White Paper

For several years, many West Virginia Woodmen of the World members have dreamed of a youth camp facility being constructed on their rural real estate holdings in Braxton County. Camp Sunshine Mountain Lakes, Inc. and the West Virginia Mountaineer Woodmen of the World Camp, Inc., through a lease agreement, are joining together in a fantastic venture that will transform a beautiful patch of wilderness nears Flatwoods into a state-of-the-art family retreat center. The camp will become the one of the few programs in the nation whose mission is to address the impact of a serious illness on every member of the immediate  family—the ill child, the parents, and the siblings. This multi-service recreation center is destined to be a model of recreational excellence in the Mid-Atlantic Region for years to come.

The objective of this “White Paper” is to provide as much initial information to all the members of this board regarding the many facets of this major undertaking. By understanding who the stakeholders are in this endeavor, and the resources that are available from a myriad of sources and directions, we can gel quickly into a solid and functional board. We are on the verge of creating something of unfathomable greatness that will have a major impact on many hurting families whose children are very sick. In so doing, we will ease related physical pain, emotional and spiritual pain… and at the same time multiply exponentially, the happiness of countless lives during a new century of hope. All members of the initial committee and board of directors were purposefully selected for a very specific reason. Each one brings a special background talent, expertise and passion that will assure the achievement of our objective. We must be inspiring leaders with courage, ambassadors of great hope, and men and women with a heart felt fervency for the ultimate cause. Doing our very best work, we will be fanning the glowing embers of fraternalism and compassion into a roaring blaze of anticipation among countless others who will pick up the banner of our cause. They in turn will enthusiastically join our crusade. The words penned by the poet Sharpe speaks well to our immediate challenge…

“A Bag of Tools”

Isn’t it strange that princes and kings
And clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
And common people like you and me
Are builders for eternity?

To each is given a bag of tools,
a shapeless mass, a book of rules;
and each must make ‘ere life has flown
a stumbling block or a stepping-stone.

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a stepping-stone for many people from all walks of life and circumstances. As we stand on a high mountaintop in West Virginia, surveying the grandeur of the valleys before us, we see much that can be done. We have a divine appointment with duty and service.