WHY KR | Case Statement

Not much can compare to the firsts experienced at camp; rappelling down a zip line, singing camp songs, friends who finally understand, irreplaceable memories around a campfire. Each holds a special place in the hearts of camp participants because they were made in a uniquely safe place, a world like no other. Camp is a retreat from everyday life that some may consider a luxury set aside for those with time to get away from everyday responsibilities to just have fun. But to a child faced with chronic physical, emotional, social, or health challenges, camp is so much more than a luxury.
Camp is a profound and necessary escape to normalcy.

Project Kindle has provided children with physical, emotional, and medical needs the opportunity to enjoy summer camp as active participants since 1998. We have been inspired by more than 1,250 HIV-impacted children who have looked to camp as a place to interact and play without fear of discrimination. The past 12 years serving our high-needs population have taught us that a barrier-free space is integral to any disadvantaged child’s ability to escape an inaccessible world for a short time. After renting camps in the Midwest and West for more than a decade, we have become acutely aware of the fact that no such space exists in the Western United States for organizations serving the special needs community to host a camp designed for their participants. So we are going to build one.

Today, Project Kindle embarks on a campaign to construct a world-class, fully accessible, green camp that will be made available to nonprofit organizations serving special needs campers. Kindle Ranch will ensure that organizations, which serve children with life challenges such as Down Syndrome, Cancer, Autism, or gang violence and extreme poverty will be able to offer their participants a camp designed and built specifically to provide life-changing experiences. For children facing extreme adversity, each day is precious and each positive memory is worth its weight in gold.

Kindle Ranch will be the one place where a child's greatest challenges can be forgotten. Because the facility will be built so any child with any disability can access 100% of the camp, the camp participants will be reminded that they can do anything. The camp infirmary will be equipped to handle all medical needs with a state-of-the-art facility. Children in wheel chairs will be able to swim, boat, ride a horse, repel down a tower, participate in sports, and learn and grow as individuals while fitting in as part of a greater community of those living with similar life challenges.

The entire project is being completed as a collaborative effort within the nonprofit community. Project Kindle has begun conversations with potential partners about camp design and program development. While Project Kindle will assume all fundraising responsibilities for the camp, other organizations will have a vital role in ensuring that the right facility is built and made available to the broader nonprofit community. Kindle Ranch will not only offer nonprofit organizations a unique space to utilize, but will also serve as a model for nonprofit cooperation. The resulting collaboration within the community will build alliances that ensure that children facing life challenges will have a space to experience important milestones for generations to come.