Your Donation is the Key to the Financial Health of Laurel!

Laurel would not be a safe place for me, nor do I think it would survive very long, if it were not for our desire that the Lord be at our Center. I believe it’s OK to have set out in the direction we have taken because it is what the Lord intended for us-that we belong to Him, and to each other. And he has told us that if we gather in His name, He will be with us . . ”

~Alan Grubb, PopDir and First chaperone of the Young People’s Assembly at Laurel Camp.  

Jack Rose, aka the Stamp Man, along with three other brothers, Frank Rose, Donald Rose and Larry Soneson started Laurel in the 1960’s. And through their ingenuity, perseverance and prayer they kept Laurel running from year to year.

What may not be of common knowledge is that Jack Rose, even in his old wise years after retiring from Laurel, would ask for the Laurel report. Jack would then write a check to cover the cost of Laurel that was not covered by the registration fees and fundraisers.

“Laurel camp is not just a place, it is a way; a way of being that creates community.”

~ Laurel 50 Years of Pictures and Stories memory book.

It has been over 50 years since Laurel opened and many things have changed. The cost of supplies increasing since the Pandemic. The dynamic of who comes to camp is different- smaller families with tighter incomes. And we have lost our financial contributors (to a better place!) who covered left over costs, and unexpected expenses. We have to be wise and find new ways to keep our beloved Laurel Camp open.

This year the Getting Ready Gang spent many hours discussing how to to ensure that Laurel remains financially sustainable. We realized that people might not know that camp fees were not covering camp costs. For many years we have tried to close the gap with fundraising and have not consistently met our financial goals.

For our week in the woods, with all meals provided, activities planned and space for a spiritual retreat, we have found that the new fee structure is in line with the cost of camp. This still relies on countless volunteer hours from the Getting Ready Gang in planning Laurel.

(Learn more on how to be a part of the Getting Ready Gang)

We continue to fundraise and ask for donations to be able offer Camp Grants, and be able to cover unexpected expenses and special projects like upgrading the lighting in the rec hall.

With prayer, we ask if you can afford, to help us bring another generation of friends and family to our Laurel community.