Camp Joy Sunday will be observed Sunday at Highland Park Baptist Church, 1907 Bailey Ave. All Sunday school and special offerings at the 11 a.m. service will go to the camp. Immediately following the service, lunch will be served at Camp Joy with a special afternoon service.
According to the church newsletter, "It is difficult to think of something good coming from a tornado but Tim Walterbach, Camp Joy director, and Zach White, Camp manager, are turning the recent damage at Camp Joy into an opportunity for a much needed extreme makeover. You can see the excitement in their eyes when they talk about the improvements that they want to make and the plans that they have for the summer camping season."
Vision Homes, owned by Craig Smith and Jason Willard, is overseeing the project. The open-air chapel is being replaced. The dining hall will receive sprucing up with paint. The camp office will be expanded to include outside access. The dormitory near the top of the hill is coming down. A new dorm will be built about halfway down the hill, making it handicap accessible for the first time. In addition, the capacity will be increased to house between 200-250 people. The snack bar and other damaged buildings will be renovated. Long term plans call for more cabins across the hilltop.
Last summer's camping season saw about 1,256 who attended a week of camp. Including the weekend series that ran into the winter months, about 3,800 visits were made to Camp Joy. The goal for 2012 is 8,000 plus. While only about 20 percent of those were able to pay to come to camp, the other 80 percent attended on scholarship.
The summer 2012 camping season is shaping up with two new partnerships. The first week, June 4, brings juniors (grades 1-5) from Mount Caanan Baptist Church (now meeting in Chauncey-Goode Auitoriuum). The fourth week of the month, their teens come for "Stop the Madness." The third week of June, Jay Fowler and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsor the week-long FCA Motorcross Camp. Weeks for juniors and teen action camp are still open.
There is a huge need for volunteers between now and June with the insurance payout covering only a fraction of the cost of the makeover. Carpenters, electricians, plumbers, painters and landscapers are in high demand. Helping hands of all talents are welcome. Work must be done by the first of June.
Immediate needs include canoes, life jackets, a large utility trailer for hauling, bed replacements or another hay wagon, at least 24 dump truck loads of top soil, hay, grass seed, and flowers.