Complete the Fleet Campaign

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Dear Friends, 

As you know, my brother Peter loved Camp Lawrence and Camp Nokomis. From a junior "Space Cowboy" in Ken "Goody" Goodman's Cabin 1 to Chairman of the Camping Services Board of Directors, he was passionate about the Bear Island Camps. 

At age 8, Peter spent 4 weeks at Camp Lawrence. From that summer in 1975 until his passing in 2019, Bear Island was his favorite place on earth. By the time he was a middle unit camper, he was spending 8 weeks at camp and was known as "Little Snowy." He tried just about every activity available and loved them all, but waterskiing and seamanship were his favorites. He became an expert in both slalom and trick skis, and if you wanted to find him, he was likely at West Beach spotting skiers on the Ski Tique or at the main dock helping EK on the Bear.

As a staff member, Peter also gravitated towards the water, teaching swimming and waterskiing. After working as a counselor, he became part of the camp leadership, serving as Junior Unit head and supporting the Program Director, his best friend Bob Hamblet. By this time, everyone at camp called him "Snowy." During the last few of his 18 full-time summers on the island, Snowy was transportation director, so he was a fixture at both camps and the Y Landing, piloting the Bear, the MonArk, and the Ski Tique.

Even when a full-time career took over his summers, Peter continued to support Camp Lawrence and Camp Nokomis as a volunteer. As a computer expert, he became the island's "I.T. Guy" and wrote software that automated the tedious process of assigning camper activities. 

Another one of his passions was photography, and Peter soon became the unofficial camp photographer. If you see a panoramic or drone photo of one of the camps, it's a good bet that it's "a Snowy." He also spent countless hours scanning the Camps' photo archives and used them to design slideshows for milestone events such as the 100th anniversary of Camp Lawrence and Debbie Parker's retirement after 63 years at Camp Nokomis. Snowy was inducted into Camp Lawrence Hall of Fame in 2009. 

I'm reaching out to you with a unique opportunity to join me in recognizing Peter / Snowy's contributions to Camp Lawrence and Camp Nokomis. As you may have heard, many of the boats currently serving the camps are in need of repair or replacement. In addition, as the safety standards have changed and camp programs grow, more boat capacity is needed to meet the highest quality standards for current campers.

YMCA volunteers have developed a "Complete the Fleet" plan that will provide for the transportation needs of the camps for the next 25 years, but to do this will take a significant investment - $2M. I have been serving on the Complete the Fleet Committee for the past year. To help achieve this goal, Bob Hamblet and I have agreed to lead an initiative to raise $150,000 so that the ski boats will be named in memory of Snowy. (Channeling Peter's sense of humor, working on names including "Snowy Mcboatface", but we are leaning towards just "Snowy" and are looking to the camp community for suggestions...) We've raised $35,000 to date and hope you will join in the effort. 

If you would like to send a check, or make a pledge payable over two years, please contact Joyce Grippen, Chief Development Officer at jgrippen@mvymca.org. 

In Gratitude,

David Snow, CL 1972-1984, CNP 2016-2022