Volunteers come to rescue of Camp Barnabas after April storm
Camp Barnabas is known as a place that has shown love to people with special needs for more than 30 years, but after an April storm, it was the camp's turn to be loved.
'I know what we mean to other people, but it's been cool to be on the receiving end of that love,' said Abby Smith, marketing director at Camp Barnabas. 'It's been great for our staff to feel the purpose of our mission.'
Located near Purdy, the Christian summer camp has been welcoming campers since 1994. Campers are individuals ages 7 and up with a variety of diagnoses — developmental and physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, autism spectrum disorder, cancer, hemophilia, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, amputated limbs, atypically formed limbs, visual impairment, hearing impairment, spina bifida and more. Campers never age out of Camp Barnabas. It hosts campers 50 to 60 years old who have been coming for decades.
There are nine weeks of camp, each tailored toward a specific age group and diagnosis.
Smith said staff members want to provide an incredible week for campers, but the camp also provides an important respite for families and caregivers.
On April 29, the 120-acre camp was struck by straight-line winds of 80 to 90 mph from a storm traveling through Newton and Barry counties. A few people were at the camp, but there were no injuries. Smith said there was extensive tree damage, with around 70 trees downed, and three of their camper cabins were damaged by falling trees.
Bernadette Losh, Camp Barnabas CEO, was just arriving at the camp that morning. She said she tried to punch in the code to the front gate and then retreated to her car to ride out the storm. Once the storm passed, she got a first look at the damage. Staff members were facing crunch time anyway as they prepared for summer camp, and the cleanup on top of that seemed like too much.
'The more we looked around camp and saw damage, I did think for a moment we wouldn't be able to get all of this done in time for our campers,' Losh said. 'But we had volunteers arriving almost immediately, people started coming just within hours after the storm. That really gave me hope and a reminder that God is bigger.'
Initial concern extended to campers and their families as well. On social media immediately after the storm, campers expressed their worry the camp wouldn't open. Calls and messages followed.
Losh said nothing was going to stop them from fulfilling the promise to their campers to open for the summer. They had a brief moment of defeat, and then staff went into rally mode.
The response included around 400 volunteers and 40 groups, including Samaritan's Purse, Missouri Disaster Relief, churches and businesses. Arvest Bank brought a grill to feed volunteers.
After their initial worry, campers took to social media and started encouraging helpers, cheering them on as they moved trees and expressing thanks.
'It was so cool to see the camper response on social media,' Smith said. 'We were excited to tell them we were going to open on time, and the volunteers have shown up.'
Camp Barnabas is opening as scheduled June 1. Tree debris has been cleared and put into a 9-foot-high pile at the back of the camp. The cabins are the last of the repairs to be done and those roofs will be repaired this week.
'There was a day when I looked out from the office and there was literally a line of trucks with trailers here,' Losh said. 'I just stood there crying because where did they come from and how did they just take off work? If it wasn't for the people who gave their time and energy, we wouldn't be ready for campers.'
The support and volunteer response from the area remind them of the importance of their mission, Smith said. The camp office has been inundated with calls of support and prayer. A camper even called and sang 'Amazing Grace' to the staff.
For Losh, the recovery effort was all about the campers. She said many campers have countdowns to the first day of camp that they update on social media. They post 10 days until camp, sometimes even 365 days until camp.
'To watch that number tick down, they've been waiting for a year,' Losh said. 'Camp is so important to them. When they pull in and they're hanging out the car window waving to us and their cars are painted, that's why we're here.'
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