Letter of November 19, 2006

Dear Willowbrook Friends and Family,

You would have hardly recognized Brown’s Ferry Park last week. The chatter of a few birds in the canopy of autumn leaves was the only reminder of the hundreds of children who danced and sang their way into the land of make believe under those very trees during Willowbrook. The tables where they had squished their fingers in cool, red clay have gone missing, and the Nature caravan where they listened to “the history of the world in one minute” has moved on to its winter home. This summer, each day brought joy and delight to our children, our staff, parents, grandparents and our loyal alumni and donors alike who were lucky enough to be at Willowbrook.

The Willowbrook community continues not only to thrive, but also to cherish its members new and old, near and far. This year was the most successful year in Willowbrook history with an attendance of 1,840 students, and this was due in no small part to you, our donors, who generously contributed over $20,000 dollars during last year’s fund-raising campaign. Thank you, dear friends and family! With your help, Willowbrook was able to purchase more tents, fencing and a fused glass kiln. We were able to hire a part-time summer executive director. We were also able to keep our tuition at a reasonable rate so that so many children had the opportunity to explore the wonders of Willowbrook.

This year was a very special time for all of us as we gathered together to celebrate our first 25 years. Alumni came from as far away as New York and Boston just to be together on that day. Laughter and reminiscences lined every well-worn summer trail, and performances from staff and alumni brought tears of laughter and joy to many of us sharing supper in the late afternoon sun. Old photographs of little munchkins and tiny ballerinas stood against easels as testimony to those who have been transformed- now high school, college or students of life, giving big Willowbrook hugs of reunion. We all came to see our beloved Althea, of course, and she is the one who never seems to change! That smile, those twinkling eyes remain filled with love and magic. Althea told all of us that this was the best day of her life. Just as Althea was touched to find so many of us honoring her vision, every one of us is grateful for the many ways in which Althea and Willowbrook have touched our lives.

And now, we are looking forward to our next 25 years as our children, our grandchildren and even our great grandchildren continue to thrive in the Willowbrook community. Each year we give the staff an opportunity to participate in the planning process by giving input into the Willowbrook vision. This year we asked the staff, “How would you describe the vision for Willowbrook in your own words?” One of our apprentice assistants gave this response:

To inspire creativity, free thought and a passion for learning is the highest of the arts to achieve. In looking for a medium to share this art, we find Willowbrook.

What a lovely metaphor- Willowbrook as art itself- the medium through which our children and children’s children are free to explore their thoughts and artistic passion. One young actress, waiting to be costumed for The Wizard of Oz this summer, explained to a new friend why Willowbrook was so important to her. She said, “Willowbrook is the only place that I can be myself without being laughed at. I can try things that I don’t do during the year and the teachers will help me without criticizing me.”

This year the greatest number ever of Willowbrook alumni returned to be a part of the teaching staff. In addition, we saw parents, who were students, then staff, bring little ones to the Squirrel’s Nest. Two young moms had worked in the Squirrel’s Nest in the early days of Willowbrook. In those days, the little ones took their rest time in Althea’s living room with costumes for that week’s performance hanging over the curving banister of the staircase and across the backs of her brocaded chairs. This year, the daughter of one of those moms was in the Squirrel’s Nest and came to the “costume emporium” (the garage) every day that she attended to give us design ideas about costumes for Peter Pan, often modeling her “design du jour” herself! She was four years old.

It is the love of our community, of members old and new, that keeps the Board looking toward the future, toward Althea’s vision:

Willowbrook is a small seed we plant today for our belief in tomorrow.

Guided by this vision, one of our most important goals this year is to build a foundation for Willowbrook in the areas of strategic and financial planning, including fundraising and grant writing, to sustain Willowbrook for another 25 years. We have made progress towards this goal, with your support. We have worked together to assess our needs in the areas of organizational and financial planning. We received a grant through the Oregon Community Foundation to pay part of the executive director’s part time salary and to work on researching and writing grants. We need to raise an additional $30,000. Some of our important needs include a forklift for moving stage platforms, a pottery kiln, musical instruments, a darkroom facility, a modular office for archival storage and daily business, sound and lighting equipment for theater performances, a larger storage facility and new tents.

Yes, we are working to create a sustainable future for Willowbrook, but you are the cornerstone of Willowbrook’s foundation. It is the community itself who has kept Willowbrook alive, and we need you in order to grow into the next 25 years.

We encourage you to pause as you read this letter and recapture a moment of joy that you and your children or grandchildren have experienced at Willowbrook. It might be the sound of delight as your child “argged” with glee as a Neverland pirate, or gasped with half-fear, half-delight at a dragon that was missing his two front teeth. It might be the image of a bundle of tanned legs and sun-blonde heads huddled together in the tiny bamboo grove, lunch boxes open and handmade books perched on top of half-eaten sandwiches as the young authors read their stories out loud to one another.

Willowbrook offers each of us an opportunity year after year to recapture the particular moment which defines, for each one of us, the wonder of childhood in our own lives and the lives of our children. The old saying that “hope springs eternal,” transfers very well through Willowbrook into “joy springs eternal.” Please help us lay the Willowbrook foundation of joy that will support our children for years to come, as well as allowing us to keep tuition costs at a reasonable level to give children from a variety of backgrounds the opportunity to experience Willowbrook. This year we have targeted a goal of $30,000 to cover program-operating costs. Just imagine, as with our young authors in the bamboo grove, that as you are opening your checkbooks, you are opening your hearts, writing a story of laughter and creative passion that will live on through Willowbrook for years to come.

We have enclosed a donation envelope for your gift. Please return your donation by December 30th.

And, again, from our hearts, we thank you!

Althea Pratt-Broome, Founder
Peter Thacker, Board Chair

P.S. Don’t forget, your gift to Willowbrook is tax deductible! We have given our information to the Oregon Cultural Trust and will be included in their list of eligible cultural nonprofits this tax season. For more information on the gift match and additional tax credit, visit www.culturaltrust.org.