Dear Lakesiders,

Toward the close of the fiscal year, ending on March 31, the Lakeside Association Board holds its annual meeting. It is one of four quarterly Board meetings.

During this session, we review progress on the strategic initiatives, finalize the budget, hear updates from the Lakeside leadership team, and plan for the upcoming year. After this meeting, as we do after each quarterly meeting, we post Board updates to the website.

This is also a time to welcome incoming Board members and recognize those who are retiring. Please join me in welcoming Kay Panovec, Director of Communications for the West Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church, to the Board. We also owe a debt of gratitude to Yvette VanRiper, Terry Tomlinson, and John Fleisher, who have completed six years of dedicated Board service.  
As Board Chair, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you some of my personal reflections as we approach the end of this fiscal year. Becoming involved in leadership has afforded me the privilege to collaborate closely with Lakeside Staff, the Boards, and community members.

Meeting with Lakesiders on front porches, on the phone, on the street, or via email has been truly enlightening and enriching. I have seen first-hand the wonderful passion that community members and staff have for this unique community. 

Regarding community input, the Board is sincerely grateful to those of you who supplied hundreds of ideas and suggestions about the proposed Rules & Regulations updates. The Municipal Service Committee reviewed each comment, and the Board will provide updated Rules & Regulations following the February meeting.

Thank you to the nearly 500 people who responded to the Board Communications Survey and the expertise offered by dozens of volunteers on the Board-sponsored task forces and committees. 
 
Your input and feedback help the Board plan for the future. As in past decades in Lakeside, I recognize that we have challenges ahead. I am also confident that by working together, as our community has for the last 150 years, we will strengthen this special place in the spirit of Lakeside’s mission. 
Working throughout the year, I have witnessed how diligently the staff endeavors to accomplish tasks to prepare for the enriching Chautauqua season. Quiet streets belie the flurry of activity in Lakeside’s offices during the fall, winter, and spring.

The Lakeside Programming Team, pictured, is actively connecting with the keynote speakers, preachers, authors, and experts who will be visiting this summer. Details are now being planned for your Chautauqua experience.

With approximately 115 days until the season starts, the Guest Experience Team is adding Daily and Season Chautauqua Passes to the ticketing system, organizing cottage rentals, and booking hotel reservations. The budget is being finalized.

Recruiting of Lakeside seasonal staff, who work endlessly each summer season, has begun. The Marketing & Advancement Team is reaching out to the local, regional, and national communities to share about our 150th Anniversary season and inviting individuals and organizations to support this signature celebration.

We are truly blessed by our dedicated, passionate, and creative team and the leadership of Kip Greenhill, President & CEO, and Charles Allen, Chief Operations Officer. 
What would we do without our community volunteers and supporters? You often see them during the season working in the gardens, volunteering at children's programs, mowing lawns, helping at community events, and teaching art classes.

Throughout the year, they serve on boards, committees, and task forces, and offer their expertise in grant writing, law, engineering, lobbying, finance, and marketing. Every corner of Lakeside and the Chautauqua experience is touched by a loving volunteer.

As Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Our volunteers give abundantly, and we are all blessed by their service.  
 
Lakesiders, young and old, have also stepped forward to provide financial support for the beautiful grounds, historical buildings, and Chautauqua Pillar programs. You contribute to the vibrant future of the Lakeside community. This unwavering support of time, treasure and talent has impacted many thousands of individuals and families seeking a place for renewal, reconnection, and enrichment. Thank you for your dedication to Lakeside and for your generosity.
As I look ahead, I believe that Lakeside is needed now more than ever. Our 150th Chautauqua season is right around the corner.

I want to give thanks to Cindy Grimm and Randy Snow who have volunteered their time and expertise on the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee since August 2021, along with 45 other volunteers.

Working in collaboration with Lakeside staff, they have planned an extraordinary Chautauqua season for you, your family and thousands who will visit this summer. We are counting down the days to welcome you home.

Nearly 150 years ago, Lakeside was born as a place for people to come together to learn, create, worship, and renew along the peaceful shores of Lake Erie. Decade after decade, dedicated leaders, staff, Board members, volunteers, individuals, families, homeowners, and faithful supporters have deepened their connection to our timeless mission. These leaders relied on the community in action and deep faith to preserve and grow this special place.
The Association Board is a group of dedicated volunteers of various ages, business and professional leaders, friends, and clergy. Like you, we are all devoted Lakesiders.
 
The Board wants to ensure that decisions are made with you in mind, and we provide opportunities for dialogue and input. Community insights, data, and thoughtful deliberation are critical to preserve the enriching Chautauqua experience. As stewards of Lakeside, we take seriously our duty to always act for the overall good of the organization.
 
Throughout the year, we are planning opportunities to connect with you and fellow community members. We invite you to attend an upcoming Lakeside Gathering near your hometown this winter and spring and save the date for Community Forums and Porch Talks planned this summer.

Winter & Spring Lakeside Gatherings

  • Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6:30 p.m. – Naples, Florida
  • Friday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. – Venice, Florida
  • Friday, March 3 at 6 p.m. – Wooster, Ohio
  • Thursday, March 9 at 7 p.m. – Westlake, Ohio
  • Friday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. – Lynhurst, Ohio
Lakeside Ambassador Program
We are launching a Lakeside Ambassador team this winter! Ambassadors will be empowered to share the spirit of Lakeside inside and outside the gates, inviting friends, family and acquaintances to experience Lakeside fully and get involved.

Ambassadors will help greet guests on weekends before the Hoover shows, answer questions at the hotels, and host gatherings in your Lakeside neighborhood. We need your help nurturing relationships so everyone who visits during the 150th Celebration and onward feels they are part of our community.
We are all Lakeside ambassadors! Our founders began building this community in 1873. Together, let us continue to build upon this legacy and strengthen this special community for the love of our children, grandchildren, and future generations.

In closing, I leave you with a quote sent to me by Dave Boling, a Lakeside historian and member of the Sesquicentennial Steering Committee.
“WE ARE ALL ONE on these Grounds! No matter to what denomination you belong; no matter what creed, no matter to what political party of the country. You are welcome here, whether high or low. You can have a right to go anywhere you can get... And so here you are welcome to go about examining the various organizations and the various things introduced to you, taking such things as you want. Believe just what you want to, what you please about them and take them with you or leave them here as you like. And you are entirely welcome to all our good things at Chautauqua."  

- Lewis Miller, Ohio inventor & industrialist, Co-Founder of the Chautauqua Movement

With anticipation,
Jane Anderson            
Chair, Lakeside Association Board 
Mission
To enrich the quality of life for all people, to foster traditional Christian values, and to nurture relationships through opportunities for renewal and growth – spiritually, intellectually, culturally and physically – while preserving Lakeside’s heritage.