What a year it's been...and what a summer! Nothing else can compare to summer at Camp Stella Maris. For eight solid weeks, we had the pleasure of watching kids be kids in the absence of technology and social status. I would be remiss if I did not thank the parents of our dedicated summer staff. Giving these amazing young people your blessing to spend their entire summer at CSM is a gift, and we are truly grateful.

We kicked off this summer in a way we've never done before. On June 21^st, among several hundred friends and staff, we celebrated the long-anticipated opening of The Wegman House. With its adjacent Riedman Family Courtyard, the entire space is the focal point of our campus. Cabins Mondo and Nana were also blessed that day. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit, I hope you'll make some time to stop by in the coming months to see these and other campus improvements.

With a few additional capital projects planned for the coming months, we are excited to refocus our energies on programming, and on the future. We will continue to dream beyond those important eight weeks of summer camp to define what lies ahead for CSM. Alan Cohen, contributing writer for the New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul, once said "It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new." Growth and change for CSM will surely take courage, along with some trial and error, but are necessary to make a meaningful impact on the lives of today's children.

So thank you for this summer. Summer breathes life back into all of us at CSM. The memories of June, July and August serve as a wonderful reminder of why we are all here.

Natalie

I am very excited to be chosen as the Interim Summer Camp Director for 2008.I know that this is a very challenging position, but I have every hope of leaning on returning staff and utilizing my knowledge of camp to carry on the tradition of all the great people who filled this position before.It is my hope that this summer will be just as special for the staff and the campers as all of the other summers since 1926, the very first CSM summer.

For me Camp Stella Maris has always been special.My life has been altered dramatically by the people that I have met and worked with and I have every intention of continuing to dedicate myself to making CSM the "place where memories are made."The summer of '08 is going to be great! See you soon!