Colorado Springs, Colo. -- On July 13, 2009, Dennis and Phyllis Washington will host a celebration of the construction of the new WyldLife camp at Young Life’s Washington Family Ranch near Antelope, Ore. The ceremony comes on the heels of the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation making the largest gift ever to a Young Life camp. Attending the event will be the Washington family; the president of Young Life, Denny Rydberg, and his wife, Marilyn; camp staff and faithful friends. The ceremony will be from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. on the camp property. Members of the press interested in attending the event should contact Stacie Hofmann at (503) 405-7710 or e-mail her at shofmann@wfr.younglife.org.
Construction is already under way on the camp, which is located three hours southeast of Portland. The construction of facilities for middle school campers aged 12-14 years will be completed by the summer of 2011; the new camp will be on the same property as the existing camp and will share some infrastructure. Using local architecture and construction firms, the expansion is good news for the economy of the Northwest. The building design and coordination has been completed by Ankrom and Moisan Associated Architects of Portland, Ore. The selection process for other contractors and vendors is currently under way.
Good news for the Northwest economy is also good news for the many kids throughout the northwestern United States who will benefit for years to come from the construction of this new camp. The camp will feature a unique water park theme. With an added capacity of 350 guests per week, this new camp will be built specifically to serve Young Life’s WyldLife ministry, which reaches out to middle school students. The current high school camp, with a capacity of 625, has served more than 144,000 campers, leaders and guests since 1999. Many of these campers have been supported through the Young Life Campership Fund, an ongoing camp scholarship program. More information about this program is available at younglife.org.
The Washington Family Ranch is a 64,000-acre property that was donated to Young Life by Dennis and Phyllis Washington in 1998. Through this additional gift, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation continues its strong support of Young Life, a premier worldwide, non-denominational, Christian youth ministry, with the hope that Young Life’s Washington Family Ranch will continue to grow and become one of the largest youth camps in the world.
Founded in 1941, Young Life is a worldwide organization for middle school, high school and college students. Young Life is active in more than 50 countries reaching nearly one million kids annually. Young Life leaders, most of whom are volunteers, enter the world of kids, focusing on what matters to them — fun, adventure and friendship. In doing so, they earn the privilege of talking to kids about something that we think matters most of all — the truth about God and His love for them. Young Life leaders bring nearly 90,000 kids to one of our 20 premier camping properties in operation in North and Central America; approximately 20,000 kids experience Young Life camping in other locations around the world.
The Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation was founded in 1988 with the mission of “investing in people to improve the quality of their lives.” Since its inception, the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation has awarded more than $100 million in grants with a special emphasis on undergraduate and graduate scholarships to underprivileged youth. The Foundation also awards grants in the areas of Education, Arts and Culture, Community Service, and Health and Human Services. More information about the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation can be found at dpwfoundation.org.
###