News from the Beach
September 3, 2013
As summer fades into fall
 
 
“though summer turns to winter / and the present disappears / the laughter we were glad to share / will echo through the years.”
 
These popular song lyrics always seem to ring especially true here at KBIA. Closing out the season is always an emotional time for us as we look back at the fun and friendships shared and hope we carry it forward as we head back to school and back to business.
Speaking of business, we are happy to report our 2013 summer was another record-breaking season. KBIA provided nearly 350 families “safe, supportive and exciting Summers of Discover” — up  from our previous 330 families in 2012. It was also our second year of a record number of children in our classes and the overall number of classes they attended over our eight weeks of summer. We’re also proud to have done this without increasing class fees from 2012!
 This was our fourth straight year of maintaining an operational break-even, meaning our class and membership fees supported our operation costs. This also means all campaign contributions —  every donation we receive — fund  capital projects or our endowment that supports scholarships. Think of our new playground, a shining example of the community we build when we all share our time, talents and treasure!
 
Now that you have had a chance to reflect on your family’s summer, what did you and your family like most at KBIA? What can we improve on next year? In the spirit of open dialogue, we want to know how we may serve our members even better in the future. We invite you to gather your thoughts and send them to Executive Director Martin Lodish.
 
As we look back at 2013, it only makes us more excited to serve you and your family again in 2014. See you at the Beach next summer!
 
 
 
Steering the ship
Board of Directors adds new members
 
KBIA wouldn’t and couldn’t run without the year-round efforts of its volunteer Board of Directors. In addition to working behind the scenes on everything from policy to the playground, members also meet quarterly as a group to help steer the organization. At August’s meeting our Board of Directors welcomed new members John Bauman, Chad Walier, Donna Smythe Wilson and Susan Rundquist Palmer. We thank you in advance for taking on this challenge, and thank all members of the board for their tireless dedication to KBIA.
 
 
 
 
Congratulations to our August award-winners
 
Always a bittersweet ending to a season, we concluded our 2013 with KBIA’s biannual BBQ & Awards ceremony on Aug. 17. All children received participation ribbons, some received KBIA “wedges” or plaques for those who exemplify the KBIA spirit in attitude and accomplishment, while a select few earned their way into KBIA history. For these top honors, winners’ names are engraved on our traditional “silver ware,” which are on display in the office for all to see. Those winners were:

 

Hartley Lord Cup for Seamanship: Ryan Palmer
Eagle Rock Yacht Club Officer’s Cup: Jimmy Mitchell
Eagle Rock Yacht Club Hartley Lord Cup: Clara Harter
Eagle Rock Yacht Club Friendship Cup: Chloe Matthews
Sisters Gerold and Vincent Art Award: Ella Wilner
Feldman Art Award: Annie McFeetors
Keepers of the Cove: Chloe Shea and Danny Belanger
Griswold Tray: Jullian Felvinvi
Jane Wydra Award: Chelsea Cardner
President’s Cup: Emma Trenchard
Waterhouse Cup: T.J. Jurevic
Calder Cup: Elizabeth Lapointe, Ian Corbett and Christina Metcalf
 
 
 
 
 
 
Coming soon to KBIA members!
 
One of the great things about KBIA is the variety of places from which we all come, all united by our love for KBIA. Children make new friends and those friends become pen pals until they meet at KBIA again. Parents, too, meet new friends through the years and want to stay in touch in the off-season. To foster such friendships, we annually publish a Membership Directory with families’ names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mails — in other words, everything children and their parents need to stay in touch. Following tradition, it also  includes a listing of winners’ names from our July and August awards ceremonies. The directory is in production right now, and members will receive the booklet in the mail by early October.
 
 
 
 
 
Check out our Facebook page
 
Relive the joy of summertime on our Facebook page! We have compiled photo albums of many of our 50+ classes we offer, and we invite you to share them with your children, friends and family. We also invite you to share your photos from KBIA this summer so we may share them on our Facebook, page, our website as well as future promotional KBIA materials. Please send them as .jpgs by e-mail to  Communication Coordinator Laura Smith. 
 
 
 
Want to be a KBIA counselor?
 
WHile we’re already thinking ahead to next season, in January we will begin the hiring process for Counselors; applications will be posted on our website. Junior and senior counselors  support our programs, keep our children safe, and carry out the mission of KBIA. We make every  effort to match positions with counselors’ interests, where possible, and give hiring preference to former CITs.