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From Mike King | Executive Director of Raleigh’s Place

Raleigh’s Place has proudly been serving the Chilton County foster care community for twenty years. One of the ways we do this is through our summer camp program, Camp 1:27. Camp 1:27 has two goals: 1) to introduce every camper to Christ, and 2) to give every camper one of the best weeks of their life. Our campers are made up of children currently involved in the foster care system or have been adopted. Camp 1:27 is offered to these children at no cost.

As we approach our thirteenth year of camp ministry, we have served well over 1,000 of Alabama’s foster and adopted children from all across the state. Campers come from all areas of Alabama as far as Huntsville to Mobile. Camp 1:27 serves children between the ages of 7-18 through our different age camp weeks. We currently offer two different elementary age camp weeks, as well as two separate weeks for middle school and high school age children.

Our camp weeks are packed with fun activities. We squeeze in all the traditional camp activities like swimming, obstacle course, Gaga ball, archery, arts and crafts, hiking, disc golf, and so much more. Many of our campers get to experience many of these activities for the first time and have a blast while doing it.

Fun is a big goal of ours but so is addressing the spiritual aspect of our campers. Our camp staff lead devotions with their campers every morning. Camp nights are finished with a chapel service that includes fun games, singing, and preaching. The camp theme for this summer will be “What is the Gospel?” We firmly believe that if the life of a child who has experienced what these children have endured is to be transformed, it is only by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There are plenty of ways for the community to help us serve these children. We are still hiring camp staff. We need to fill our Camp Counselor and Junior Counselor positions by hiring college and high school students with a heart for serving children. Camp sponsorships are another way to help. By sponsoring a camper for $100, their meals, activities, utilities and other costs are covered. Since we do not charge our campers to attend, these sponsorships go a long way to help fund our program. There will be work days in the coming months as we finish some building projects and prepare the campgrounds for our campers. New equipment, games, craft supplies, and other items are needed. Besides these there are so many other ways to partner with us as we seek to Live the Gospel by Loving the Fatherless through a summer camp experience.

For more information, please visit our website raleighsplace.org or contact our Executive Director, Mike King, directly at mike@raleighsplace.org. We can also be reached by phone at 205-755-9615.