many more people than just the primary people involved so I am exploring the Process as much as the Outcome (and yes, I studied this kind of thing at Vassar College and had to make up problems to study!)