By Jacki Weber, Member of UU Santa Monica
Last year, because of drought, Camp de Benneville Pines, our UU retreat center in the mountains near Big Bear, had to truck in thousands of gallons or water to fill its pool so youth campers could swim.
The year before, when the Lake Fire hit, the US Forest Service was unable to tap water from our tank to fight the fire, even though the fire started just a few hundred feet away from Camp’s water tank.
Camp has been quietly raising money for years to get a new tank that will hold more water and be accessible in case of fire. Now the challenge is urgent. It’s going to cost well over $100,000 to complete the project and if Camp doesn’t move now, it will lose the permit and have to begin the process again next year, creating even more expense.
The good news is that a woman from the San Dieguito fellowship has put up a $50,000 challenge. Every dollar that folks contribute right now will be doubled.
During the month of August, 40% of our Sunday offering will go to Camp, helping UU Santa Monica represent. But if you can make your own additional contribution, it’ll make all the difference in meeting the challenge.
We are so fortunate that we have a place where like Camp de Benneville Pines, where we can spend time offline, out in nature, with kindred spirits, connecting with our interdependent web and our life-affirming UU values…and making heart connections that last a lifetime.
Donate to the Water Tank Challenge online at debennevillepines.org. Do it today and your dollars will be matched.
