Where Will the Creek Take You?
By Paige Lester-Niles
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| Fran Price, January 2008 |
From my earliest days as a camper, I have always loved creek hiking. There is something very magical about sticking my feet in a chilly mountain creek that makes me feel energized and peaceful at the same time. The actual feeling of the cold water when it first hits you and the thrill of ducking another fantastical rhododendron limb is exhilarating, but what excites me even more is the idea of what has come before and what is yet to be. For me, a creek connects these times and spaces. When I step into a creek, I know that the water that is flowing over my feet might be the same water that flowed underneath the thirsty tongue of a young deer, and that it may go on to push the raft of our very own Huck Finn campers as they set out on homemade rafts to discover the mighty French Board River. The water, pure, clear and refreshing, connects us to each other, to nature, to our past and to our future.
Recently, I was thinking about the many connections that are made at Eagle’s Nest. Each year I hear stories about the wonderful things that Eagle’s Nest campers and staff members have been inspired to do after spending time at camp or on Hante – former campers who have hiked the Appalachian Trail to raise money for scholarships for future participants, staff members who have helped build schools and libraries in countries far from ours, and people who have pursued further education and careers in fields that are focused on protecting our environment for future generations and the future of the world. These people are stepping in the creek. They are feeling the energy of what came before them and shaping the direction of what it will touch in the future.
During my travels in Florida this winter, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with Fran Price. Fran is a talented, wise and very witty 95-year-old woman who has been providing full scholarships to Eagle’s Nest campers for 15 years. During this time she has been solely responsible for giving nearly 20 campers the opportunity to experience the wonders of Eagle’s Nest Camp on a full camp scholarship. If I were to place Fran in my creek hiking metaphor, I’d say that she was a boulder touching just about everything that passes her way, or maybe even a small waterfall that accelerates and magnifies the power of the water passing down the creek. Fran knows this, and she intentionally provided these scholarships as a way of propelling others to create greater good in the world.
Prior to leaving for my trip to see Fran, I contacted all of the campers who had benefited from Fran’s gifts of scholarship. I asked each of them to write a short thank you note that I could include in a scrapbook that we would present to Fran. The e-mails and letters that came back to me were an amazing testament to the power of connecting in a positive way. Each of these campers wrote about how this gift had positively affected his or her life in some way, and each of these campers wrote about what they had since done to make the world a better place. One recipient, who has gone on to be a counselor at Eagle’s Nest, articulated Fran’s gifts so well:
Your generosity means so much because, without ever even meeting m,e you reached out and put fresh air in my lungs, a paddle in my hand, and a song in my heart. I have found that each year I return to Hart Road as a different person in a different place. The Nest has stayed true to its founding philosophies and mission. Camp gives us, young and old, a safe place to explore the natural world and learn about each other and ourselves. It has been incredible to be a part of a community that gives love, life, and opportunity so freely. I will always be grateful for Eagle's Nest and I am reminded daily of what a positive impact my experiences there have had on my life.
Robert Frost likened life to “two roads [diverging] in a yellow wood”; Forrest Gump said that “life was like a box of chocolates”. I like their metaphors and the many, many others that philosophers have provided over the years. I’d like to add my own. For me, life is filled with the joy of “stepping into the stream” – ready to receive the wisdom of what has come before and to pass on lessons, blessings and kindness to what will come after. Fran Price has been an inspiration to me, and I am hopeful that I have been a positive inspiration to others. We all have the ability to affect the flow of the creek in some positive way.
Eagle’s Nest Foundation has started an endowed scholarship fund in Fran Price’s name. Our goal is to honor her and to carry on her desire to make the world a better place. I hope that many of you will join me as a pebble in the creek (we could use some boulders and waterfalls too)! Please donate to the Fran Price endowed scholarship fund and feel the exhilaration of affecting what’s downstream. Click here to make a donation.
