The Beauty of Camp Grace
More than 600,000 kids live below the poverty level in Georgia - and Dave Pridemore isn’t okay with that. Dave was a pastor at a Roswell church in 2001 when a friend asked him to come serve as chaplain at a camp in New York, in the wake of the September 11 tragedy. It was at that camp that Dave first saw what recreation and a change of scenery can do for urban youth. He returned to Georgia with a vision: bring a rural camp experience to low-income, high-risk kids from the city. Three hundred acres and 15 years later, Camp Grace in Roberta, GA, will serve more than 3,000 kids in the months of June and July alone. Their mission remains the same today: change the environment, change the heart.
To sustain that mission, Camp Grace partners with dozens of businesses and organizations - including EPIC - who make it possible for the camp to serve more and more kids each year. The number of youth in need can be staggering, and the Urban Partners work to bridge the gap between where the camp is today, and where they want to be - serving 7,000 kids each summer by 2025.
"Camp Grace partners with dozens of businesses and organizations—including EPIC—who make it possible to serve more and more kids each year."
Those big dreams require a big effort, and Dave lights up when you ask him about EPIC’s role in the building process. “Well,” he grins, “they would never tell you all this, but I will.”
In the last five years, EPIC has come alongside Camp Grace to meet the needs of the organization and improve the experience of its campers. Dave tells the story of how, a couple of years ago, building regulations prevented the camp from having a pool without first building a pool house - an expense they could not spare at the time. Most urban youths don’t have access to a pool during the hottest months of the year, and it was going to be a huge asset to the camp.
According to Dave, “EPIC decided the kids needed a pool, so they built us a pool house. Every time we turn around, EPIC is stepping up to the plate.”
EPIC views their relationship with Camp Grace as a long-term partnership. More than just a donation or a number to call when something goes wrong, EPIC has sought to be a constant and dependable ally for the organization, no matter the need. Dave names EPIC as Camp Grace’s “premier partner,” the number one resource they look to in supporting their vision. Whether it means building a pool house, or providing climate-controlled tents so that 600 more kids can come to camp each summer, EPIC is there.
Mark Harrington, Author