Quick Facts
Estimated loss of $200,000 from overnight Summer Camp and year-round retreat groups.
Retreats are trending a 75% loss in revenue - likely to continue until we have a cure or vaccine.
We have received small grants, but they do not cover continued expenses.
Year-round staff are furloughed or on half-pay or half-time. All variable expenses have been reduced.
2020 has been a tough year for all of us, and especially for your outdoor ministry. We are experiencing an estimated loss of $200,000 in revenue from overnight Summer Camp and year-round retreat groups. Although we were blessed with a grant from the CARES Act, it only provided partial support for continued operations. Expenses are ongoing and include salary, insurance, mortgage, utilities, maintenance, and office equipment. You can help us continue through the pandemic so that we may provide unforgettable experiences for the next generation - experiences we have continued to provide even in these difficult times.
Your continued and generous partnership in ministry will ensure we reach next summer, and the next, so campers and counselors may return once again to sing by a campfire, run through the fields, swim in the lake, look up at the stars, and build community together - for decades to come.
A Message from Tom Powell, Executive Director:
The Board of Directors and staff are proactively planning how to lead your outdoor ministry through the long-term effects of this pandemic. To reach 2022, we must raise $200,000 by March 2021 in order to maintain continuity over the next 12 to 18 months. We ask for your generous support in this fundraising campaign. We are grateful for the additional gifts we have already received in 2020. Many of you - organizations, families, individuals - have already gone above and beyond this year. You have donated summer camp payments, sponsored a counselor, and participated in family retreats. You make this ministry possible and we thank you.
A Message from Allison Ryals, Board President:
We are living through a time of fear and uncertainty that seems to impact everything. It feels as if the very things that bring us joy - shared spaced, social connection, healthy risk-taking - have been swept away. While hope guides us forward, we still have to live with the uncertainty of how long this may last.
Our educators and ministry leaders are working harder than ever to teach our youth and help them grow. As we look ahead in hope to Summer 2021, we know our kids need camp to soothe their souls. Our young adult staff need camp to connect and discern calls to service and ministry. Our ministry leaders, families, and retreat guests need camp as they recover from months of solitude.
For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them. Matthew 18:20
Although we were unable to open for traditional, overnight Summer Camp in 2020, we continue to prepare for WHEN we are able to safely gather for Summer Camp in Fort Valley once again. With your help, Caroline Furnace will continue to serve our communities and provide an outdoor space of faith, education, and renewal for generations to come.
Caroline Furnace is YOUR outdoor ministry. As friends, neighbors, and partners, this is your story, and it is up to you to continue it. Help us reach next summer and keep the legacy and tradition of Caroline Furnace alive for generations to come. We will get through this together. Saving your outdoor ministry starts NOW.
Six Month Campaign Goal: $200,000
How can you help?
1. Send an above-and-beyond, one-time gift between now and March 2021.
2. Set up online 20 for 20 monthly giving (ACH preferred) to support us in 2020 and beyond.
3. Ask your church leaders about congregational support for Caroline Furnace.