What have you learned walking through the tidepools? How have you grown as a leader taking on a trail-clearing project? What skills do you use in your everyday life that you learned exploring our wild forests? Westwind impacts every person who hikes our trails, sings our camp songs, and shares a meal in Wilson Lodge. And every person who visits leaves their impact on Westwind. These impacts, big and small, add up to form the collective place, community, and experience we know and love. Your Westwind legacy is how you impact Westwind and how Westwind has impacted you.
Tradition
A legacy can come in the form of tradition. Songs we sing, games we play, and stories we tell are passed down from generation to generation, outlasting the time we spend here. Songbooks from the 70s include the same welcome song and camp favorites like “Say When,” “The Crawdad Song,” and “Barges.” Every year, a new generation of Teen 2’s learn “Bluest” and sing it at their final campfire as a camper. This is often an emotional moment where these leaders reflect on their growth as campers and how they want to move forward as a person. For one Westiwnd staff member, part of their legacy is the dance we share the song, “September.” This tradition helps campers to participate in a group setting and gain confidence in their individuality.
When we come to Westwind and participate in camp traditions, we feel part of the community. It allows tangible moments to join into something larger than ourselves. When you add to Westind’s traditions, you are leaving a legacy that will be passed down for generations to come.
Service
Every trail you help clear, every building you help renovate, every time you help sweep the lodge, you impact Westwind. Last year our volunteers recorded over 3000 hours of service. This is weeks worth of work that we would otherwise not be able to complete. Every time you walk up the hill to Alpine or Highlands, know that the stairs that are getting you up there are the result of someone’s Westwind legacy. Those stairs are the result of volunteers making their impact on Westwind and being able to hike the trails creates new legacies.
Long-lasting impacts
Your experience at Westwind impacts you even when you aren’t there. Leadership, confidence, self-advocacy, and exploration are all skills you learned while singing songs, leading overnights, and stewardship the site. The impacts you make on Westwind’s community and site linger long after you leave. No matter where you are in the world, Westwind is part of your story. The impacts you make on Westwind have long-lasting effects. They allow new generations of Westwind campers, summer staff, student leaders, volunteers, and explorers to gain valuable appreciation for nature and their community.
Create Your Legacy
For our end-of-year fundraising campaign, we ask you to consider what your Westwind legacy will be. Please consider donating to help conserve Westwind and promote life-changing programs for children and adults. Your gift today will impact the next generation of Westwind’s Stewards. Make a donation.