FROM THE TREETOPS ARCHIVES

Can you identify the people in these photos? If so, please email communications@ ncstreetops.org

Dear Friends,

This letter and the Annual Report that follows cannot and does not adequately capture the profound commitment we have felt from you, our community, this year. It is deeply inspiring to see how you have come together to support Camp and School with your characteristic creativity, generosity, and resilience. From handwritten notes to emails to donations of all sizes, we are overwhelmed with your care and love for this place. We could not be more grateful.

When we made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the 2020 summer of Camp Treetops as well as Friends’ Weekend, we knew that we would miss our campers singing at Council Rock or sharing a meal in the Main House. And, we knew that we’d miss you, our alumni and families gathering for Friends’ Weekend—reminiscing and reconnecting during garden harvest or while hiking Balanced Rocks.

We also knew that, like many other non-profits, we would be facing financial difficulties and a strained budget. The Board and leadership began looking at financial scenarios last spring. Since then, we have exercised fiscal prudence and prioritized taking care of our people. It is no surprise that, for the first time in nearly 20 years, we are ending our 2020 fiscal year with a significant deficit. Your generous giving has helped mitigate the impact of that deficit. We continue our promise to be excellent stewards of your philanthropic support.

During this fiscal year, which ended on August 31, your generous gifts helped us exceed our Annual Fund goal and raised $1.4 million from more than 1,080 donors to bolster Camp and School during these challenging times. The Annual Fund is our emergency fund. This year, it helped us sustain Camp and keep our farm and garden running through the unusual summer. It also helped us prepare for a safe reopening of School by funding new air filtration systems, making adjustments to our dining room and classrooms, and providing better technology for our teachers.

We were reminded of the importance of a strong endowment this year. Many families and individuals have chosen to invest in Camp and School by establishing named funds or leaving a legacy gift in their will. Realized planned gifts and other generous giving have helped our endowment grow to over $14 million, which helps fund scholarships and program opportunities every year. As we look ahead, a healthy endowment will help ensure a bright future for School and Camp.

Know that Camp and School are here. Because of our community, we are resilient. We believe that the world needs our intentional, place-based, connected learning more than ever.

Thank you again for your generous and loyal giving. Please continue to stay in touch—it means so much as we embark on what promises to be another challenging year.

Best regards,

Barkley Stuart

Todd Ormiston Chair, Board of Trustees Executive Director CTT 69-72 parent 03-07, NCS parent 09-11