About camp TIME, Sami, Crystal, Charbel & Wajdi
Gen Zs can – and will – do much better than their parents, especially in Lebanon. The 1st sentence on the Camp TIME website is:
They planted so we can eat; we plant for our children – Lebanese mountain proverb
In the summer of 2016 Marvin Faulcon, an ex-Marine, started Camp TIME. Sami and Julian (16 at the time) were the first 2 “campers”. This Mon. May 17, Sami will lead the 6th camp TIME thru Aug 16. Sami can tell you what he learned. I can tell you that he has done more than the engineering school taught me. His team rebuilt all the irrigation system of all our olive trees; they survey and drive tractors; they plant, prune and care for olive trees; they witnessed the design and building of some of the best Euro red clay tennis courts in the US; they care for them; they organized the 1st and biggest USTA open tournament in Texas in 2019; it impressed the players and the USTA; this Fri-Sun Sara (another camp TIMER) is going to help and Sami can only assist on Sunday because he has finals; Julian and Sami went to Roland Garros and the person in charge of the courts admitted that our ERCT courts were better than theirs. I am “at peace” that Sami and the camp TIMErs will carry out the vision of planting seeds, developing communities with a Mediterranean lifestyle; and with integrity.
In October 2020, 7-month pregnant Crystal joined camp TIME and went immediately to work with the olive trees; not because someone made her do it but because she wanted to learn and participate. From February I think (less than 2 months after she gave birth to Maes) thru April, with the little rest time a Mother has and in less than 3 months, Crystal cleaned up and took control of the Gifted Root website and did a much better job than one of the best marketing people in Austin. She has started the structure of the new camp TIME website. The message, the mission, the purpose have never been as clear since I started with the olive tree business in 2005; thanks to Crystal.
From Feb to Apr 2021, Charbel & Wajdi have done more than large organizations (such as the Rene Moawad Foundation, arcenciel) as well as Fadi Nahas have been able to do in Lebanon since 2005. 2 pallets with 250 Bag in Box of olive oil made with Beladi will be picked up by the Red Cross and delivered to the 500 nurses of Hotel-Dieu. Another pallet with 250 BiBs will be used to show USAid the exact product camp TIME will send Lebanese farmer to US farmer in December for the fair price of $15 per 3L BiB; fair to the Lebanese farmer who will get the equivalent of $90 per tankeh and for the US farmer who grows Beladi olive trees in the US and who can sell the 3L BiB for $30 and compete with the 3L Italian olive oil Costco sells for $33.
Wajdi has been there with us from the day we decided to part way with RMF. He has helped establish the highest QC protocols; he assisted with getting some USAid help to Paul Vossen of UC Davis with his mission in Lebanon; he helped secure the (Beladi) DNA of the trees of Bechealeh and of the groves of Joseph Khoury; he helped Lebanon win 4 silver medals in Los Angeles.
What more can I say?
JG
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