A recently created GoFundMe fundraiser hopes to support a Centre County business struggling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The fundraiser, created by Becky Barnard and Dave Housley, aims to raise $5,000 for Godspeed Events and Lodging, a locally-owned business that has, for the last five years, positively influenced the lives of Centre County residents and visitors alike.
Barnard and Housley are editors at a literary magazine and organization called Barrelhouse and, each summer, the organization hosts two writers’ retreats at Godspeed. Each retreat hosts approximately 30 writers and 15 editors from all across the country, with approximately 200 individuals passing through the retreats over the last four years.
“Our experience has been really amazing, every single time,” says Housely. “The space is beautiful and perfect for what we’re doing, which is just getting a bunch of writers out in this lovely place and then giving them time and space to write. Godspeed does all the cooking, makes sure there’s coffee in the morning, makes campfires for us at night, helps out when anybody needs anything. The whole Grande family has really been a very positive part of every camp and that’s very much one of the reasons the people who come through Writer Camp have such incredibly fond feelings for camp and for Godspeed.”
Barrelhouse hosts its annual Writer Camp at Godspeed Events and Lodging, drawing participants from all over the United States. Photo provided
Godspeed Events and Lodging is owned by Bart Grande, who moved to the area about 15 years ago. Initially taking a job at Penn State to help put his two eldest children through college, he later decided to open his own business.
“When I moved from California, I didn’t really want to go back to a cubicle, but I did,” he says. Then, the land on which Godspeed Events and Lodging now sits went up for auction. The 20 acres had a dilapidated, abandoned 1930s hotel but also boasted plenty of wide open spaces and a quarter of a mile of Bald Eagle Creek.
“I saw a stunning piece of property that I would never be able to afford if it was cleaned up and nice, so I cleaned it up myself,” Grande says.
A world traveler and avid surfer, Grande wanted to create a space modeled after some of the “quirky” accommodations and surfer camps he’s experienced during trips to Central America, and, over the last five years of Godspeed’s existence, the venue has evolved into a unique accommodations option in Centre County that brings together communities of like-minded individuals. Now, Grande hosts all kinds of groups of strangers and friends coming together around a certain theme, whether it’s writing, fishing, motorcycle riding, football or a number of other things.
“That was the whole goal — to get people who didn’t know each other, to know each other,” he says.
During a typical season (the venue is closed during the winter months), Godspeed hosts 30 to 35 events. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, however, the venue has hosted no events for the 2020 season thus far.
“…It didn’t surprise me when, early on the quarantine, we started to hear from former camp [attendees], asking how Bart and Godspeed were doing, if we had heard anything, if there was anything they could do to help out,” says Housley, explaining how the GoFundMe for Godspeed came together. “It doesn’t take much to realize that a business that relies on large groups gathering together is going to have a hard time in all of this. So the initial impulse really came from the folks who had been through camp, who live in D.C. or California or New Orleans or Pittsburgh. From there, we started talking about what we could do, because we know that Writer Camp is something that Godspeed (and Barrelhouse) has come to rely on as a source of reliable income, and at this point they’re more than a vendor — they’re our very good friends and partners, very much a part of our extended family. A GoFundMe seemed like the best way to try to do something that might help out and the easiest way for us to answer that question of ‘is there anything I can do’ from the camp alumni.”
The scenic grounds of Godspeed Events and Lodging make it an ideal location for Barrelhouse’s annual Writer Camp. Photo provided
“We started the GoFundMe for Writer Camp alumni, but we’d love to see donations come in from other Godspeed guests who feel the same way, or from anyone who wants to support one of the coolest locally-owned businesses in central Pennsylvania,” adds Barnard. “All the money goes directly to the family, so they can use it where it’s most needed, whether that’s day-to-day expenses or to make improvements to keep guests safer when they reopen. Bart is always improving — if you mention a squeaky board, you’ll usually see him out fixing it that day. We know the money we raise will be used thoughtfully and well.”
When he first heard about the GoFundMe campaign, Grande says he felt “humbled”, but also like all the hard work he and his family put into the business and creating unique connections and experiences for guests was being recognized.
‘It validated that our guests are our family…Dave and Becky care as much as we do about them. For us, it’s so much more about the relationships. Yeah we need the money to pay the bills, but [our guests] are our family,” he says. “There are so many venues where you can have an event and then you forget it a week later…All of our events are very personal.”
That personal touch goes a long way. Past guests, Grande says, have returned to host their weddings at Godspeed Events and Lodging; others have begun including Grande in their personal lives, inviting him to their Penn State graduations.
Barnard notes every group easily feels the venue was made just for them.
“[Godspeed] feels like it was designed specifically for Writer Camp. We all tend to find our own little nooks by the creek, in the meadow, the barn, or a hammock, and write until dinner, and then we’ll socialize around the campfire or have a movie night and a dance party in the barn. It’s exactly what we need,” Barnard says. “But I’m sure the brides know it was designed for weddings — it’s like the hill on the meadow is designed for outdoor vows while the caterers set up dinner. And the soccer team from Palau knows it was designed for practicing footwork drills. The Penn State alumni know the projection screen in the barn is perfect for football weekends. And on and on and on.”
Any money raised from the GoFundMe, Grande notes, will be used to improve the future guest experience at Godspeed Events and Lodging. Now, he’s looking ahead to the later summer and fall and modifying some of the facilities in response to coronavirus concerns, including making some adjustments that will make cleaning and sanitizing easier and faster. At this point, he says, it’s all about what happens with the Penn State football season and regulations that come about concerning group events.
“I’m hoping,” he says, ‘when football season rolls around, that Penn State people support the Penn State people-owned businesses. If you’re going to get lodging for football, find a locally-owned hotel instead of a chain.”
The open spaces at Godspeed Events and Lodging accommodate a wide range of recreation and events. Photo provided
