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Recent Posts

Our Year in Review: 2023
Spring 2023 Letter to the Community
Our Year in Review: 2022
Craig Kurumada Changes Gears
Recenter. Regather. Renew.
2022 Workshops – Our Decision To Cancel
East Coast Virtual Camp 2021 Teacher Highlights
Our Year in Review: 2021
Our Year in Review: 2020
Fall 2020 Letter to the Community
Mid-Year Report: 2020
Our Year in Review: 2019
FY2019 Financials – Income & Expense charts
Meet Our Newest Board Member
Membership FAQs
Strategic Vision 2019
Camp Cabins Are Not Just Where We Sleep
Tips for Scholarship Applicants
Meet Our Newest Board Members
The Final Survey
FY2018 Financials – Income & Expense charts
Our Year in Review: 2018
Special Thanks: 2018
Summary: Spring 2018 Board Meeting
Tips & Tricks: Financing Your Trip to Balkan Camp
Growing Live Music
Volunteer Spotlight: Camille Holmes
FY2017 Financials – Income & Expenses
Post Balkan Camp Disorder (PBCD)
Running Sound at Balkan Camp: Tips and Tricks
Jamming at Camp – Your Opinions Wanted!
EEFC 2017 Spring Board Meeting Message from the President
FY2016 Financials – Income & Expenses
Spread the Word
EEFC 2016 Fall Board Meeting Report
Macedonian Čalgija Musicians at Mendocino
Get the Official Registration Badge
Social Media 101: Youth to the Rescue or How to Promote the EEFC on Facebook
A Good Year for Giving!
FY2015 Financials – Income & Expenses
Just What Does the EEFC Board Do?
Supporting the Čoček Nation Youth Scholarship
FY2014 Financials – Income & Expenses
Fall 2015 Board Meeting Summary Letter
EEFC 2015 Fall Board Meeting Report
A Few Changes to Membership
2015-2016 Fundraising Appeal
Bay Area EEFC Scholarship Created
EEFC Donation Stores
Party on at Balkan Camp in Mendocino!
So Many Great Reasons…
EEFC and the Great Ripple Effect
A Banner Year for Scholarships
Kukeri in the Woodlands—Become a Magical Beast of the Forest
The 2014 Iroquois Springs Photo DVD from Margaret Loomis
Meet Volunteer Jenna Shearer, Marketing & Communications Committee
Spring 2015 Board Meeting Summary Letter
EEFC 2015 Spring Board Meeting Report
Letters to the Community — from the Board of Directors and Rachel MacFarlane
East Coast EEFC Community Forum in Boston
Yes, you’re in the right place!
Earl Galitz
EEFC 2015 Community Forums
Share Camp. Spread the Word.
Balkan Music and Dance Workshops 2015
West Coast EEFC Community Forums Announced
Richard Herbert “Dick” Forsyth
Update from Executive Director Jay House
Fall 2013 Board Meeting Summary
Six-Month Update from Executive Director, Jay House Samios
Meet & Greet Events in NYC, Bay Area, Seattle, Chicago & Boston
Top 10 Misconceptions about Camp
ED Selection
Comments on ED Role May 2012
Board & Program Committee Update Feb. 2012
EEFC Board Meeting Notes: 1994 —2014
Amy Mills Message on Behalf of the baord

Message from Amy Mills on Behalf of the Board

I know that it has been a stressful few years for the EEFC, as we work to weather financial stresses and organizational changes. As I see through my own work as an event manager and arts administrator, these same tensions are being felt in arts and cultural non-profits throughout the country. Sometimes, it seems like the hardest thing to do is to remember to listen, be kind to one another and find concrete ways to move forward.

As you may know, the EEFC is in a period of transition. We don’t know all the answers to how the organization will move forward into the future. Part of this is because we are trying to take things slowly enough to ensure staff, board, and community are on the same page. As such, staff and board members have been talking about how to remain sustainable and supportive of one another. Community forums are being held in several places around the country, when possible to do without incurring travel costs. (See below for more details.) These issues will also be discussed at length at the board’s spring meeting in mid-March.

Two Goals

In the big picture, however, the main things have not changed. As a community and an organization, we must remain focused on two large goals: filling the summer workshops and raising sufficient funds to keep the organization running smoothly.

Many of you have approached us and offered your help. We’re incredibly thankful for the giving spirit of this community in this way. Right now, we can use your help most to fill the summer workshops. Word-of-mouth remains the single most powerful way to get people to sign up for camp.

What can I do?

First, you can go sign up for camp yourself. Registering early shows others that the event is popular—so they want to jump in too.

Second, you can encourage the people in your immediate circle to attend—tell members of your band, choir, dance group, and your good friends how much fun we have! If they are low-income, let them know about our scholarships (still open for East Coast!) and work exchange options.

Third, if you’re a key player in your local Balkan community, we can use your help spreading the word. Please make announcements at your events, on your listservs, and to your social media circles. You can request EEFC postcards by emailing office@eefc.org and specifying how many cards you would like. If you have access to a printer, you can print your own postcards from our website: {LINK HERE}. And remember—it’s the one-on-one personal touch that makes the most difference because community is about feeling welcomed and needed.

Thank you to all of you who already do these things and much more. I truly believe that these small kindnesses and moments of reaching out can be some of the most powerful. Let’s keep working together to make the organization sustainable, support the people doing the day-to-day work, and keep our Balkan workshops fun and successful.

With love and hope,
Amy Mills, on behalf of the board of directors