News Updated September 2, 2010
40th Anniversary of Friendship Center
Friendship Center will celebrate 40 wonderful years throughout 2010. Watch this site for more details of these coming events. Our first event was an evening of Folk Music and fun at the Coffee House in Milwaukee. Several wonderful folk groups entertained an enthusiastic audience. Our second birthday bash will be at Friendship Center Saturday October 23rd with birthday cake, a harvest lunch naturalist led hikes and activities for the whole family. Watch for details on this website.
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Meet Friendship Center’s new Coordinators
Judy Kingsbury and Les Grosberg have agreed to be coordinators for Friendship Center. Their tasks include updating user, donor and volunteer data, marketing, locating sources of funding, developing new programs and working with others to develop new programs.
Judy and Les have been friends of Friendship Center and volunteers for years. They live part time in Madison and part time down the road from the Center. Their love of the land and their expertise make them a natural fit. Briefly, their objective is to foster connections between humans and the rest of the natural world through education, hands-on engagement and exploration.
Judy works at the UW Arboretum in Madison as Volunteer Program Coordinator and Naturalist. She has a degree in Horticulture and Biological Aspects of Conservation. Les is a Consultant/Programmer/Technician for institutional and scientific systems with a degree in Science and Humanities.
The Friendship Center Board is pleased to have them on Board to move Friendship Center in new directions.
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Something New at Friendship Center
Why is Gus Quade smiling? After months of planning and weeks of construction, Gus has completed his Eagle Scout project. . . and lucky for Friendship Center, his project is a new, safe fire pit, beautiful benches around the fire pit, a wood storage unit a few feet from the fire pit and railings up a steep and rocky part of the hill to the fire pit.
Neighbors Bill Briska, Dave Pearson and Phil Mayer cut some large trees to be made into half logs for the benches. Gus and his family held a bake sale and a rummage sale to help finance the project. They also were able to get some donations. Bill, Dave, Gus’ Dad, Mitch and Gus prepared the logs in July and the rest of Troop 165 assisted, under the direction of Gus, to assemble everything up the hill. They spent two Saturdays working at the Center with a camp out Saturday night as their reward.
Thanks to the troop leaders and friends, Gus’ parents and sisters, the boys of Troop 165, Dave, Bill and Phil for a beautiful addition to Friendship Center.
For pictures of this wonderful project click here. However, you really need to see it in person!
Friendship Center Tote - You’ll want to own one!
Order your beautiful Friendship Center tote today. This medium sized tote is 17 1/2 by 13 inches and made of heavy duty canvas with long handles for carrying over-the-shoulder. Colors are off-white with dark forest green trim with the Friendship Center logo in browns and greens. On the back is printed “. . . to inspire learning and love of the natural world”.
Price is just $15.00 plus mailing cost.
Contact us at info@friendshipcenterwi.org or call 608.935.3613 to order your tote.
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Camp Improvements
The lower bunkhouse spruced up with a screen door, window screens and small porch. Thanks go to Tom Boehm, Gary Olson and Dave Pearson. With all the rain this year, the insects have multiplied so these new screens will make sleeping more pleasant. On the left is the bunkhouse with its new screens, door, small porch and stairs.
The bunkhouse was originally built back in the late 70’s and has been re-roofed and painted over the years. It’s still a favorite bunkhouse for some - nestled in the woods against a hill.
With so much wind and rain this summer, several trees fell along the path to the upper bunkhouse. Neighbors Phil Mayer, Tom Boehm and Dave Pearson quickly dispatched the problem with their chain saws while Karl Pearson-Cater, who just happened to be visiting his parents, piled the logs on the sides of the path.
For those who have used Friendship Center in the past, you know the bathrooms were in dire need of improvement. Thanks to many friends of Friendship Center who donated to our maintenance and improvements fund, the bathrooms have been updated.
Dave Pearson, Brian Pruka and Bill Briska painted, caulked and skillfully installed new sinks, high rise toilets and counters (made by Bill). Jane Hammat Kavaloski made colorful new curtains for the stalls.
Counter, sink and cabinets for the upper bathroom were donated by Mary Wacker and installed by Bill Briska.
Thank you all for your hard work, expertise and donations. Also, thank you to those of you who answered our appeal letter last fall and sent funds to do these projects.
The stream bank near the bridge was stabilized last Fall. Some Box Elder trees were removed and large rocks were placed along the stream bank.
The southern stream end of the Friendship property was burned last fall in conjunction with our neighbors, Rock Ridge Community.
July 20th brought a huge thunderstorm with loud cracks of lightning. One of those bolts hit the water pump and knocked it out. The next day, a new pump was installed 120 feet down the well. Campers with the Milwaukee Center for Independence spent the day watching huge machinery digging up the old pump. Our thanks and praise to them for living without running water for almost two days.
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Friendship Center Scholarship Fund
Board members Vince Kavaloski and Dave Pearson have started a special scholarship fund for children who have attended Friendship Center’s children camps in past years and in the future. The fund has been invested in a socially responsible PAX World Balanced Fund and will be available to campers who have participated in our Children’s Camp and have completed High School, assisting them with higher education expenses, whether college or technical school. It is hoped that the FC Scholarship
Fund will further motivate FC Campers to do well and stay in school. If you would like to donate to this fund, please send your donation to: Friendship Center 3973 Evans Quarry Road Dodgeville WI 53533 Friendship Center is recognized as a Charitable Organization by the State of Wisconsin, License #780, and the Internal Revenue EIN 23-7112657 as described in section 501(c)(3). Your donation is greatly appreciated and is also tax deductible. Thank you to all who have contributed to this fund.
nfo@friendshipcenterwi.org