This past year has been a year of growth. Our team has served 74 groups during the non-summer season, bringing our total number of people we have loved and served to just over 7,400! The numbers look great, but our team remains committed to loving and serving every individual that comes to Camp Highland!
That commitment remaining at the heart of our programs makes our growth special. We are not only growing but also maintaining our rich culture of ministry from an engaged heart! We projected an increase in the children served through our underprivileged segment of ministry but we had no idea that it would be our greatest area of growth at more than 30%. This year has been a fantastic year!
New Property Acquisition
This has been a very wild season of ministry but even more so organizationally! We engaged in the purchase of an additional 550 acres that are adjacent to our primary property in Ellijay, making our existing campus 777 acres. While our existing projects are not being put off they are on hold as we navigate these fantastic opportunities. We are looking forward to shaping the execution of our master plan with the additional space in mind. The Ellijay campus is a world-changing space with potential that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of. With $1.3M pledged or given of $3.3M, our primary goal remains to retire the owner financed portion as quickly as the funds are available. We are on a path to be debt-free by the end of 2020!
Foster Care Project
We have an increasing number of opportunities to serve children in need. This project has not changed. We continue to see the greatest opportunity remaining with the children we serve that are aging out of the foster care system. Our plans center around building two homes that will enable our current intern program to be connected to mentoring twelve children aging out of the system. This will be an eighteen-month program that will end with placement into a job with a Camp Highland partner. The two homes will be on our current campus and will provide excellent training and development for these children. Connection to education or technical training will be integrated into the rhythm of the program. Each home as designed will cost $600,000 to build and furnish.
Scholarship Fund
We are continuing to succeed in building our Scholarship Fund. Our goal is to raise $450,000 to maintain our outreach to children and families in need during the 2020 season.
Partner with us through giving:
We have been blessed with a unique property nestled in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains where we craft impactful experiences that develop leaders and engage the heart of people through our summer camps, family retreats, group retreats, and corporate events.
Every decision we make is viewed through the lens of what will have the highest Kingdom impact and enable us to grow in a way that is both courageous and sustainable. The future impact will have exponentially more reach than we ever imagined. Consider partnering with us to expand this impact!
Ways to Give and Support:
- SCHOLARSHIPS: We believe every child should have the opportunity to come to camp, regardless of their family’s financial situation. Help us say YES to a child by donating to our scholarship fund.
- $800 gives one child a week of Overnight Summer Camp at $0.
- $300 gives a father and his child a Family Retreat at $0.
- $200 gives one child a week of Day Camp at $0.
- SPONSOR AN ACRE: Leave a lifelong legacy and sponsor a plot of land at Camp Highland. This is the opportunity to give back to a place that has meant so much to you and your family.
- $1,500 will sponsor ~ 0.2 acres of land
- $5,000 will sponsor ~ 1 acre of land
- $7,500 will sponsor ~ 2-3 acres of land
- $10,000 will sponsor ~ 4 acres of land
- $50,000 will sponsor ~ 5 acres of land
- CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT: As we continue to serve more people than ever before, the demand to expand is increasing. With a need for a larger dining facility, staff housing, a family life/leadership center, and space for foster care retreats, the need is now! Amounts being raised for each of these are listed above in our Development Path.
- GENERAL OPERATIONS: Giving to our general fund allows us to use donations to the most urgent need. Just as in most non-profits, the needs are great. We believe that any amount of money we are entrusted with should be put directly back into the ministry to be used for maximum Kingdom impact.
