| What: WAIT Reunion
When: August 8th-10th
Where: Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia
Report: On August 8, WAIT teams from West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, Connecticut, DC, Virginia and Indiana gathered at the Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia for a first ever WAIT reunion.
More than 87 parents and kids attended the 3-day event which included reports, performances, improvisations, and testimonies of the impact of WAIT on their life and on their families and communities.
Unfortunately, the teams from Kentucky, California and Florida could not attend, though some valiant efforts were made, and also the WAIF adult fundraising and office team, who were scheduled to come, were not in attendance.
Organized largely by the state teams themselves, the reunion took place in the mountains of West Virginia, in a very lovely facility replete with wildlife, golf, swimming and horse facilities. Due to scheduling and financial matters, we could not fully take advantage of the amenities, but we did enjoy the large Faulconer meeting room, where we did most of the meetings and performances while we were there.
But, to truly tell the story, we need to go back in time.
In late June, the national team in D.C. was totally overwhelmed with the preparations for the coming of the Jerusalem Multicultural Dance Troupe. Together with Service For Peace, WAIT was hosting the group in the U.S., as the second phase of the JUMP cultural exchange program for peace. The preparations were extensive, involving preparing kosher and halal meal arrangements, transportation for 45 people, lodging, and performance and service project arrangements. With the help of the Points of Light Foundation and nearly 20 different service organizations drawn from a diverse faith and community base, JUMP reached out to the cities of D.C. and New York, and key national and international organizations, including the United Nations, Congress, and many humanitarian organizations.
The state teams, meanwhile, were asking “what can we do this summer to bring WAIT to the next level?” The idea of an All-WAIT gathering was broached, and in various discussions and emails, it was decided that the state teams would head this up.
Burgi Hutcherson, one of the North Carolina parent leaders, felt that West Virginia would be an ideal location, as it is central to most of the states involved. However, before she had time to physically pick up a phone to contact Claudette Kambara, another WAIT mom living in Charleston, WV, Claudette called her. “I had a dream you wanted me to find a place for you,” Claudette told Burgi, and they felt that “someone upstairs” was telling them the WAIT reunion should happen there.
Locating the Pipestem Resort took a lot of effort, and North Carolina's Aunt Sharon Pace offered to do the cooking. Next, all the states had to arrange their schedules and overcome both the financial hurdles and the time constraints. Each state has serious challenges. Ohio state organizers, the Masudas, had a trip overseas already planned. Connecticut team members were dispersed, and only a few were available to travel the 12 hour-journey to the site. All the teams had to raise the funds for their respective participation, in just over a week.
North Carolina's WAIT team had an extreme challenge. In the middle of an intensive week of performing, fundraising and practices, their teen coordinator, Dan Hutcherson, suffered a stroke and was hospitalized. Through a battery of tests, doctors found the cause: a hole in his heart, allowing un-oxygenated blood to mix with the blood circulated through the lungs. Quite miraculously, the stroke took place at a safe moment, and when the team was just minutes from the best hospital in the city, so Dan was protected and able to be diagnosed by an expert team of medical professionals. To our great relief and surprise, Dan was released in time to attend the reunion, as his heart surgery will not take place for several more weeks.
Connecticut had a rather dramatic series of challenges as well. On the way to West Virginia, they spent one night at the Tsubata's in D.C., and then the two teams caravanned together. A few hours from the destination, Greg Breland noticed that the van was not responding to the accelerator, and was even choking out. The two teams stopped at the small town of Stuarts Draft in Virginia, and dropped the teams by the roadside while the adults went to find a service station.
This became something of a quest, and in the meantime, the kids decided to walk over to a high school they could see up ahead, Riverheads High School. The principal gave them permission to rest there, and they sang, did breakdancing, and played instruments for two hours while the mechanic was located, a rental vehicle could be obtained, and the two vans returned to pick them up. The principal warmly invited the teams to return and perform in their school, and they promised to do so.
Arriving at Pipestem a few hours late, the teams were delighted to hear that Claudette had received permission from the nearby Lerona United Methodist Church, to cook our evening meal there and to use their shelter to eat. Rev. Dallas and Mrs. Linda Peyton welcomed the teams, and we were happy to learn that this was their 13th wedding anniversary, so we had a joint celebration of that event with Benji Uyama's birthday.
The combined singers of all the state teams regaled them with an acapello version of “Hero” in multipart harmony, which moved the pastoral team deeply. They also prayed for the teams, and prayed for Dan's complete healing.
In yet another amazing coincidence, one of the assistant pastors was amazed to find out that the Virginia team would be traveling to perform at a juvenile correctional facility in Lexington after the reunion—the same facility where his son teaches and has been trying to get positive events scheduled for the youth detainees.
This warm welcome set the tone for our entire stay. After a short meeting when we returned, we divided the rooms, creating a minor crisis when some of the other guests complained of the noise of our group picking up and transferring their bags to their rooms. The polite response and quick compliance of the WAIT kids with the security staff's requests for quiet earned us a good impression. The next day, we offered to do a performance for any guests of the resort who would like to attend.
Tuesday began with reports from each team, some video, and then some performing challenges. After lunch, we divided into performance skill developing sessions, and the adults met separately. Throughout the resort, one could hear breakdance music in one spot, different hip hop dances in another, and the combined harmonies of many singers in another area.
Coming together at 5:30, we quickly set up to perform for the 15 or 20 guests who came to see the performance. The breakdance act had about 30 dancers alone, so that was a big opening. We did not only the skit and game show, but three dances (One girl, Rose and Most girls) and the song “Hero.”
At the end, a lot of people came and danced, and enjoyed themselves mightily.
Dinner was barbecued hot dogs and salads, again, delicious. After dinner, we re-gathered for testimonies on some of the transformations people experienced in their lives through their work with WAIT.
After the official closing, a few people hung around for rather comical reports by Se Hyun Rozier and Angelina Beltrami on their recent experiences of becoming engaged to their respective lifetime partners.
The next morning, in response to requests by guests, we had another performance scheduled for 11:30, so before that time, we did goal setting, and also met with those transitioning to college or professional life.
The performance again attracted a number of very excited viewers, and they really felt inspired about bringing WAIT to their local areas.
The promised incorporation and bookkeeping seminar was greatly missed by the adult organizers. Upon returning, we learned that a physical ailment had kept our learned legal expert, Dieudonne Nkwethat from attending and giving this presentation. However, we promised to send all the documents by mail.
Thanks must go to Claudette and Burgi, Aye Jin Masuda and Greg Breland, Robert Passalacqua and Steve Feld, Joan Mwamlima and Robert Becker, Bruce Hutcherson and Sharon Pace, and all the other parents and adults who bravely undertook the journey and brought their wisdom to the process.
One final miracle: on the way back, the rental van that the Bridgeport team was using broke down, leaving them stuck on the side of the road. A kind Virginia patrolman stayed with them, with his lights flashing and flares set up. The D.C. team, 1 hour behind them, was tootling along, with the music up loud and everyone singing, but happened to see the group out there, waving and yelling “WAIT!!!” Sure enough, after stopping, assessing the situation, and transporting the team to a nearby Wal-mart for lunch and refreshment, the rental agency had a tow truck and replacement vehicle there, and we were able to caravan back to drop off the rental, pick up the repaired van, and proceed back to D.C.
After a short nap in the Tsubata's home, the Bridgeport team went on back to Connecticut, driven by the intrepid Breland family, who bore up under all these challenges with grace and power. Great job, Connecticut WAIT!
The goals of the assemblage included:
Better acts, especially breakdance with a message
Improving public speaking
Performances at all Columbus schools
Writing original songs
Starting a WAIT in Las Vegas, Nevada
Being ready for any performance, anytime
Establishing the video conferencing capability between all states
Working closely with CAUSE TV and other television initiatives
Putting pages for each WAIT chapter on the website
More focus, less goofing off in meetings, more straight and mature attitudes
Increasing unity and cooperation
Getting a WAIT building
Working closely with HIV positive individuals
Developing effective fundraising for each locality
Developing WAIT action figures, toys
Developing WAIT fashion
Creating new skits
Getting sponsors
Each person attaining 3rd level trainer status
Having a WAIT dance studio
Creating a WAIT video for health classes to use
Create cultural breakthroughs
Bumper stickers
WAIT and AIDS classes in colleges
Travel to every country, especially Africa
Creating travel bags
Getting WAIT airplane, helicopter
Getting grants
Developing a visual arts department (Uncle Steve Feld will head it up)
Creating a script for the HIV/AIDS powerpoint
Create a sports drink: WAIT or AIDS
Restaurant for WAIT
Write a play or musical—operetta for the skit?
Use the WAIT pledge created by Ohio
Late night talk show
WAIT cartoons, animation
More t-shirt designs
Buttons
Merchandise
WAIT book
WAIT coloring book
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