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Author: Susan Roux

News
August 21, 20200

Thank you for our 110th Season at KBIA!

Our 110th Season of KBIA was perhaps not what we had initially envisioned…BUT we are thrilled to have been able to open our doors and provide both virtual and onsite classes this summer! We loved seeing the pictures roll in for our virtual ‘A Day at the Beach’ road race which was held in honor of Anne “Annie” McNamara Evans, raising funds for The Dempsey Center. Also in honor of Anne McNamara Evans this year, our 11th Annual Reid Sacco Regatta had a wonderful gathering of participants for an afternoon of kayaking and SUP races. A lovely evening was spent with our adult members at our socially distanced 110th Seaside Celebration, which not only raised over $10,000 but also successfully kicked off our August matching giving campaign. We aimed to raise $10,000 in the month of August, and our donors have helped us exceed that goal! With a $10,000 match from the Bauman Family Foundation – we are feeling beyond grateful. Our fundraising efforts have put us on much more solid ground as we look forward to what 2021 will hold. The KBIA community has certainly come forward with their support and I am so thankful for every one of you!
 
If you are a member and have questions or want to share thoughts on this year, I encourage you to RSVP to our Annual Meeting for all members and stakeholder’s on Monday, August 24th at 4pm over Zoom. Board Members will be present to listen to your feedback and answer questions. Just reply and let me know if you’d like the link information.
 
Hands down one of the best things about this summer was being able to see the smiling faces of kids both near and far throughout this season, giving us all a piece of KBIA summer we weren’t sure we would get to have! Again, thank you to each and every one of our members for helping us make it all possible. We couldn’t have done it without our amazing staff and counselors, the generosity of our members and donors, or without our fantastic little campers. Thank you all!
 
Best,
 
Mimi Fox
Executive Director
 
Missing KBIA? 
 
Keep a piece of KBIA with you during the off season! We have beautiful KBIA mugs and coasters with original drawings by City Line Drawings of the KBIA cove, Smith House, Strong Cottage, and Mother’s Beach playground. Choose your favorite mug for $15, or a set of 4 for $55. Pair your mugs with a set of 4 coasters for $30. You can call ahead for curbside pick up or visit our store in Strong Cottage. Or order online!
 
 
 
 
We also have lovely prints of the artwork available in the store. If you are not local or want to send the gift of KBIA to someone who is not here then please use the following link to visit the online store for these mugs, coasters AND the prints of the artwork: https://city-line-drawings.myshopify.com/collections/kennebunk
 
 
The KBIA store is open during regular office hours until August 31:
 
Monday thru Friday 9 AM to 4 PM
Closed for lunch between 12-1PM
 
We will welcome one person at a time to browse the store and make purchases. Please remember your mask, we would love to see you!
 
 
Sale Ends August 31st!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
News
August 14, 20200

Week 9 Our Final Countdown!

Wow…Week 9 is here, our final week of KBIA! We have a full week of both virtual and onsite classes, as well as fun events coming up – we are keeping busy until the very last day! Private swim classes are going fast, so register today. We are planning our final Teen Night, our store sale continues for all clothing purchases, and we are still accepting donations for our matching campaign – read on for more!
 
Best,
 
Mimi Fox
Executive Director 
 
 
As always, our weekly virtual classes and nighttime experiences will be shared to current members via email by the end of each week. Log on to the Zoom classes through the links posted in the Google Doc (updated every Thursday for the following week) and catch up on classes you missed on our KBIA Virtual Community Programming Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/KBIAvirtualcommunity/) or KBIA CIT Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/KBIACITgroup/).
 
And of course, if you aren’t able to participate in the daytime classes, we will have our nighttime experiences.  
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
Important Links
 
 
 
 
 
Onsite Classes Link: 
 
KBIA Matching Gift Campaign:  
 
News
August 13, 20200

A Successful 11th Annual Reid Sacco Regatta

A Note from Emily Longworth, KBIA Waterfront Director
 
Thank you to all of our KBIA families who participated in the 2020 Annual Reid Sacco Regatta, in memory of Anne “Annie” McNamara Evans. Saturday, August 8th was warm and sunny with a breeze building out of the South. The racing started with the open heat kayak, followed by the open heat stand-up paddleboard (SUP). Afterward there was a brief swimming intermission while the waterfront staff adjusted the course for the final heats.
 
The kayak finals youth division was a close race with Adelaide Hankin crossing the finish line first. Sean Walsh was the top finisher for the adult kayak division. The SUP paddleboard finals was filled with action and entertainment. Kirby Oppenheimer started in the youth division, but kept paddling to the furthest mark and joined the adult race, which he won. That meant Molly Walsh finished in first place for the youth division. A valiant effort by all racers! 
 
Participants helped with the de-rigging process that included spraying the equipment with disinfectant solution. And thanks to everyone’s adherence to social distance guidelines, we were able to come together safely for an awards ceremony. Each family received a driftwood sailboat, handcrafted by the Sacco family from recycled KBIA sails. 
 
This annual regatta is a fundraiser for the Reid R. Sacco Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Alliance. See the KBIA Donation Page if you’d like to support the alliance mission to make AYA cancer routinely curable or entirely preventable.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News
August 7, 20200

Week 8 Classes, Night Events, Regattas, and more!

We still have plenty of fun planned for the next two weeks of our summer season including CIT chalk art, Teen nights, Paint nights, and more! There are spots available in our diving and swim classes for ages 9 and older – email your registrations today! The Reid Sacco Regatta is tomorrow, and even if you’re not signed up to participate, it’s always a fun spectator sport. We hope to see you either at our virtual classes or on campus!
 
Best,
 
Mimi Fox
Executive Director 
 
 
As always, our weekly virtual classes and nighttime experiences will be shared to current members via email by the end of each week. Log on to the Zoom classes through the links posted in the Google Doc (updated every Thursday for the following week) and catch up on classes you missed on our KBIA Virtual Community Programming Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/KBIAvirtualcommunity/) or KBIA CIT Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/KBIACITgroup/).
 
And of course, if you aren’t able to participate in the daytime classes, we will have our nighttime experiences.  
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
Important Links
 
 
 
 
 
Onsite Classes Link: 
 
KBIA Matching Gift Campaign:  
 
News
August 3, 20200

KBIA Seaside & Giving Campaign

This is the start of week 7 and I wanted to reach out and share how things have been going at KBIA so far. As you know, the Seaside Celebration was held this past Saturday night. It was a socially distant affair, made possible by our wonderful KBIA staff, Board, and auction donors!
 
The Town of Kennebunk was supportive of our safe plans for gathering with two sites (the beach and our lawn) to allow for proper distancing among the 80 guests. Everyone who came kept good distance from other parties but were able to say hello and celebrate our special community in a subdued but joyous way.
 
The celebration obviously had a different feeling from years past but it was just as special. We shared our plans to honor the contributions of three members of our community that we lost this year – Annie McNamara Evans, Tony Viehmann, and Dr. David McConnell. A new silver award will be established in Annie’s memory, we will name the Woodworking room for Tony, and we will be placing a new stone next to the benches by the Cove for Dr. McConnell. We plan to host an open house next summer, when we can all gather together again safely, to honor these three incredible people – I hope you will join me then.
 
As you will see below, our online silent auction raised approximately $5,000 for KBIA, whereas our live auction raised nearly $10,000. The night was completed with the announcement of our August matching giving campaign which aims to raise $10,000. If we are able to meet that goal, we will receive a $10,000 match from the Bauman Family Foundation. We are humbled by such generous support!
 
The outpouring of love and support from our KBIA community has been extraordinary this summer and I want to take this opportunity to say thank you. Without every single member of our community, this success would not be possible.
 
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
 
Best,
 
Mimi Fox
Executive Director
 
 
 

 
 
KBIA Matching Gift Campaign: