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Women's Association’s Fundraising Supports the CSA and the Benzie County Community - By Annie Hessler
07/17/2024
 
The Women's Association of the Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA), founded in 1925, supports the broader Benzie County community and the CSA. Through dedicated fundraising efforts, the Association helps fund various programs and special projects that enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors alike. Ann Whelpton, the current chair of the Women's Association, sheds light on the organization's mission, activities, and impact.
 
The Purpose and Structure of the Women's Association
The Women's Association is dedicated to promoting women's and children's social welfare, and intellectual and spiritual and physical well-being of individuals and families within the CSA and its greater community. Operating under its own Board, the Association makes collective independent decisions about funding requests proposed by its members, the CSA Board of Trustees, and other community members.
 
Fundraising Efforts and Community Impact
The Women's Association's primary fundraising event is the annual Arts & Crafts Fair, held annually on the fourth Wednesday of July. This event features artist booths, the cottage treasures sale, a silent auction, and merchandise sales.
 
All events supported by the Women's Association are open to individuals and families of the CSA community, while events such as the Arts & Crafts Fair and the Cottage Treasures Rummage Sale are open to the wider Benzie County community. The success of these fundraising events is critical to the Association's ability to support various programs and projects within the CSA and the larger Benzie County community.
 
"The funds earned at the Art Fair first cover expenses of the fair such as food, publicity, safety, (extra sinks and portable restrooms), and more. Proceeds beyond that then go into the Women's Association account," Whelpton explained. "Last year, we took in $24,000 after expenses, and have given back $22,920 of that to CSA programming for this 2024 summer season. This event, and fundraising, volunteerism and community support is everyone’s work, and it takes a village!”
 
Supporting Local Nonprofits and Community Programs
The Women's Association is committed to supporting both CSA programs and local nonprofits in Benzie County. The Association's funding criteria focus on enhancing education, recreation, health, safety, appreciation for nature, spiritual well-being, community connection, and administrative needs. For many years, the Women's Association has supported numerous organizations within Benzie County, reflecting its commitment to community service and philanthropy.
 
Recent beneficiaries of their funding have included Benzie Area Christian Neighbors (BACN), Benzie Senior Resource Center, Benzie Shores Library, Frankfort Elberta Schools, and Frankfort Area Land Trust.
 
In past years, Cognition Beulah benefitted from an Interactive Science and Discovery Playground, while the Crystal Lake & Watershed Association received funds for a Swimmer's Itch Prevention Program. Other notable contributions include: the Early Childhood Nutrition Program at Grow Benzie, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library providing monthly books to children in Frankfort, the Paul Oliver Healthcare Foundation for pediatric ER supplies, and Philips Baby Pantry for snowsuits. These donations highlight the Women's Association's dedication to addressing diverse needs within the community, ensuring that vital programs and services continue to thrive.
 
"The CSA is a nonprofit organization; It's a summer community. However, the CSA is a part of Benzie County. More people are working remotely, staying longer and becoming more aware of the community and its needs," Whelpton said. “At the end of the day, we are guests here, and we want to be good neighbors and support community needs in the area."
 
Encouraging Involvement and Volunteerism
"The Women's Association and the Board of Trustees at the CSA are about community. It's about belonging to something, connecting, giving, meeting people, and contributing to a community you use, live in, and love." Whelpton said, emphasizing the importance of involvement and volunteerism. For those not yet involved, Whelpton encourages taking the initiative.
 
"The volunteer activities are posted on the whiteboard, website, and Assembly Building. People come and go; some are here all season, for a week, some vacationing, and some retired. It's easy to think that everyone knows each other because many come from generation after generation. However, we always need more volunteers to welcome folks new to the Assembly and to help with community outreach and publicity," Whelpton said.
 
Final Thoughts
The Women's Association exemplifies the spirit of community service both by and for individuals and families of the CSA community. Through its dedicated fundraising efforts, the Association supports various programs and projects benefiting the CSA and the broader Benzie County community.
 
"The positivity of all volunteers who come together for events such as the Art Fair, is amazing. The number of people who come from throughout Benzie County and beyond is fantastic. It gives people a chance to meet one another and see what this special CSA community is all about," Whelpton commented.
By fostering a sense of belonging, connection, and support, the Women's Association and all CSA volunteers continue to significantly impact the quality of life for residents and visitors in Benzie County and at the CSA.
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Boys Night Out - By Alan Marble
07/17/2024 
 
In case you missed it, the senior men's doubles final match last Friday was remarkable in many ways. First, four men in their 70’s played nearly 2 ½ hours of breathtaking (literally, I mean), tennis under a warm July sun. My team lost. In full disclosure, since only two teams signed up, the finals also served as quarter-finals and semi-finals. We all survived.
 
During my serve, the other really interesting event occurred. A hen wild turkey made her matronly way by the shuffleboard court, surrounded by her considerable flock of poults, as baby turkeys are called. It was a late brood, the poults still small and quite downy, and they did not stray far from Mom’s side. Many nesting birds will try again, and again, to pull off a nest of young if the earlier nests are destroyed by weather, or devoured by predators. Eventually, the females run out of hormones and leave the season behind. In this case, she had evidently succeeded with her second or third try, with a large brood of perhaps 10 poults. Thankfully this happened while I was supposed to serve, because, had my opponents had the service, they would have quickly recognized my chronic failure of focus when wildlife calls, and punched me in the gut with a body serve. 
Tom turkey peek a booTom turkey peek a boo
A couple of hours later I was driving the dogs to Bellows Beach for a swim, and a smaller bunch of wild turkeys, perhaps 6, made its way across the road with the head-bobbing/velociraptor-like gait that is proof-positive that birds are just highly evolved dinosaurs. All boys, three were big toms with long beards, the others were birds born a year ago, called “jakes,” with their stubby 2-inch-long beards. The swamp quickly swallowed them up despite their gaudy plumage and striking size.

Two years ago, I was driving home from Frankfort on M22 and was just ascending the hill before Crystal Gardens when I noticed a flicker of movement in the scrubby pines on the right side of the road. I put on the brakes and came to a dead stop, much to the displeasure of the driver of the vehicle behind me. He leaned on the horn, just as a large velvet-antlered buck stepped out on the road and, without looking in my direction, walked across the highway. Honk! And a second buck stepped out and moseyed across the road. Honk! Honk! Buck number 3 followed suit, followed quickly by buck number 4. I waited another moment and then resumed my drive home, resisting the temptation to step out of the truck and tell the other driver that he need not thank me for saving him a wrecker bill and an insurance claim.
 
What gives? In many species of animals and birds, the sexes rarely hang-out together. If you drive Grace Road on a summer night and toss the beam of your headlights into a field full of reflective eyes, they will either be all does and this-year’s fawns, or they will all be adult bucks. Period. If you spot a conga-line of turkeys crossing the road in December and you just get your binoculars up as the last one steps out on the gravel, and it is a tom, you can be assured that all of the rest were boys, heading for a masculine night of, well, whatever tom turkeys do while roosting in trees, high above the ground in the dark.
 
The large cohort of deer which moves through Crystalia in summer is entirely comprised of does and this-year’s fawns. It is a sizable bunch - I’ve counted as many as 14 at a time as they high-tail it up the forested dunes, stopping halfway up to check the backtrail. If you see a large, solitary deer, check out its head to see if it is sprouting this fall’s antlers. Look closely and you will spot the beginnings of a rack.
 
A sow raccoon with her chittering kits will have nothing to do with a big boar raccoon, despite the possibility that he was the dad. Same holds true for black bears, even more so with grizzlies and brown bears since those males have a penchant for eating cubs if the opportunity presents itself.
 
There are two seasons which serve as a melting pot for the sexes. First and foremost is the breeding season. Spring for turkeys and all other birds and fall for white-tailed deer. Even then, the contact between the sexes is usually fleeting. A buck will stalk a doe to determine if she is receptive to his advances. Whether she nods her head or bolts from the scene, the buck will usually resume his bachelor status until the hormonal drive of the rut stirs him up again.

Tom turkeys like to gather a harem, spending mornings and nights with them in their roosts. By mid-morning, however, the hens have had enough of the boys' shenanigans and wander off, together, to feather their nests or enjoy a peaceful moment of gobbling grasshoppers.
 
The other factor that brings males and females together is the northern winter (or at least the winters we used to have). In a heavy winter, with extreme cold and deep snow, deer will gather in large homogenous groups in forests of pine, cedar and hemlocks to forage for food, stamp down the snow and feel the relief of even a few degrees warmer air under the umbrella of branches. Turkeys assemble in similar flocks and seek out agricultural fields and wooded areas with a heavy crop of fallen acorns and beech nuts to scratch down in the snow with their formidable feet and claws.
 
The ebb and flow of nature, honed over thousands of years, immutable and predictable…until it isn’t!
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Summer Music Concerts 2024 - The Congregational Summer Assembly (CSA) will host four concerts this summer at 2128 Pilgrim Highway in Frankfort. The public is welcome and there is free admission.
NewThirdCoastNew Third Coast
 
This year, the Dutton Concert will feature the New Third Coast (N3C) on Saturday, July 13 from 6:30-8:00 pm. The trio features Patrick Niemisto, John Kumjian and Bryan Poirier. Both Niemisto and Kumjian are retired music faculty at Glen Lake Community Schools. Poirier is the owner of 3rd Coast Financial in Traverse City, and also plays with the Jameson Brothers outside of N3C.
 
“The New Third Coast is an excellent power folk trio that will bring a variety of instruments and sing great three-part harmonies,” CSA Choir Director Ken Cox said. The concert will be held on the CSA ballfield and attendees are encouraged to bring towels, chairs, and an evening picnic. Please note that alcohol is prohibited on CSA property. Bring your whole family to this casual-in-the-extreme time together! There will be dancing, singing along, and limerick writing happening along with tunes from the 60’s to the present day. The road in front of the Assembly Building will be blocked off.
 
CSA Choir Concert - Special Event
 
On Friday, July 26 at 7:30 pm, the CSA choir will give a special concert at the Congregational Summer Assembly Meeting House. The choir will perform some of their most popular pieces, such as “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “His Eye in On the Sparrow,” but won’t include any songs recorded in their last concert held in summer of 2000. Due to the audio recording, the choir is asking that no small children or animals attend to avoid any noise in the background.
 
 Kodak QuartetKodak Quartet
 
 On Saturday, July 27 at 7:30pm, pianist Dr. Hyemin Kim and the Kodak Quartet will perform the Burrows-Getz Concert at the Congregational Summer Assembly Meeting House. Dr. Kim serves as Collaborative Piano Faculty and teaches secondary piano lessons at Interlochen Arts Academy. Kodak has performed with multiple Grammy-winning artists and currently serves as the Cuker and Stern Resident String Quartet at the Mannes School of Music in New York.
 
 
Katherine BarbourKatherine BarbourThe final concert of the season will feature lifelong CSA member Katherine Barbour on August 3 at 7:30pm in the Meeting House, for the annual Armstrong Concert. She will perform a full-length vocal recital and will be joined on the piano by Assistant Conductor of the Apollo Chorus of Chicago, Cody Michael Bradley.

Katherine Barbour is a soprano pursuing a Music Masters in Vocal Performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music where she is in the voice studio of Deanne Meek and will be in Carol Van Ness’ Opera Workshop this fall. She began her vocal studies in Wilton, Connecticut with Michele McBride, former principal artist of New York City Opera, and continued with Carolyn Sani Redman at Denison University.

In July, Katherine was Konigen (Queen of the Night) in “Die Zauberflote” with Lyric Studio Opera Weimar, a young artist program in Germany. She previously performed as Papagena and Knabe in Weimar summer of 2023. In addition, she has had roles in “Dido and Aeneas,” “Hansel and Gretel,” “Suor Angelica” and Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance.” As a soloist she has performed in Schubert’s “Mass in G”, Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Britten’s “Ceremony of Carols.” She participated in Opera Lucca and Westminster Choir College Summer in Florence in 2019. She was most recently seen on the CSA stage as Belle in the 2022 adult operetta “Beauty and the Beast.”
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The CSA Working Group on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, initiated in 2023 by the Board of Trustees, is sponsoring a series of events on Community & Belonging. The Congregational Summer Assembly is a place for renewal, founded “to promote the physical, intellectual, moral and spiritual welfare of its members.” As we near the Assembly’s 125th anniversary, we invite you to engage in a conversation about the CSA’s rich history and the extent to which all community members feel they are able to joyfully and confidently pursue the goals expressed in our charter.
 
CSA’s wellbeing is an expression of all of our individual experiences in the community. We hope to ensure everyone, long-timers as well as newcomers, feels welcome to bring their whole selves to the CSA, with a sense of belonging to a community that celebrates all that makes each of us unique.

Circle Conversations
Twice during the summer, July 10 and August 6, we will have facilitated conversations on the topic of community and belonging. Please encourage members of your family to attend. Our hope is that the conversations will be intergenerational.
 
Weekly Chats
Come to one or all of them. This series is designed for people who want to go deeper. The inquiry questions will be shared the week before so you will know what we will be chatting about. Schedule:
 
June 18: Chats and Conversations: An Overview of the Working Group on Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging
June 25: Starting with Belonging: On the Path to an Intentionally Inclusive Community
July 02:  Bringing Our Whole Selves: Creating Safety for Each Other at the CSA
July 09:  Timelines and Transformations: Mapping the CSA's Journey Towards an Inclusive Community
July 16:   Supporting Spiritual Renewal in a Diverse Community
July 30:  What’s Identity Got to Do With It: Exploring Identity, Culture and Belonging
August 06: Younger Voices: A Panel on Community and Belonging
August 13:  How Do We Create a Culture of Belonging?
August 20:   Imagining Our Future
 
Please let friends and families of people who will be at Crystal know -- we have a particular interest in reaching out to younger generations. If they can’t attend, we are always happy to schedule a time to talk/zoom.
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New Wellness Program: Mindfulness Sessions and Forest Bathing Walk

In response to our stressful times, the Women’s Association is sponsoring a five-class Mindfulness Program. The practice of mindfulness is proven to cultivate inner calm and reduce stress. The classes will provide tools to help participants manage difficult emotions effectively.

Our instructor, Kristen Ryder, is a Community Yoga and Mindfulness Facilitator, Community-based Therapist, School Psychologist, and Community Violence Prevention Researcher from Michigan State University. She does remind us that while mindfulness practices support health and well-being, they do not replace medical or mental health services.
 
YOU MUST PRE-REGISTER ONLINE! Class size is limited to facilitate the best experience. No walk-ins.
 
Mindfulness 101: Anchors and Awareness: July 3, 11:00 AM – Noon
  • Experience key mindfulness steps: 1) paying attention; 2) on purpose; 3) to the present moment; and 4) without judgement (the gentle and loving part).
Mindfulness Through Our Senses: July 10, 11:00 AM – Noon
  • Introduces and explores each of eight senses individually and in tandem.
Mindful Self-Compassion Practices and Lovingkindness/Heartfulness: July 16, 11:00 AM to Noon. Women’s Association Annual Meeting Program. No registration required.
  • Learn how compassion-turned-inward may support us in our daily functioning and in moments of discomfort.
Forest Bathing Walk: July 26, 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM THIS EVENT IS FULL.
  • Meet at the Arcadia St. Pierre Trailhead. Take a slow, deliberate walk in nature, using your senses to foster a deep connection with the environment.
Mindfulness Practices: Body Scan and Interbeing: August 1, 11:00 AM – Noon
  • Experience deep relaxation, reduced stress, and improved self-awareness through body scanning. Plus, the interconnectedness of people, animals, plants, and the environment.
To Register (for all but the Women’s Association Meeting on 7/16)
  1. Use QR Code below or go to www.stillnessandstrengthyoga.com
  2. Click on Class Schedules & Descriptions. Select “Register” under CSA Mindfulness Series
  3. Complete the information. Select the CSA Session you wish to attend. Sign a simple waiver required by instructor
QR CODE Wellness Program
 
 
 
 
 
 
 See the Mindfulness Program Flyer for more information on the classes. Reach out to Beth Wolszon at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you need further details.
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Spotlight on Committees: Tennis Committee
By Ginanne Brownell
 
If the expression “down the middle solves the riddle” rings a bell, it’s pretty likely that you or someone in your family have taken part in a Steve Shreiner-led CSA tennis lesson at some point in your summer. Steve is known for his great expressions—and booming voice—and has helped to really shape the tennis program over the last few years.

That shaping up has been helped in large part by the very active tennis committee, which is co-chaired by brothers-in-law Alan Marble and Dennis Nahnsen. The two men –who are both known to take part in CSA adult lessons—took over the roles about eight years ago. Though there had been a tennis committee before that—with Alan estimating it probably started back in the 1990s— it had not been very active for a number of years.

The tennis program at CSA has grown in leaps and bounds over the last few years. For example, in 2022 the week of July 18th saw a whopping 576 adults and children participate in tennis lessons throughout the week, while this year the top week of July 10th saw 435 participate (some of these numbers include repeat “satisfied customers.”)

Two years ago, the tennis committee added pickleball to the summer roster. Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and it has certainly become popular at the Assembly. This past July the first Pickleball Festival was held with over 50 participants.

The CSA Tennis Committee is responsible for the administration of all tennis activities that take place in the CSA. Its duties include creating and implementing the rules and requirements for all tennis activities and court usage on the grounds of the CSA, working with the Managing Director of the CSA to hire the tennis staff, and helping to organize and oversee two week-long tennis tournaments in July and August.

tennis 2023Alan Marble, Tennis Committee Cochair, is pictured on right after the Senior Men’s Doubles Final match in the August 2023 tournament.Steve, of course, ran the CSA tennis program for years and, lucky for us, he came back two years ago. “Denny approached Steve in January of 2022 and he expressed a sincere desire to run the CSA program once again,” said Alan Marble. “We cobbled together an aggressive budget proposal, got the support of the Board of Trustees and the new (amazing) managing director, and the program set records for attendance in 2022. We asked for an additional $6K for the 2023 budget, all towards salaries, and we got it.”

He added that the committee has worked hard to obtain new equipment including courtside benches and tournament scorecards, as well as developing a new program for monitoring tournament play with volunteers to ensure consistency and reporting of scores and to monitor sportsmanship. Two of the Woods courts were resurfaced last winter, and the other two will be redone for the 2024 season.

Alan says that the committee has been pleased with not only Steve coming back to help run the program but also the results, including the numbers of those signing up for the July and August tournaments as well as the weekly tennis classes. The success of the tennis program is, says Alan, “of great pride to the committee.” And for all those who love tennis, the program has become one of the highlights of summer at the CSA.
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