The Hope of Jesus

Imagine you’re eight years old. Your dad has just been taken to prison for crimes you’re far too young to understand. Your now single mother has to work harder than ever before just to make enough money to keep your whole family fed. Even at your young age, you understand the gravity of your family’s situation. One day, though, you get a call from an organization that your mother has contacted recently, called Camp David. They say they’ll take you and your siblings in for six weeks of summer; They’ll teach you about the bible, have you do activities with other children your age, and to top it all off, feed and house you. Your once slowly draining hope is restored in an instant, and your family jumps for joy.

Camp David of the Ozarks is a local non-profit organization, who’ve been serving the community for eighteen years, an accomplishment of which they’re proud. Their mission is to “Bring the hope of Jesus to children of prisoners and to develop leaders who will impact the world.” Their current director is Joshua Cullom, and he said his favorite part of being director is “During the summer I love being able to see the campers get it… We’re here showing  them we love them, that God loves them.” The founders of Camp David are Benjamin and Grace Smith. They had worked with children in the past, and one day came upon the child of a prisoner. They didn’t know how to help her and decided something needed to be done. They then went on to found Camp David in 2003.

Hopefully though, one day Camp David will reach out further than just Missouri. When asked how he became the director of Camp David, Cullom explained that the old director needed someone to take his place, while he set out on a mission to take Camp David to an international level. One in twenty-eight children have at least one parent in prison in America alone, so I can only imagine what that number is like for the rest of the world.

This is not the only plan for the future though. In approximately five years, Camp David hopes to double their physical size, and expand their reach to children in the off season, but still maintain the  quality. To top it all off, they plan on keeping their facilities running on a smooth system the whole time. 

If Camp David ever wants to reach those goals, the people who make it happen are the volunteers. They water plants, serve the campers their meals, do the dishes afterward, and if you’re a counselor, activities with the campers all day. The volunteers get plenty of free time and go to their chapel in the afternoons. If you ever decide volunteering is something you want to do later down the road, then you can volunteer by filling out a summer application form, Timothy training, or applying to become a counselor. Any of those things help a ton and are greatly appreciated. 

Another thing that would help Camp David alongside having more volunteers, is winning our grant money. When I asked Cullom what  Camp David would do should they be awarded the $250, he said “It would go towards our mission… It would be used for a normal day at camp, and that involves transporting and feeding the campers.” 

You may be wondering how Camp David gets the funds to keep the place running all the time, and the answer is simple. Since they are a non-profit organization, their funds are 90% donations, and 10% miscellaneous fundraisers such as sponsor a camper and sponsor a building. Another way Camp David gets help is through partnering with others. Most of those partners are local foster cares and churches, but some partners are other non-profit organizations. One of said partners, is Angel Tree. They are sent to prisons by an organization called Prison Fellowship. Angel Tree then asks prisoners for the names of their children, then finds them. They give them gifts, and, if they’re old enough, even scholarships.

Do you remember the child from the beginning of this essay, her hope rapidly draining, knowing that one day, with only one person making money for multiple mouths to feed, and bills to pay, that she wouldn’t have enough to make ends meet? Because of Camp David, she is ten times less likely to follow in their prisoner parents footsteps, and her family has had enough time to save up money for the next few months. Because of volunteers and people who have donated to this important organization, around 200 real  children are helped each year. You can help children with similar stories by donating to Camp David.  Please support them with your vote. Thank you.