Camp Hope of SW Washington will host several holiday events at its location in Battle Ground on Dec. 11 to celebrate the holidays.
There will be a private party for families in need followed by an event for the community with live music and other outdoor activities from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Executive Director Karen Phillips said the public portion of the event will have performances from the Battle Ground High School jazz choir and jazz quartet, as well as live music from the members of the Crossroads Community Church Band, The Responding, and young musicians from The Church of Latter-Day Saints. There will also be a picnic, a campfire, and marshmallows. The camp’s archery range will be open and a petting zoo will also be available, which will feature Curly the Camel. Hot dogs and homemade pastries will be served and a craft hut will be set up for children so they can paint Christmas cards using apples.
Camp Hope has sold over 40 tickets and is anticipating several dozen families from the Battle Ground Public Schools Community and Resource Center during the private party with Santa, where children will also receive gifts. About 200 people are expected to attend in total.
In collaboration with the Family and Community Resource Center, the private party will involve a Giving Tree the resource center does on an annual basis. The event provides gifts for families in need. Afterwards, the gates to the community will open for the public.
“When we were deciding what to do this year, we said ‘how about if we invited them down to Camp Hope and those community members could drop off their gifts?’ and Santa would present the gifts to the kids,” Phillips said. “Normally, what the resource center does is either the family members pick up their gifts in the office or various staff members would deliver them to the families. So this year, we’re raising the standard and saying ‘hey, let’s make it a party’ so the kids 12 and under will be handed their gift from Santa Claus that somebody in the community has provided for them, and we’ll provide food and beverages from donations provided by Molina Healthcare and Crossroads Community Church.”
Tickets for the holiday event open to the community will cost $10 for adults, $8 for kids who are 13 to 17 years old, $6 for kids ages 3 to 12, and free for kids who are 2 years old and under. There’s also a group/family ticket for $50 for eight people. Tickets must be purchased in advance. For more information, visit camphope-wa.org.
According to its website, Camp Hope seeks to empower youth, particularly at-risk kids, and aims to provide them with skills to overcome life’s challenges “by stirring the body, mind, and heart in an outdoor community of love and support.” It was created in response to the rise in teen suicides, as well as substance abuse and mental health issues, and low academic performance among youth in Southwest Washington.
The camp also hosts a Discovery Camp in the spring. Phillips said in the past kids in the camp have recreated the Oregon Trail and have worked as a team to go over a fictitious mountain pass or cross a stream together. They also make homemade cider or pizza.
“With the kids, they do things that are hard and they do it together as a team, which builds their confidence in community and others,” Phillips said. “By working as a team, they can build their confidence with mentors. As they do something they’ve never done before, they’re often hesitant, so by getting encouragement from the group or adults, they find out it wasn’t so bad and they’ve accomplished something, which gives them confidence in themselves.”
She said many parents say the experience is their kids’ “highlight of the month” when they return from camp.
The property is also available to rent for either camping or events like birthday parties or family reunions.
Camp Hope of SW Washington is located at 12800 NE Roper Road in Battle Ground.
