Here is Your Monthly Newsletter from Seabeck

February 2024

A Message from the Director

Happy Lunar New Year. The coming year is the year of the Dragon. This year’s exchange student for our Rotary Club is from Taiwan, so I am learning about the traditions and festivals. I think the Western world should start celebrating it. I guess the local casinos already do.

I love sharing good news every month, but I also want to be transparent when challenges arise. To be honest, January was a rough month around here. No snow, but very cold temperatures for an extended time. We are just starting to find some broken pipes. The crew is working to repair the old laundry building by Huckleberry this week.

We also found out we are going to have to replace all the septic tanks and pumps as well as installing many new systems down there. It hasn’t had any major work done since 1975, so I guess it is due. We are afraid the steel tanks are failing, so we will put in new fiberglass tanks in early September. The hard part is the cost. I don’t have real bids yet, but the guess is around $250,000 for this phase. I will be looking for grants.

The Firs solar project is slightly delayed because we are running into issues with the local power company. They say they support green energy, but their rules and policies seem to discourage it. They just changed their plans and that will make us trench to the panel in the Colman parking lot. This is not insurmountable but will delay the panels a little. I’ll keep you updated.

I still remain optimistic even through these and a couple of other challenges are on the horizon.

The Meeting House bathrooms got an update thanks to Freddie from our maintenance crew. I think they look great. The first floats came in for the new swim dock. It’s on track to be ready for this summer.

I hope to see some familiar faces at the Mastery of Scottish Arts Seabeck Concert on February 12th at 7:30. I was doing a little work in the Colman basement last night and Fred Morrison was practicing upstairs. He sounded great. It’s going to be a great show.

Thanks for reading. Have a great month.

Chuck

Celtic Arts Concert 2024

Monday, February 12 at 7:30pm

The annual Celtic Arts Concert will be held on Monday, February 12th at

7:30pm in the Meeting House. Donations are taken at the door and

all proceeds go directly to the musicians.

These performers are some of the world’s most accomplished Celtic musicians from Scotland, Canada, and the US, including Finlay MacDonald, Gary West, Ailis Sutherland, Fred Morrison, Ross Martin,

Eric McDonald, Troy MacGillivray, Wendy MacIsaac,

Jenna Moynihan and Alasdair White.

There's no program that they follow so it's impromptu and the musicians interact with the guests, which makes it a great experience for everyone.

Are you Looking for a Retreat to Join?

Eliot Institute has Four Retreats Each Year!

Contact Them to Register!

If it’s summer at Seabeck, Eliot Institute is there! Eliot is an organization that provides four all-inclusive camps for Unitarian Universalists, their families, and friends. We welcome all people to join in creating an intentional community of all ages that’s filled with fun, engaging speakers and activities, and connection.

Each year Eliot Institute holds two week-long family camps in July and August, a five-day Creative Arts camp, and a special Winter Eliot to usher in the new year. It’s your chance to enjoy all that Seabeck offers—from the salmon bake beach to the Pines lounges—while making art and music, exploring ideas of justice and equity, and developing friendships that can last a lifetime.

Our 2024 camps are as follows:

July 13-20 “Creativity Games and Storytelling” with Guy Nelson

Aug 3-10 “Exploring and Celebrating Sexuality, Gender, and Faith” with Alex Capitan

Aug 10-14 choose your workshop during Creative Arts Eliot

Dec 28-Jan1 “The Practice of Evidence-Based Hope”

Visit the Eliot Institute website for more information and to register for any camp.

--See you at camp!

Congratulations Dan Westin, Facilities Director

Dan celebrated his 10th year at Seabeck this month.

Thanks for all your hard work, Dan.

Snapshots from Seabeck

Picture by Irene Faso Jaunary 29

Pictures by Theresa Carmichael Cabral January 21

Picture by Kimberly Luckow Bansal January 15

Picutres by Theresa Carmichael Cabral January 13 & 14

Ways to Donate to Seabeck

Do you want to help us lay the foundation for the next decade of Seabeck Conference Center? There are many ways, not all of them involving huge disbursements of cash. Here are some creative ideas you

might not have thought about:

Cash Donation Today

Tax-deductible gifts via check, credit card, in person, or online. Please consider

upping your regular gift by another 10 percent.

Automatic Monthly Payments

Gifts can be deducted periodically from your bank account, making larger donations easier by spreading them over time.

Low-Cost Appreciated Stock

Avoid paying the capital gains by giving full-market value to Seabeck Conference Center.

In-Kind Donation

We are always in need of furniture, lighting, rugs, and much more - the market value is tax-deductible.

Multi-Year Pledges

A great way to ensure support will be there when we need it year after year.

Designated Gifts

Donate to a targeted project or capital campaign.

Commemorative Gifts

Donate a bench or rocking chair in honor of someone or something important to you.

A Bequest in Your Will

Your gift can be a specific sum or a percentage of an estate after other bequests. Just add an addendum to your existing will.

Life Insurance and Savings Accounts

Same as retirement plans, except those payments made to Seabeck Conference Center are exempt only from estate taxes.

IRA's and Retirement Plans

Your estate receives a charitable deduction for the full gift amount on estate and income taxes, while we receive full donation value. Non-charitable heirs receive only a part of the value (since inherited assets are subject to estate and income taxes).

Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

A QCD is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity. QCDs can be counted toward satisfying your required minimum distributions (RMDs) for the year, as long as certain rules are met. You must be 70-1/2 or older to be eligible to make a QCD.

All gifts are welcome. Seabeck Conference Center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and your contribution may be tax-deductible. If you have any questions, please contact our Executive Director, Chuck Kraining at

(360) 830-5010 or email him at chuck@seabeck.org.

Seabeck Conference Center

13395 Lagoon Dr NW

Seabeck, Washington 98380

360.830.5010 Email | Websi te