Hey Fareta friends and family --
This is hard to talk about, but it's necessary. We need your support in order to keep Camp Fareta going.
Camp Fareta started in 2006. For most years since then, camp was held in July, and we did well enough financially to keep going -- not predictably and abundantly well, but it's a labor of love so Youssouf and I kept going despite the uncertainties and bumps in the road.
Since the venue moved us from July to August, we have had difficulty meeting our full budget. By mid-August, many people are unable to attend due to the start of the school year because they have school-aged children, they attend college, or they are teachers. This year we did not take in enough money to meet our expenses, which means we will start next year's camp (if we decide to continue) with a deficit. That is an uncomfortable and risky place to be.
There were several factors this year that contributed to this situation. One is that the venue raised their rates and then, right before camp, added almost $2,000 to our bill unexpectedly. Another is that many of our frequent campers did not attend this year. Even though our attendance looked pretty high toward the end of camp, many of the people attending were there on scholarships.
So far it looks like we are about $4,000 in the hole, not even counting the minimal pay that Youssouf and I would normally receive. The rest of the artists were paid pretty close to what they would normally be paid but not as much as we would like to pay them.
We are hoping that you, the Fareta family -- whether you were there this year, at some time in the past, or hope to attend in the future -- will be willing and able to support the continuation of this beautiful event. There are several ways you can help.
1. Make a donation. This will help us pay our bills and maybe also pay Youssouf for his work. You can send a check or make a Venmo payment if you'd rather not do Paypal.
2. Let us know if you know of a venue that would be suitable for Camp Fareta and is available in July. Some important factors are: big, open spaces for classes; no neighbors to complain about the sounds of drumming; preferably a place that will let us bring in our own chef; they allow smoking and drinking; there are varied levels of housing (i.e. nicer housing for the artists plus cabins for campers, not just tent camping); centrally located; and it's affordable.
3. Spread the word about Camp Fareta and bring your friends to camp. Start saving your money now so you can attend next year. If we remain at our current venue, we will probably need a certain number of people to commit to attending next year, fairly early in the camp planning timeline, maybe April.
4. Share this fundraiser in your circles of friends, family, and acquaintances.
One recurring theme at Camp Fareta this year was the feeling of community we experienced. Babara said, at the end of camp, that Camp Fareta is a very important experience for the artists and the campers; he called it a "bridge to Africa." We are grateful to share this beautiful community and hope to continue to come together at Camp Fareta for many years to come.
Thank you so much for any support you can provide!
This is hard to talk about, but it's necessary. We need your support in order to keep Camp Fareta going.
Camp Fareta started in 2006. For most years since then, camp was held in July, and we did well enough financially to keep going -- not predictably and abundantly well, but it's a labor of love so Youssouf and I kept going despite the uncertainties and bumps in the road.
Since the venue moved us from July to August, we have had difficulty meeting our full budget. By mid-August, many people are unable to attend due to the start of the school year because they have school-aged children, they attend college, or they are teachers. This year we did not take in enough money to meet our expenses, which means we will start next year's camp (if we decide to continue) with a deficit. That is an uncomfortable and risky place to be.
There were several factors this year that contributed to this situation. One is that the venue raised their rates and then, right before camp, added almost $2,000 to our bill unexpectedly. Another is that many of our frequent campers did not attend this year. Even though our attendance looked pretty high toward the end of camp, many of the people attending were there on scholarships.
So far it looks like we are about $4,000 in the hole, not even counting the minimal pay that Youssouf and I would normally receive. The rest of the artists were paid pretty close to what they would normally be paid but not as much as we would like to pay them.
We are hoping that you, the Fareta family -- whether you were there this year, at some time in the past, or hope to attend in the future -- will be willing and able to support the continuation of this beautiful event. There are several ways you can help.
1. Make a donation. This will help us pay our bills and maybe also pay Youssouf for his work. You can send a check or make a Venmo payment if you'd rather not do Paypal.
2. Let us know if you know of a venue that would be suitable for Camp Fareta and is available in July. Some important factors are: big, open spaces for classes; no neighbors to complain about the sounds of drumming; preferably a place that will let us bring in our own chef; they allow smoking and drinking; there are varied levels of housing (i.e. nicer housing for the artists plus cabins for campers, not just tent camping); centrally located; and it's affordable.
3. Spread the word about Camp Fareta and bring your friends to camp. Start saving your money now so you can attend next year. If we remain at our current venue, we will probably need a certain number of people to commit to attending next year, fairly early in the camp planning timeline, maybe April.
4. Share this fundraiser in your circles of friends, family, and acquaintances.
One recurring theme at Camp Fareta this year was the feeling of community we experienced. Babara said, at the end of camp, that Camp Fareta is a very important experience for the artists and the campers; he called it a "bridge to Africa." We are grateful to share this beautiful community and hope to continue to come together at Camp Fareta for many years to come.
Thank you so much for any support you can provide!