Camp Blessing: Providing Hope for Children with Special Needs

Executive Summary
Camp Blessing ministers to children with special needs and
their families and care givers. Since
camp opened in 2006, Camp Blessing focused on providing an
environment where the love of
Jesus Christ is demonstrated through building relationships,
engaging children in indoor/outdoor
activities, and giving hope and joy to special campers who are
often left out and isolated by
today’s society. Camp Blessing offers a unique five day
experience to children with physical,
emotional, and /or mental health conditions that may not permit
their participation at other
camping facilities. It is Camp Blessing’s mission to operate a
no barriers camp in which each

person can fully experience the fun, excitement, and spiritual
encouragement in a loving and
natural outdoor setting.
The Lord has shown favor on Camp Blessing, having
dramatically expanded service from 17
campers in the 2006 inaugural year to serving over 400 campers
with the assistance of 600
volunteers in 2015. In addition over that same period, Camp
blessing has operated in the
“BLACK” financially, generating over $1 million dollars in
support and placing over $500,000
on the “BOTTOM LINE” in 2014, alone. And, even with this
tremendous growth, Camp
Blessing has to turn many interest families away each year
because of its limited capacity.
The greatest challenge to meeting the increasing demand from
families and children longing for
the opportunity participate in summer camp is Camp Blessing’s
current “nomadic” operation.
Presently, Camp Blessing travels and rents a variety of facilities
to house the camp; relocating
every few weeks during summer. Until such time as Camp
Blessing builds its own fully

accessible campus, the tight Texas camp market necessitates
travel and adapting the program,
staff, and campers to spaces available for rent. In 2015, Camp
Blessing has rented two camps,
each for four summer weeks. Therefore, Camp Blessing must
move 163 miles from the
operation base in Tomball to the first camp and, a few weeks
later move again 133 miles to the
second camp, followed by a return to Tomball.
With a summer full of transitions between rental facilities (three
weeks at one camp, 4 weeks at
another), Camp Blessing is extremely limited in the number of
campers, supporting volunteers
recruited, families and care givers it can serve. There are over
600000 special needs children in
the Houston Metroplex, a population growing by 11.5% in the
next five years. Obviously, Camp
Blessing is needs to grow in capacity both in capacity and
activities for the ministry. Only by
owning a facility in a convenient location, can Camp Blessing
meet the needs of these wonderful
children.

God has already responded to this great need by providing 70
acres in the Tomball area, only ten
minutes west of The Woodlands. What is needed now is a
facility on the beautifully virgin
wooded property. We are asking donors like you to partner with
us to transform this wonderful
property into a unique fully accessible property which can serve
the special needs community
twelve months of the year.
In this plan you will see how your involvement will provide the
most up to date and full
accessible facility, while providing the capacity to serve over
300 campers, supporting volunteers
and, full time staff. In addition, the development plan offers the
ability for provide conferences,

training, and ministry development for the entire community
throughout the year.
Taking advantage of over ten years of increasing ministry, help
Camp Blessing offers, in a fully
self-sustaining operation, the encouragement, hope, and an
incomparable experience to those
who often have little of the same in their life. In its own
facility, to God’s glory Camp Blessing
will impact many more lives for eternity.
Matthew 25:40 - “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of
the least of
these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Camp Blessing Overview
MISSION STATEMENT
CBTX exists to show the Hope of Jesus Christ to those with
Special Needs and their families, as
well as, the volunteers who serve them through providing
various activities and relationship
development opportunities in a fully accessible Christian Camp
environment.
HISTORY
Camp Blessing originated with the founders, Chuck and Jodi
Ferguson who spent several
summers volunteering at Camp Barnabas in Missouri where
their son, Mathew, was a camper,
Chuck and Jodi believed God called them to begin a Texas camp

specifically focused on children
with special needs like Mathew who has Autism. God pointed
them to Glen Elder at a Christian
Camp and Conference Association conference in December of
2006. From that introduction and
subsequent meetings with Glen and his wife Laura (they have
two special needs children), the
first camp experience began at a rented facility in Magnolia,
Texas which served 17 campers.
For the next ten years, Camp Blessing, has grown significantly.
Of course. all were volunteers in the beginning. As the demands
of camp preparations, including
the recruiting of staff, program development, and the
negotiating for summer camp space and
locations, it was apparent the operation require a full time
director. In recognition of that fact,
Glen Elder was hired to be the Executive Director in 2010.
TODAY

Since its inception, Camp blessing has operated through the use
of others facilities. That meant
every year a search around Texas is conducted for camps the
required minimum to operate a
special needs camp. More importantly a camp with schedule
“space” in the most demanded
period, summer had to be found; a major under taking). In
addition, the programming apparatus
necessary to augment these camps which are not fully equipped
to serve “special needs” campers
had to be re-planned and assembled each year to ensure a
quality camp experience. After
assembly, all of this gear has to be loaded and transported to the
rental facility. In almost a
biblical way, Camp Blessing must wander around East Texas.
As did the Israelites in the Exodus,
Camp Blessing picks up and moves. As summer camp has
grown, it not only moves to one camp,
it takes down, picks up, and moves to a second camp each
summer. That is the truth of Camp
Blessing today.
In 2012, God burdened Mr. Jack Frey's to donate CBTX 70
acres of unimproved forested land in
the Tomball/Magnolia Texas area. This Godsend is the

beginning of Camp Blessing occupying
the “Promise Land” of its own facility. As the dream come true,
these 70 acres be a place
unencumbered by rental contracts, temporary facilities; a place
of fully equipped activities and
sites to serve our campers located in our back yard.
TOMORROW
The following camp layout is the answer to the “Promise Land”
dream. Not only does it provide
a well thought out and efficient design, most importantly it
offers a no barriers access to all of its
facilities and activities. The design is specifically constructed
to bless the campers by
experiencing the excitement of camp while seeing the face of
Christ in the staff and counselors.

This wonderful location is not only near major communities and
highways, but also in a tranquil
and beautifully wooded forest just 10 minutes west of The
Woodlands. Such a location means no
longer do parents and guardians have to drive long distances to
bring their kids to camp. In our
vision, they quickly find themselves transported to what seems
like another dimension; a place
serene, calm, quiet, and beautiful - a true representation of
God’s creation.
CAMP BLESSING IS READY TO BUILD TODAY!
WE ONLY NEED YOUR HELP!
THE CONSTRUCTION PLAN
We need to fill this area with our Phase I and II plan. Will need
a list of activities/buildings that
will go into each phase and a projected price.

From that I will develop a narrative/explanation/justification. I
think in consultation with Carl
and Paul we can develop a proposed construction timeline and
funds needed for each major
control point.

Communicating Value
Camp Blessing is such a unique
experience with an uncommon facility
in a natural location, its value is
something that will be greatly promoted
by those who come to Camp Blessing.
In other words, “word of mouth” will be
the most effective and efficient manner
of increasing Camp Blessing’s coverage
of the marketplace. Such experiences
have been the primary manner in which
high quality camps have grown.
Camp Blessing has an extensive list of

precious campers, families, volunteers and
donors. That strong base of support will be
the first means of “getting the word” out
about Camp Blessing. Certainly a special
day (Open House) at Camp Blessing for
the Camp extended family can the first
step in supporting the expanded Summer
Camp Program.
As Camp Blessing is located in a market area populated with
over 6 million people, the
challenge will be to focus on one major geographic area at a
time. As a result, Camp Blessing
will begin with the Woodlands/Conroe area.
Camp Blessing’s website will be reconstructed to provide both
information and multimedia
involvement. Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Customer Analysis
Camp Blessing will be built to provide services to a broad base
of those interested in Summer
Camp and facilities for the Special Needs community, as well as
organizations and communities
who want to take advantage of a facility that can provide a
break from the pressure and norm of
the day to day experiences. As a result, Camp Blessing can
impact the entire Metroplex, not just
a single community.
In the State of Texas, approximately 11.5% of the population
have a disability; over 3 MILLION
people. In the Houston Metroplex, there are over 600,000
children (under 18 years old) with a
disability, while within the Houston Independent School district
alone, there are over 16,000
students with disabilities. It is projected the population of the
Houston Metrtoplex will increase

over 11% by 2020. This translates to a projected increase in
children with disabilities of over
60,000!
In the Houston Metroplex, we see the following demographic
information:
Median Income and (population)
Houston Metroplex – $55,900(6.3 million)
The Woodlands - $105,100 (125,000)
Spring - $67,000 (55,000)
Conroe – $42,800 (72000)
Houston - $42,800 (2.2 million)
Sugar Land - $113,000 (86,500)
Katy - $66,800 (55,000)
Each one of the major sub markets in the Metroplex have
income profiles which make them high

potential customers for Camp Blessing.
Since Camp Blessing’s mission is to provide a
camp experience for those who have a disability, d
they will always have first priority for use of
the facility and programs. However, as with all
revenue generating camps, maximizing utilization
of the camp is the way to maintaining the long
term sustainability of Camp Blessing. In that
regard Camp Blessing intends to operate the
facility under the following priority model:
Summer Guests – Camp Blessing’s Program only
Campers – Special Needs (see definition)

Camp Counselors – Pay to come serve (currently
$135 per week). Not only does Camp
Blessing serve the campers, but also offers
an opportunity for summer volunteers to
experience the blessing of helping and
ministering to the campers in a wonderful
week of service. Some are actually in a
professional program to serve the same
people in their chosen career
Non-Summer guests – Programming is extremely flexible.
However, the
primary focus will be facilitating customers who bring their
own
“programming”. As full time staff increases, the capacity to
extended summer like programming will increase as well.
1. Special Needs Community – youth, families, organizations
who serve
the same

2. Christian Organizations – Churches, Ministries, Faith Based
schools
3. Non-profit organizations – Public schools and universities
and their
extracurricular organizations, service organizations such
Jaycees,
Rotary, Kiwanis, etc.
4. Governmental Organizations – City, County, and State
agencies and
supporting organizations who need a place to conduct
meetings
and conferences.
Competitive Analysis
THE MARKETPLACE
Camp Blessing, located near The Woodlands, Texas, is

fortunate to be within 50 miles of over 6
million people and 600000 children with disabilities. Presently,
there are a multitude of nonprofit
organizations who serve this population. However, there are
precious few camps designed for
this community and none are located inside the Houston
Metroplex. Camp Blessing is located
less than 40 miles from most points around the Metroplex.
Historically, parents and non-profits have utilized camps
located outside the Metroplex or have
developed their own capacity to conduct “camp like” activities
without benefit of a residential
capacity. Camps such as Camp For All (90 miles from Houston),
Camp Summit (280 miles),
Texas Elks Camp (150 miles), Charris Hills (330 miles) have
provided residential camp
opportunities with each camp providing varying subsidies for
their campers:
Camp for All – Free ($2 million annual fundraiser)
Camp Summit – Up to $1400 (subsidized based on income)
Note: Secular

Based on median of Metroplex, fee would be $1050
similar facilities to future Camp Blessing
Texas Elks Camp – Free
Note: Limited activities. Secular
Charris Hills - $1260.
Note: Faith Based
Wide range of activities; dissimilar to future Camp
Blessing
THE EDGE
As in real estate, the concept is “location, location, and
location” and price the property
underneath the leader in the community. Obviously, Camp
Blessing has THE EDGE on both
counts. It would be harder to locate a fully capable camp much
closer to downtown Houston. In
addition, with the total of camper ($585) and volunteer ($135)
fees, Camp Blessing is
dramatically under the market. It should be noted that Camp for
All, Camp Summit, and Texas
Elks must have substantial operational monies donated annually

to operate.
"Martha had a ball. All we hear is 'camp,
camp, camp'. She's ready to go back
now!"
“Mom, EVERYBODY LOVED me!
Everybody thought I was so
nice! Everybody accepted me!
Everybody treated me like family
and was soooooooooooo nice to
me!!!!”

"...upon arrival I can tell you I felt
the love of God all over your
ministry when I arrived with my
kids. I felt so at ease upon coming
and leaving and entrusting you and
the volunteers and staff at Camp
Blessing."
Operational Plan
“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted
with much….” Luke 16:10
Revenue and Expenses

Camp blessing is organized and will operate to be SELF-
SUSTAINING from day one; revenue
projections and cost management is structured to be in the
BLACK from year one.
Revenue –
The five year projection reflects an extrapolation of Camp
Blessing’s existing summer
camps (June-August) program, while over time increasing the
number of “open” days in the non-
summer season (September – May). In order to minimize full
time staff expense and expand only
to the extent revenue justifies, Camp Blessing will be open on
weekends in the “off” season.
“Off” season or Non-Summer operations is required to meet the
revenue targets and make
maximum use of the extensive physical plant constructed.
Widespread use of part time staff will
minimize staffing costs, while offering a tremendous experience
on days when the guests are
available and not working. For example, in Year One, there are
approximately 41 scheduling
weekends. For the projection we plan only to schedule 21. Such
a “conservative” approach

affords Camp Blessing the time to invest in communicating to
the market the value and
availability of camp. In addition, such a scheduling strategy
ensures expenses are kept in line
with revenues thereby honoring the donors; NO requests for
operational support offerings will be
made.
In the out years, it is expected Camp Blessing will fully “load”
weekends and begin to
expand into “mid-weeks” (Mondays through Thursdays). Mid
weeks offer organizations such as
schools, mostly faith based, the opportunity to come to camp as
part of the school experience.
Most public schools have outdoor education programs, such as
field trips, where Camp Blessing
can offer a unique outdoor experience in God’s natural
Creation, as well. Through these
additional revenue sources, Camp blessing can expand its staff
to offer the community more
occasions to come.

Expenses –
As indicated in the Revenue discussion, the expense plan is
designed to incur costs only
on an as needed basis. As with most camps, the top expense
categories are usually personnel,
food, and utilities, followed by insurance. Of those four, three
are controllable and two are
variable with camp utilization. By far, personnel costs are
number one. This is where Camp
Blessing will be most judicious. Full time staffing will be
limited to that absolutely needed to
operate safely and efficiently.
Other costs, such as food, are planned to stay within
established norms and experience of
our staff at other camps.

Management
Camp Blessing is organized as a non-profit corporation under
the IRS Code Section 501 c(3) and
Texas law. It is registered at the Secretary of State of Texas,
April 21, 2006. It operates under the
direction of a Board of Directors.
The management plan specifically addresses how best to acquire
and expand staff as the needs of
camp grow. In the Camp Blessing management structure, full
time staff are added to fill slots
required to make sure operations function safely and
effectively.
In the early years and on the front end of Camp Blessing’s
future growth curve, full time staff
will need to be responsible for more than one function at a time.
For example, the COO will also
act as the Director of Facilities, Retreats/Rental Services, and
Business Operations. The field
staff will be part time workers who will be hired on an hourly
basis. As the plan reflects, there
will be only six full time staff in year one.

Financials
Camp Blessing prepared a Five Year Financial Plan which
incorporates a Phased construction
approach. At the heart of this plan is the gradual increase of
revenue over time from both
increased summer operations moving to a full ten week schedule
and increased non-summer
occupancy through greater scheduling of weekend and mid-week
groups. As discussed
previously, expenses will increase only to the extent that
revenue growth targets are met so as to
ensure year closes out with a “BLACK” bottom line. Tab ____
provide the financial specifics.
To ensure that Camp Blessing operates well into the future
physically, the financial plan
incorporates a maintenance plan which utilizes the resources
reserved by the “Depreciation”
account. Those resources are intended for planned replacement
of capital assets and prevent the
need to ask donors for additional funds. Camp Blessing will be
a fully self-sustaining operation.

SALARY STRUCTURE
Year 1 –
Executive Director - $76,000
Assistant Executive
Director - $20,000
Chief Operating
Officer - $50,000

Food Service - $35,000
Maintenance - $24,000
Admin Assistant - $30,000 Staff = 6 + part time*
Year 2 – Add
Retreats Manager $30,000
Value Communication/
Donor Relations - $30,000
Summer Program $30,000 Staff = 9 + part time*
ALLOWS EXPANSION OF WEEKEND AVAILABILITY AND
LIMITED MID-WEEK
AVAILABILITY
Year 3 – Add
Maintenance Manager
WWTP Operations - $30,000
Financial Operations - $35,000
Retreat/Rental Operations
Staff (Interns)
3 Each @ $12,000 $36,000 Staff = 14 + part time*

ALLOWS EXPANSION OF MID-WEEK AVAILABILITY
* - PART TIME STAFFING VARIES WITH SCHEDULE
This Page Is Intentionally Blank
Unless otherwise stated, answer in complete sentences, and be
sure to use correct English, spelling and grammar. Sources must
be cited in APA format. Your response should be four (4)
double-spaced pages; refer to the "Assignment Format" page
located on the Course Home page for specific format
requirements. No more than two (2) references can be cited. All
essays with be scanned through a Plagiarism program.
Part A
1. Why is the money multiplier in the United States smaller than
the inverse of the required reserve ratio? Provide one (1)
reason.
2. Explain why depositing cash into a checking account does not

change the money supply. Provide one (1) supporting fact.
3. Explain why the money supply does not change when one
individual writes a check to another. Provide one (1) supporting
fact.
Part B
1. Describe one (1) reason why the flexibility of wages and
prices tend to favor the Keynesian economic view in the short
run and one (1) reason why the flexibility of wages and prices
tend to favor the classical economic view in the long run.
2. Refer the figure below and explain what happens in each
graph (A, B, and C) when an economy is moving from a
recession (point a) back to full employment.

Camp Blessing: Providing Hope for Children with Special Needs

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