There’s something so brilliant and fun and alluring about those splatter paint barrels you find at places like state fairs, don’t you think? See if this sounds familiar: You’re walking along with your cotton-candy in one hand and your favorite person’s hand in the other. You see there’s a crowd gathering nearby, and it’s not for a roller coaster ride or for a seat on the bleachers for an ’80s rock concert. It’s at a little tent, so your curiosity is piqued.

As you get close, you see drum after drum lined up just-so with a few people peering into each one. You decide to give ‘er a whirl, and you pick the colors that just…that just…feel right for you. Baby Blue. Gold. White for that clean feel, maybe. You ask your buddy to pick a color and a stranger to pick another. You put your foot on the pedal. It makes the compressor go. The platform that holds the perfectly white paper starts to spin and whiz. Plup. Blup. Plup. Your colors splash, and you’re bewildered that together there’s the possibility of beauty rather than a brown sludge of a mess. You feel a little dizzy with your hyper-focus at the bottom of the barrel. You’re nervous. And curious.

It. Can’t. Be. Pretty.

Your foot releases, the platform slows and your paper stops to reveal your work.

It. Is. Beautiful.

A one-of-a-kind piece of work. Brilliant and crazy. Perfect in its utter splattery, colorful, come-together goodness. You’re happy, smiling and showing those around you, and guess what? They love it, too.

As I look back at our past year, that’s the kind of flurry and fun (and yes, if I’m completely honest, maybe just a little hint of worry that’s now just a memory) that comes to mind. Our all-new, one-of-a-kind creation is a reality.

And. It. Is. Beautiful.

In case you had your head deep in a barrel this past year, be it the paint-splatter variety or any other kind, you may not know Camp Rainbow Gold has accomplished a tremendous amount this past year. Specifically, we’ve:

• Officially separated from the American Cancer Society
• Reorganized as our own, independent 501c-3 non-profit organization
• Brought on Development Director Christl Holzl to broaden our reach and diversify our fundraising efforts. She operates out of our new office in Ketchum.
• Created a new board of directors and with it, a new vision, culture and spark.
• Moved our Boise office to a new location, a beautiful, historic home near St. Luke’s Mountain States Tumor Institute.

All of these things happened at once — and sometimes we all wondered what it would look like on the other side. But now that we’re here, our smiles and continued optimism signals that it’s what we hoped it would be and more. We invite you, if you haven’t already, to come and see for yourself. You can find us at 216 West Jefferson in Boise just east of downtown. And while so many things have changed, there are a few core tenets that haven’t and won’t.

• We’re still committed to Idaho’s children with a cancer diagnosis and their families.
• We’re still rocking all year long to keep us all connected and to serve as a constant resource.
• And yes, we’re still taking buses of wonderful kids and grownups and boxes of dress-up clothes and trailers full of mountain bikes and pockets full of confetti and other must-have camp items to Cathedral Pines in the summer.

Plus, we still host our annual gala, the Share Your Heart Ball, which is coming up on Saturday, March 1. I’d love to see you on the dance floor, because, Grooveline’s back, too! I could go on and on about how wonderful this evening is, but luckily, we have a website that does it all for me: www.shareyourheartball.org.

And speaking of going on and on, Camp Rainbow Gold is ready to continue on for another 30 years — in all of our colorful, playful, artistic, hopeful, crazy, beautiful glory. We hope you’ll continue to be part of it.

Keep shining!

Elizabeth Lizberg