Special Ops: Sunup to Sundown

Yesterday we had some great Special Ops volunteers join us for another blitz trip to Arrowhead.  One of our SO Guys from southern PA arrived early in the morning just as the sun was coming up.  First, he completed several outside projects that have been looming on our to do list.  Then he moved inside and joined up with a few more skilled guys.  In just a few hours we rerouted electric, built three walls, sound proofed, hung drywall and had the first coat of mud complete!

A big thanks to our local skilled guys and to our SO Guy from southern PA.  Just as the sun went down, he and I shook hands and he set off on a four hour drive back home.  What a huge blessing to have Special Ops volunteers who bring their excitement, skill and desire to serve... especially on time sensitive projects like this one.

Special Ops: Blitz Trip

What a day.  Literally, it was just shy of 24 hours!  Yesterday, we had a Special Ops crew in to build a deck.  Even with the three hour drive to camp they arrived before the sun came up and left well after the sun had gone down. 

What an impact to have their skills, energy, commitment and time.  Their investment in this Special Ops project is a huge blessing, keeps us moving forward and allows us to continue to honor our full time staff.

Lumber & Steel: Special Ops

Had a great weekend with some friends from Lumber City Church and Steel City Church.  They were a hard hitting Special Ops crew.  We made the winter switch, cleaned corners, nooks & crannies, built new decks and made a bunch of repairs in the gym.  They also brought a huge pile of items from our wish list.

Who doesn't love a little Lumber & Steel.

Impact Story: Staff Housing

Spe-cial Ops
     /speSHəl  äps/

noun
     1. a camp project which requires a particular skill or set of skills to complete.
     2. a project or projects completed by the investment of skilled volunteers, causing greater momentum, efficiency and effectiveness in accomplishing our mission and realizing our vision.
     "After serving as part of a James Project group this summer, he came up for the weekend to build a deck.  What a great Special Ops project that honors our staff and enhances the new roof that was put on back in the spring."

adjective
     1. serving at camp as a lone volunteer or small group of volunteers.
     2. a trip to camp which is predicated by a specific project or task.
     "We are grateful for all the Special Ops volunteers who invest their time, energy and talent to serve at camp.  We couldn't do it without them.  It's a privilege to partner together to make camp great."

Impact Story: Lakeside Fire Ring

The new fire ring at the lake looks amazing!  With comfortable & adjustable bench seating for 150 and firewood tucked away in the firewood shack, the new fire ring creates the perfect lakeside atmosphere for our campers, guest groups, James Project teams and volunteers.

A huge thank you to Refuge Church for bringing funding and skilled labor to create the new fire ring.  They took the blank structure of this monstrous fire ring, made the interior fire ready and covered the exterior with stone that matches our Picnic Pavilion.

We have been greatly blessed with James Project groups like Refuge Church that come to Arrowhead in full force - to serve in the kitchen, tackle projects around camp, immerse themselves in the program, complete a host of projects for our neighbors around the lake and take on specialized projects like our new fire ring.

Here's the old fire ring.

A special thanks to Chad, Marty, Tony (and Jeff)

It's Work Group Season

Had a blast this week with our friends (returning and new) from Hope Rescue in Reading, PA.  They got a serious amount of hard work done!

Impact Story: Walling, Roofing, Cleaning and Decking!

A big thank you to our friends at GBC.  On a very chilly spring (late winter) weekend this year they tackle a multitude of projects which have been a great blessing and will have a lasting impact.

Impact Story: The Shack

Thanks to some great friends our firewood has a new lakeside home.  In conjunction with re-grading, landscaping and the fire ring, the new firewood shack is a big part of all the lakeside enhancements.  No longer hiding in the weeds... our lakeside firewood has a storage spot that is accessible, holds more firewood and looks inconspicuously handsome.

Thanks to the all the VBS students and leaders at GBC for raising the funds to build the new firewood shack.  Thanks to our new friend Rich for serving at camp and building the new firewood shack.

It's a blessing to partner together - Building A Bigger Impact at Arrowhead.

I suppose we were going for a "ribbon cutting" look.  Yeah, we look cheesy... but the firewood shack looks great!

Kickstarting Accessibility!

A huge thank you to our friends at Kickstart Cafe.  Their recent Kickstart Your Community Dinner in partnership with Russell Farms was a great success.  Of course, the food was delicious and company was delightful.  The Community Dinner raised over $1,700 for Shepherds Camp! 

We have utilized the funds to purchase a Hoyer Lift and a Personal Ceiling Transport System.  Both will be a huge enhancement to our safety and accessibility at Shepherds Camp... making a week of camp possible for our campers who require more intensive care.

The Wheelchairiot

That's right... it's a chariot for wheelchairs!  Now all of our campers can enjoy Pedal Carts at Arrowhead.  A huge thank you to our friends from Liberty Baptist in Virginia Beach!  As part of their week long missions trip to Arrowhead this spring they funded the making of the Wheelchairiot.  And a big thanks to our friends from the local metal shop who took the Wheelchariot from a drawing on paper to a safe, accessible and fun activity that has kicked off our first week of summer camps with a bang.

Work Groups for Days

Our last round of work groups have made their way around camp tackling a variety of projects from cleaning buildings, landscaping, re-grading, building decks, and demolishing buildings to painting, making brand new curtains (over 100 curtains), preparing summer crafts (over 4,000 hand cut leaves), renovating bathrooms and fixing up cabins.

April vs. April

Sorry, no giraffes in this post. 

Check out this photo from April 2016...

and now April 2017.

Springing Ahead (again)

It is that time of year again.  Yes, it is that time when the grass is getting green, the tress are budding and the weather is seasonably all over the place; but that is not what I mean.  It is that time of year again... when we have been tremendously busy transitioning out of our winter retreat season, tackle major projects and working with a big list of work groups and hosting retreats as we prepare for summer.  It is also that time of year when the camp blog is starving for posts.

We certainly have been busy and that is my excuse.  We refinished walls, built decks, landscaping, grounds clean up, building cleaning & organization, replaced roofs, worked on projects for the neighbors, more roofing, built new bench for the new fire ring area at the lake, served at a local church, even more roofing, annual weeding and edging, split firewood and a host of other projects

Check it out: