Semper Gumby "Always Flexible"

At Lakeshore, our motto is Semper Gumby, which means "Always Flexible"

It started when our very own Mr. Larry Springer was in the military and on one of his operations, Semper Gumby was his troop's motto. Naturally, he carried it over to the Lakeshore project. For anyone who doesn't know, Gumby is a flexible toy that looks like a little green man. As it happens, a few years ago on the project, a team was cleaning out a house and, lo and behold, they found a gumby doll. It had a black top hat, a drum and a drumstick. Mr. Larry cut the drum off, made the stick into a hammer, and so, Gumby became our mascot. 

This year, Gumby was left at home, but he's re-appeard here in the form of a T-shirt and the motto still holds. Being flexible in our scheduling and directing has always been an advantage when we come to work here. This year, as Lazlo and Larry were driving up to the camp, they noticed that the Mercy House had no sign yet. Work to make a sign hadn't been put into the schedule but they quickly found a few of the volunteers here, that happen the be art majors and graphic design majors, and assigned them the task of designing a sign. "We are constantly having to adjust our plans here." says Mr. Larry. We have been able to switch people around in their assigned positions and maintained our progress.

And next year when we come back, our motto will stand.