Remembering and Moving Forward
A Fundraising Campaign to Honor Our Past and to Step Faithfully Into Our Future
Camp CH-YO-CA began in August of 1967 with two sessions, one for teens and one for elementary-age campers. The combined number of campers from both camps was just under 90. Our Camp was off to a good start!
Much has changed in the past fifty-six years, but this fact remains—Summer Camp is one of the most vital change agents available to kids today. Now, more than ever, parents desperately need help raising their children. Our world seems to get darker with each passing year. Schools have become unreliable and are a dangerous place to depend on for shaping children. Technology has led many kids down dark paths no child should walk down. Depression is rampant among teens and is now showing up in younger children. Church attendance is down across the board. The truth is kids need help more than ever.
Camp CH-YO-CA is one of the best weapons against the darkness that deeply affects our vulnerable and valuable children. Alton Howard’s vision for a place where children can learn about God in a natural environment is still alive and thriving in the woods of Calhoun, La. The facilities he built continue to be used to shape the lives of children. Still, they are also being used to empower adults, as retreats have given many adults an opportunity to see God more profoundly. After 56 years, the fire is burning hot to make a difference in the lives of hundreds every year, but our facilities need a “rebirth.”
The board of Camp CH-YO-CA has taken a multi-year, complete overhaul approach, updating most of the infrastructure on the property. Many have jumped on board to help with these updates, ensuring the Camp’s functionality so our Camp staff can focus on their mission of making a difference in the world one camper at a time. Significant improvements to our gym, mess hall, cabins, and bathhouses have already been completed. We are now able to provide year-round accommodations to further impact lives.
This year, the Camp board would like to celebrate the progress of Camp and ask that you be a part of the “Remembering...” Campaign. Our vision is to take a day during our summer sessions in 2023 to recognize and dedicate specific areas of camp. We always want to “remember” where we came from as we celebrate what our future holds.
Here are five areas of need we ask you to help with through this campaign.
Safety! Our camper’s safety is of top priority, and it’s our goal to build a new nurse’s facility to accommodate our sick and injured. It will be called Nurse Nellie’s Hut in honor of our first Camp nurse, Nelda Boultinghouse, and all the nurses and doctors who have served us over the past fifty-six summers.
Summer Staff! Having more campers requires more staff to love and care for them. We also want to upgrade the existing nurse’s hut to house our growing number of summer staff members. The current nurses’ hut will be renamed the “Staff Hut” and dedicated to every staff member who spent a summer at camp.
Full-time Staff! There’s nothing like driving down the winding road to camp. We never want to forget our original entrance, as that sign is hung outside our Camp pool. But, we need to update our entrance to provide better security for our campers. Gone are the days of people driving into the Camp Grounds and walking around, especially when Camp is in session. Our plans are to make the house at the top of the Camp a check-in station. Our growing staff will allow more office space and leave the Camp facilities to be used by our groups and Camp staff for the summer.
Campers! Our day Camp program has grown substantially over the years, and it’s our goal to upgrade our facilities for a more efficient pick-up and drop-off area. Having a safe place for children to enjoy while parents work remains at the top of our list. With your help, we can add to our day Camp area, making it perfect for our youngest campers.
Remember! Finally, it’s our goal to dedicate a wall in our newly remodeled mess hall to the history of Camp CH-YO-CA. We want to honor the founders and visionary leaders like Alton Howard and Lloyd Williams and the many others who have poured into Camp over the decades to make it what it is today. Our goal is to include a photo display so visitors can reminisce, new campers can know the camp's history, and all will be encouraged to keep Camp alive.
Like all Kingdom work, nothing done at Camp CH-YO-CA has happened overnight. It takes time, and more importantly, Godly men and women, to pitch in and help. We don’t ask for your help lightly. We boldly ask for the sake of the kids who come to Camp seeking help and hope as they strive to be like Jesus in a dark world. We ask because we know that helping to advance the Kingdom of God will give you far more joy than any success this world can offer.
Jesus commanded that the little children come to Him. In saying this, He let everyone know how important children are to Him. This is your time to help future generations come to Him in a place that has been doing just that for fifty-six years.
We need your financial support to meet our goals. Any amount will help us reach our goal of $60,000.
To give online, Click here!
Happy Camping, The Camp CH-YO-CA Board!
Donations can also be made in person or by mail. Please pay to Camp CH-YO-CA “Remembering and Moving Forward Fund."
Camp CH-YO-CA is a 501(c)(3). All donations made to Camp are tax deductible.
