OUR THANKS

Throughout the nearly two years spent building and opening Somerset, we were regularly encouraged to stop and take time to reflect upon what we were doing and enjoy the moment. Good advice, for sure. Of course, when construction concluded and the last coat of paint was applied right around 11 pm on June 21, 2018, a camp still had to open the very next day. There was really no time to stop and smell the roses.

Fast forward a few months to the return home to semi-normal life and a bit of quiet around the holidays. While we are a bit astounded by the year we just had, we are nevertheless cognizant of the fact that it would not have happened without the tireless support and effort of hundreds of people. To them, we wish to give our thanks.

Thank you Somerset alumni community. We have met, spoken to, and heard from hundreds of amazing women that look back fondly on their days at camp and cherish their memories and friendships. You have shared mementos, songs, and stories and many have visited camp or plan to in the coming year. While we may be a new incarnation of Somerset, decades since the first one closed, you have nonetheless been some of our biggest cheerleaders and sources of inspiration.

Thank you, Smithfield, Maine. Although we are a somewhat self-sufficient little community of our own, we are nonetheless part of something much bigger in our central Maine home. The town of Smithfield, its employees, planning board, and residents have supported this project from day one. We are honored to have you as our neighbors and friends and wish to do all we can to be an active and supportive member of this wonderful community.

Thank you to our team of carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters, and machine operators that moved earth, shaped fields, dug trenches, hung fences, ran power and water lines, framed buildings, laid shingles, painted walls, and everything else in between. What you signed on for would be considered crazy by most and few people will never know the true scope of what you accomplished in a year’s time. But we know it and you are forever in our debt.

Thank you to our counselors. Many of you arrived last summer with no prior camp experience but ALL of you arrived with a commitment to making our first summer truly magical for our campers. You stepped outside your own comfort zones and went above and beyond to make every day special. We can’t wait to see so many of you back in 2019 and welcome a new group of special young women to work alongside you.

Thank you to our support staff. You are the unsung heroes of camp working behind the scenes in the dining hall, laundry, health center, office, and on the grounds to help keep the trains running on time.

Thank you to our senior staff. You woke up early and stayed up late with us virtually every night, not only focused on your primary areas of responsibilities but on anything we or the camp required. Your tireless energy sustained us each day and we could not have done this without you.

Thank you to our families. As many of you know, starting a business is a massive time commitment and sacrifices, let alone one that sends you hundreds of miles away from home for months at a time. Our partners, spouses, parents, children, and extended families were along for every step of this ride and we could not have done this without their love and support.

Thank you to the Moms and Dad. Deciding to send your daughter to camp is a huge decision in and of itself. Then making the decision on where to send her is an even bigger next step. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again that we realize just how many unknowns there were going into our first summer. You are trailblazers who forever have our gratitude and admiration.

Above all else, thank you to our campers. Whether you joined us as originals in 2018 or are gearing up for 2019, you inspire us every day to do the best job we possibly can and create for them the most memorable experiences of their young lives. You are courageous, kind, funny, and unique. You are also the foundation for the traditions and values of our camp and your legacy will live on for decades.

Happy Thanksgiving.

-JH