March 15, 2010

Dear Friend of Blue Lake:

Can you imagine the excitement and anticipation a student feels when they receive their Blue Lake scholarship letter? That moment when they realize they are going to camp and have a chance to experience what previously was beyond their grasp?

It is gratifying to know that we are truly making a difference in those young lives. With your support, Blue Lake can provide scholarships to thousands of music, art, dance and theater students during the 2010 Season and beyond. We ask that you please consider a gift during our spring enrollment period and help send a student to camp.

And what can a 2010 Blue Lake camper look forward to? Amazing counselors, motivated and experienced faculty, personal growth, new friends, and just plain fun! From live Shakespeare and opera presentations, art exhibits, and master classes to attending symphony orchestra and jazz concerts, our campers leave Blue Lake with an enhanced appreciation for the arts we hope will last a lifetime.

This is reinforced in letters we receive from students like Helen Perry, a 10th grade voice major from the 2009 Season who shares:

Blue Lake’s staff helped me to understand how much I could accomplish. What I learned not only helps me to excel in music, but will enable me to tackle and conquer anything! I hope everyone involved in the scholarship program knows how much of an impact one session at Blue Lake can have.

We hear from many parents as well, like Mary Ann Strnad from Orland Park, IL, who wrote:

The concert the kids put on the last day of camp was awesome. It was amazing what the staff could do in 12 days. My son started out a caterpillar and he spun his cocoon at Blue Lake. And through the OUTSTANDING counselors and leaders he came back to me a young man. Because of your scholarship support, my boy now knows he can fly! We could never have considered camp without it. Thanks for helping him get his Wings!

As we have shared with you previously, Blue Lake’s most pressing need is for a new Health Lodge. The current building was constructed nearly 40 years ago for use as an administrative office and later converted. With responsibility for the health service needs of more than 5,300 students and 750 staff, 20% of whom have daily mandatory medications, the need for a new health facility is critical.

Many of you have responded to our appeal for support of the new Health Lodge, and we have received over $100,000 in donations and pledges to date – a great start! While that support is growing in a restricted savings account, we will continue to actively fundraise for this vitally needed facility.

If you have not given to the Health Lodge Capital Campaign, we respectfully ask that you consider a donation beyond your traditional annual support. Gifts to the Health Lodge can be structured as a multi-year pledge, charitable gift annuity, bequest or cash donation.

The Blue Lake Summer Arts Festival opens on Friday, June 18, with a presentation of Mendelssohn’s choral masterwork, Elijah, featuring the Blue Lake International Youth Symphony Orchestra and Choir along with the Blue Lake Alumni Choir. A spectacular kick-off to the 2010 season with upwards of 200 voices!

Other Summer Arts Festival highlights include eight presentations of The Old Maid and the Thief, a one act opera by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti; The Verdehr Trio; International Homecoming Concerts; the Grand Rapids Symphony; and multiple performances by the Blue Lake Festival Orchestra, Festival Band, and Faculty Jazz Combo.

Remember that all Blue Lake donors of $100 or more receive 2 complimentary season tickets to the Summer Arts Festival.

Thank you for your past support, and for considering a 2010 gift to Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Your participation truly makes a difference!

Sincerely,

Fritz Stansell President	Bill McFarlin Vice President - Development

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp is recognized by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization and gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law. Contributions to Blue Lake Public Radio bring the additional advantage of a tax benefit from the State of Michigan.

Interested in participating in the Blue Lake Alumni Choir? Log on to www.bluelake.org/alumnichoir for more information. Membership is open to all Blue Lake donors, alumni and parents.