It doesn’t take long to notice that Camp Arcadia is a place of legacy – from family plaques lining the Inn’s first floor hallway to historic photos of Camp’s community over the years to the Legacy Builder Tree in the Assembly. Camp’s ministry has roots that are deep and wide-reaching.
However, Camp Arcadia is not only a place of legacy, but also a place of impact! Each year Camp Arcadia’s ministry impacts real lives: a teen finding community at Camp after a hard year in school, a family investing in time together right before a cross-country move, a family recovering from the loss of a loved one within the love and care of Christian community.
This is the legacy we’re inviting you to participate in when we talk about becoming a Camp Arcadia Legacy Builder. Legacy Builders are individuals who include Camp Arcadia in their estate plans or wills. Gifts to the Arcadia Foundation support the long-term sustainability of Camp’s mission – and help make Camp’s ministry possible!
Over the years, the Arcadia Foundation has allowed Camp to make crucial improvements to our buildings (Inn improvements, Inn coffee lobby, ball field bathrooms), enhance our programs (staff experience, respite, music, dean and lecture), and offer financial scholarships. These funds also keep Camp’s registration rates affordable by subsidizing our operating budget.
The Arcadia Foundation has just over $1,400,000 in assets, to God be the glory! These assets are managed professionally with oversight provided by the six elected members of the Arcadia Foundation Committee. Within the Arcadia Foundation, there are several restricted endowments – providing for Camp’s cantors, specific scholarship and programming funds. The donor unrestricted funds within the Foundation provide for an annual distribution (guided by the policies of the Arcadia Foundation) that is determined and designated by the members of the Foundation Committee.
A huge thank you to the men and women who currently serve on this Committee (Rick Blum – Chair, Kyle DeWees, Melissa Dierking, Kim Eveler – Board Liaison, Ron Glusenkamp, and Phil Kowatch) and those who have previously served!
In 2025, the Arcadia Foundation will distribute $36,618 between the following areas:
- Master Site Planning for the Spirit of Arcadia: Growing Together Campaign
- Adding Automatic Door Openers to Universally Accessible Inn Rooms
- Summer Staff Support Initiatives
Master Site Planning
With the LCA Membership’s approval of the November 2024 Master Site Plan, the Foundation Committee committed to continued contribution toward building for the future at Camp Arcadia. These funds will be used for the development and refinement of the Master Site Plan. One of the Arcadia Foundation’s goals is to invest in Camp Arcadia’s future impact – this distribution is paving the way for that future today.
Automatic Door Openers
The first floor of the Inn houses two universally accessible rooms, and it’s come to our attention that the doors of these two rooms can be challenging to open for individuals using a wheelchair or walker by themselves. In order to provide a more accessible experience for our guests, we will add automated opening/closure help to each of these doors. The Arcadia Foundation wants to invest in making the Camp Arcadia experience accessible to all.
Summer Staff Support Initiatives
The Arcadia Foundation has again committed funds toward Summer Staff Support initiatives, including the availability of mental health counseling, leadership development experiences and supportive seasonal adult staff to improve our ability to invest in our summer staff.
This directly aligns with the goal of creating a sought-after summer staff experience because of its emphasis on leadership development and our capacity to care for the well-being (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual) of our staff. The Arcadia Foundation knows that investment in the staff experience is also an investment in the guest experience! By investing in the leadership development and well-being of our staff, we not only invest in the leaders of tomorrow, but we also invest in the guest experience today.
We give thanks to God for the work of the Arcadia Foundation and the impact it has had and will continue to have on Camp Arcadia’s ministry for many years. We are grateful for the investments of the generations who have come before us and paved the way for a thriving Foundation today with their gifts and leadership.
Will you join this legacy of impact?
Interested in becoming a Legacy Builder?
We have resources to help you on that journey! Whether you need help creating a will or estate plan or are simply looking for more information about including Camp Arcadia in yours, Sarah Olson would love to connect with you and get you the resources you need to become a Legacy Builder!
Interested in serving on the Foundation Committee in the future?
We do not currently have any vacancies on the Arcadia Foundation Committee, but if you’d like to be considered in the future, reach out to Sarah Olson to express your interest.
