News

 

KBIA friends launch matching program for scholarships  

 

Scholarships are key to the mission of KBIA: to provide safe, supportive and exciting Summers of Discovery for children and their families, among others.

 

As a fitting finale to our 100th Capital Campaign, we have launched a matching program for our endowment fund that helps us support scholarships. From now until the end of summer, every new $2 given to KBIA will be matched by $1, generously funded by friends of KBIA. This anonymous group has donated $41,667 (WOW!), so we have the potential to collectively raise $125,000 –– all to help kids in this community for many, many Summers of Discovery to come.

 

Pledges can be made now and paid by the end of the calendar year. KBIA’s endowment fund is now managed by a professional firm under the direction of the Board of Directors’ Endowment Committee, and this year KBIA will offer $32,000 in scholarships to local children.

 

We will be asking all members, supporters and friends of KBIA to dig deep and support the 100th Capital Campaign in its final year so we can ensure the opportunity is available to all children for many summers to come.

 

 

 

Check out our Registration Guide for 2014 

 

If our 2014 Registration Guide hasn’t reached your mailbox yet, it’s on its way! The 28-page book is full of class information and schedules, as well as the dates for this summer’s Cove Walks, Open Sailing/Kayaking weekends, 5K/1K Road Race, Reid Sacco Family Regatta and even a MIRC sailing competition. We’ve also included a map of the KBIA campus, below.

 

Learn all about our new offerings — Junior Water Safety Instruction, golf offerings, Wearable Art, Portraiture and Junior Scientist — and find the schedules for all your usual KBIA favorites as well. Class descriptions, as well as a digital version of the Registration Guide, is available online. We also list class schedules by age. 

 

Need a copy for a friend? (They can attend Week 1, June 24-28, with no membership fee.) We are happy to send them one; just let us know. We appreciate you helping us spread the good word! 

 

 

 

 

KBIA Countdown:

72 days until summer

 

KBIA opens for its 104^th season on June 23, and below are some other dates to remember this summer:

 

June 16: KBIA Office opens

July 6:    KBIA 23rd annual Day at the Beach 5K/1K Road Race

July 19:  July Watersports, Awards & BBQ

July 19:  KBIA Seaside Celebration

Aug. 10: Fifth annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta

Aug. 16: August Watersports, Awards & BBQ

 

 

 

 

 

 

Passing on the gift of KBIA

 

We are so thankful for our generous donors this holiday season. Since September we have received a cumulative $3,000 in donations specifically for 2014 scholarships. The Board of Directors has increased that amount fourfold, allowing KBIA to offer $12,000 more in scholarships next year. Each year we have traditonally offered 13 to 15 children the opportunity to experience a KBIA summer — free of charge and discreetly issued. Seperate but part of the 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign, we are raising funds for our endowment to permanently provide for increased scholarships at KBIA. Please consider a year-end donation to our cause so that KBIA can continue to provide “summers of experience” here at the beach!  

 

For information on donating toward the cause this holiday season, visit the “Support Us” page on our website. To read about one scholarship child’s “amazing” experience learning to surf, flip and make duct-tape wallets, read Zach’s story.

 

 

2014 Calendar of Events

Save the dates … and please join us!

 

Jan. 31        Membership Letter mailed and posted online

Jan. 31        Staff & Counselor applications posted online

March 31     Registration Guide mailed and posted online

June 16       KBIA Office opens

June 21-22  Staff & Counselor Orientation Weekend

June 23       Season Opening Day

June 23-27   Membership Fee-Free Week

July 4           Boat Parade

July 6           KBIA 23rd annual Day at the Beach 5K / 1K Road Race

July 19         July Watersports, Awards & BBQ

July 19         KBIA Seaside Celebration

July 30         MIRC sailing race, hosted by KBIA

August 10    Fifth annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta

August 16    Annual KBIA Membership Meeting

August 16    August Watersports, Awards & BBQ

 

 

Off-season projects at KBIA

 

Back here at KBIA, it’s just us and the winter winds blowing across Mother’s Beach and The Cove. As Martin plots out our 2014 season, Jessica is wrapping up the administrative and office duties for the year, and Laura is chronicling our “News from the Beach” and other communications.

 

Meanwhile, taking advantage of the quiet campus is Kennebunk contractor Andrew Rimmer, hammering away on his list of property upgrades due to be complete before Opening Day 2014. Among the more notable projects is removing the kitchen in the CIT room, which will next year become the Nature room. Our Counselor-in-Training program will swap places with the old Nature space. Upstairs, we will add art sinks and remove the wall between the two Pottery & Sculpture rooms, a renovation that will allow us to increase space in our often-sold-out classes there. That will also allow us to increase capacity in our Bundle programs, also usually at capacity with a waiting list. We think it’s a winning project for everyone! 

 

 

Give the gift of KBIA

KBIA merchandise available by mail

 

New this season, we are offering up our most popular merchandise for sale for holiday gift-giving. We are now accepting orders via e-mail and will ship packages via Priority Mail just in time for the holidays. Deadline to order is Dec. 10.

 

This is your opportunity to stock up on our exclusive KBIA merchandise that will keep you warm — and dreaming of warm summer days ahead. We have fleece jackets, sweatshirts and sweatpants, as well as signature bags, sailing shirts, golf balls and more! Visa and Mastercard will be accepted; shipping rates start at $4.95 and will depend on how we have to package your merchandise. To place an order, e-mail [email protected] with your complete contact information and order requests. We will follow up to confirm your order.

 

Here is what we have in currently stock — while supplies last!

 

 

 

 

SWEATSHIRTS AND FLEECE: Perfect for the colder months, these cotton sweatshirts and fleece jackets will keep you warm all winter long. The zip sweatshirts ($38/adult sizes and $30/youth sizes) are available in navy and grey. Fleece zip-up jackets ($38/adult sizes and $30/youth sizes) are available in pink, blue and white. Youth and adult sweatpants ($30/adults and $27/youth) are available in grey and navy.

 

 

 

KBIA BURGEE: Fly KBIA colors on land or at sea, this nylon stitched burgee boasts our exclusive KBIA design. $75.

 

GOLF BALLS: Perfect for the Mom and Dad, or Grammy or Grampy, who both love KBIA and the greens. These Callaway golf balls are available individually ($3.50), by the sleeve ($10/three balls) or by the box ($40/twelve).

 

 

KBIA BAGS: If not packing for the beach, you can use the nylon drawstring bags ($12) to get your athlete to and from the gym. The “Kennebunk Beach 04043” jute totes ($14) are perfect to get mom anywhere in style, whether that’s yoga class or the grocery store!

 

 

KBIA HATS: Dream of warmer days when you would do anything to shield the sun! These hats ($15) are availabe in white, pink and a distressed red.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHEERS: Toast the season in these 16 oz. navy plastic cups that feature both the KBIA logo and burgee. At $1 each, they make great stocking stuffers! The KBIA “diner style” mug, also featuring the boat logo and burgee, sells for $10.  

 

Week 6 promises to be a busy one at KBIA. On Tuesday, our CITs will hit the ropes course to practice some leadership skills and team bonding, and on Friday KBIA’s new swim team will host its first home competition in the pool. Saturday night will feature our second annual “Paint the Beach” Art Show & Sale with Heartwood College of Art, and Sunday we host our sixth annual Cove Swim for the community. If you’re not involved as a participant, we invite you to come show your KBIA pride and cheer on the competition. Read on for more details … and go KBIA! 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy a cup of coffee at KBIA 

 

Need a little pick-me-up? Now you may enjoy a cup of coffee or tea anytime at KBIA! We have a Keurig machine available on the porch, and K-cups are for sale in the KBIA store in Strong Cottage.

 

 

KBIA to host our first swim meet

 

This Friday our new swim team will meet some friendly compeition at its first home swim meet with at least four clubs. Warm-ups begin at 5:30 for the 6 PM start. We expect to host some 3o to 50 swimmers to attend, and we will need some helping hands to pull it off. Coach Heidi Pare says we need volunteers needed to run score/awards table, nine lane timers, a backup timer, gate keeper, heat manager, and starter. Everyone is invited to stay and cheer on our swimmers, and be sure to save your appetitite. We will be serving up hamburger/cheeseburger meals with chips and a drink for $5. The snack bar will also be open late Friday. If you are interested in volunteering, please speak with Coach Heidi. You can find her in the pool every day!

 

 

CITs take on the ropes course

 

Today is the final day to register your CIT for Tuesday’s special Maine Ropes Course trip on Tuesday. Teens will depart from KBIA at 9 AM and return by 3:30 PM.

 

CIT Coordinator Maureen McEnaney will lead this trip that promotes “FOCUS Through Adventure” and will help teens develop team building and communication skills. All teen who have enrolled in the CIT course at any time this summer are invited to attend. All skill levels are welcome, and teens should bring their own lunch and wear comfortable clothing. Please preregister by e-mailing Maureen or contacting the KBIA office (967-2180) today.

 

 

Art Show & Sale is Saturday

  

New paintings have started to arrive for Saturday’s “Paint the Beach” Art Show & Sale. All “beach” related, the artwork will come from some 80 to 100 local artists. As the artwork comes in, we are updating our Facebook page for those who want to sneak a peek before Saturday!)
Sponsored by both KBIA and Heartwood College of Art, show hours are 4 to 6 p.m. under the tent at KBIA, located at 262 Beach Ave. Wine and light fare will be served; admission is free. Parking is available on side streets around the beach, or by permit at Mother’s Beach. All unframed pieces will sell for $400, with half of the proceeds going to the artist, and the other half split between the nonprofit organizations.

Coming up: Reid Sacco Family Regatta

 

Sailors and spectators alike are invited to the Kennebunk Beach Improvement Association’s third annual Reid Sacco Family Regatta on Sunday, Aug. 11. The day will starts with a skipper meeting at 12:30 PM, followed by sailing at 1. Interested participants should register in the office to reserve a KBIA boat or bring their own boat to launch between 285 and 292 Beach Avenue. Due to the shallow nature of the cove, even at high tide, sailors should use an Opti, Laser, Taz or Chickadee watercraft. A $10 donation per sailor will benefit the Reid Sacco Foundation. The regatta honors a longtime KBIA student and instructor who died of sarcoma at age 20 in 2005. For information on the Reid Sacco Foundation, visit www.reidsaccofoundation.org.

 

 

 

TWEEN NIGHT: Maine Rock Gym, Portland, 5:30 to 9 PM Tuesday. $24.

 

MOVIE NIGHT:“The Emperor’s New Groove,” Smith House, 7 to 9 PM Wednesday. $7. (for ages 4-10; Snack Shack will be open!) * Due to overwhelming popularity, Movie Night will now be limited to 55 participants; therefore, pre-registration is suggested. Please be prepared to be turned away if the maximum has been met when you arrive.*

 

 

 

Please visit our website at www.kbia.net.

 

Glass half-full of half-empty? Now beginning our fifth of eight weeks at the beach, we ask ourselves the same question: Half over or half a season left to enjoy? We have had a great summer so far — so many summer memories in the making, new experiences, new accomplishments — and we trust you and your children have too. But what else do the kids want to do this summer? Now that they have had the chance to check everything out here, ask them what else they may want to try this summer. Be sure to revisit our 2013 Registration Guide to see everything we have to offer (or check it out here). That’s more than 50 offerings in total. Whatever you choose, we hope to see you back at the beach soon!

 

  

KBIA to host MIRC sailing competition this Wednesday

 

 

On Wednesday afternoon, between 11 AM and 3 PM, sailors from around the region will be racing local waters in a competitive MIRC regatta. KBIA Waterfront Director Nils Reuterdahl says the boats on the race course should be visible from the new Mother’s Beach playground during that time for all to see. This is the first time in at least five years that KBIA has the hosting honors. Around 3 PM, trophies will be awarded to the top teams, followed by a cookout for the sailors. The MIRC is a traditional regatta that is open to a group of New England sailing schools to promote healthy competition and allows the young sailors to travel to other clubs and meet new friends while showing off their talents.

 

 

 

 

 

Honoring our children

July award-winners named

 

We have many children here who excel in their areas of special interest, and we honored them at Saturday’s awards ceremony with KBIA “wedges.” For children we saw go “above and beyond,” we awarded the traditional silver-ware that has a permanent home in our office. Their names will be engraved on the plaques, forever part of our KBIA history. This year’s July award-winners include:

 

• Nick Reszetnik for the Friendship Cup for waterfront.

• Gwennie Walier for the Sisters G&V Art Award for the arts.

• Razz Oppenheimer for the Feldman Award for the arts.

 

 

‘Paint the Beach’ set for Aug. 3 

 

CITs take on the ropes course

 

All Counselors in Training are invited to attend a special day at the Maine Ropes Course on Tuesday, July 30. Teens will depart from KBIA at 9 AM and return at 3:30 PM.

 

CIT Coordinator Maureen McEnaney will lead this trip that promotes “FOCUS Through Adventure” and helps teens develop team building and communication skills. All skill levels are welcome to attend, and teens should bring their own lunch and wear comfortable clothing. Please preregister by e-mailing Maureen or contacting the KBIA office (967-2180).

 

All CITs enrolled in any of our CIT classes this summer are welcome to attend free of charge.

 

 

Find us on Facebook!

 

Can’t get enough of KBIA? Follow us on Facebook, too. We have an active group for which we post daily updates and photos galleries as well. Feel free to share our pics and tag yourself, should you so choose! And if you have photos and/or stories to share on Facebook and other KBIA communications, please send to Communications Coordinator Laura Smith.

 

 

Laser Tag at the Beach

Join us this Tuesday

 

 

Back by popular demand, we will once again host G-Force Laser Tag at the beach on Tuesday, July 23! This will be a combined Teen/Tween Night (tweens vs. tweens, perhaps?) and we will need at least 30 pre-registered participants to make this possible. Cost is $24. We will also need volunteers to help set up the course at 4 p.m. (we will provide dinner for all volunteers!)

 

 

 

TWEEN NIGHT: G-Force Laser Tag, Mother’s Beach, 6 to 8 PM Tuesday. $24.

MOVIE NIGHT: “Finding Nemo,” Smith House, 7 to 9 PM Wednesday. $7.

 

 

 

Please visit our website at www.kbia.net.

 

KBIA is a 103-year-old summer enrichment and recreational program serving children ages 3 to 17. But what is KBIA to you? To local residents, KBIA is the new playground at the beach. KBIA is also summer friends. For others, KBIA is a road race or a cove swim. To visitors, KBIA is sanity during a week’s vacation at the beach. (KBIA is also that babysitter you found at the last moment). KBIA is that mom friend you met while your kids were taking swim lessons, which turned into a dinner playdate with her family.  night by the cove at our annual Seaside Celebration (coming up Saturday) or winning the class ribbon and wedges (also Saturday). Through the years we have found KBIA is many different things to many our different members. What does it mean to you? Please share your “KBIA is” story with us! 

 

 

Please join us Saturday

July Watersports/BBQ/Awards, followed by Seaside Celebration

 

Please join us at KBIA this Saturday, July 20, for the first of our two annual barbecue and awards ceremonies. The July BBQ and Awards Ceremony will kick off with assorted watersports in the pool for various ages:

 

9:00 AM:  3- to 4-year-olds

9:30 AM:  5- to 6-year-olds

10:00 AM: 7- to 8-year-olds

10:30 AM: 9- to 10-year-olds

11:00 AM: 11 and older

 

At noon, KBIA volunteers will serve up a barbecue lunch (hot dogs and hamburgers, lemonade, iced tea, chips and cake.)

 

At 1 PM, we will begin the awards portion of the day, handing out various KBIA “wedges” and traditional KBIA honors.

 

Be sure to check next week’s e-newsletter for a list of the winners!

 

From 6 to 8 PM, please join us on the KBIA lawn for our sixth annual Seaside Celebration. In honor of our “older” members of this KBIA community (21 and older, please), we will be serving up cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres by the shore. Please come celebrate the summer with us. We kindly ask you RSVP by Wednesday, July 17; please email [email protected] or call the office at 967-2180.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Counselor-in-Training coordinator Maureen McEnaney has arranged a special field trip for our youngest leaders. On Tuesday, July 30, our teens will head out for a day on the CIT Ropes Challenge Course at the Sweeyser campus in Saco. Teens should meet at 9 AM by the steps of Strong Cottage at KBIA, where they will return for pickup by 3:30 PM. All CITs enrolled in any week this summer is welcome and encouraged to attend. Intesreted participants may sign up in the office or by emailing Maureen.

 

 

 

TWEEN NIGHT: Pizza & Pool Party, KBIA, 6 to 8 PM Tuesday. $24.

 

MOVIE NIGHT “Monsters, Inc.” at Smith House, 7 to 9 PM Wednesday. $7.