NWOCYC NEW DINING HALL UPDATE JULY 2024 💕

The NWOCYC Board of Directors is pleased to share that the New Dining Hall design and build is again underway with plans to break ground in Fall of 2024. According to the contractor, the build timeline allows us to be in the new hall for the 2025 camp season. You may already know that after learning more about the camp’s rich history as Camp Pittenger from 1938-1978, the Board has decided to keep the current dining hall, Tappan Lodge, for multipurpose use. The new dining hall, to be named Friends Lodge, will now be built where the volleyball courts are today. Building there also reduces some construction costs. Volleyball will be relocated.

The estimated cost of the building is $1.6MM. Combining prior fundraising and the Belmont church gift puts our current savings toward the dining hall at approximately $1.1MM. We will need a loan for the $500K balance, which the board is pursuing. For a 15-year loan at an estimated 9% interest rate, the monthly payment is approximately $5,000. The Lord has blessed His camp yet again. Through just a few initial generous donors we already have over $6,000 per month pledged. Praise God as this allows us to move forward with construction following the 2024 camp season! To hasten the loan payoff and share this monthly expense, we have created a new fundraising campaign with the goal of making DOUBLE LOAN PAYMENTS of $10,000. This would pay off the loan in just 5 years and save nearly $300k in interest compared to paying for 15 years. See payment calculator results below.

Our Vision

Our Vision is to maintain the beauty of the surroundings and structurally sound, safe, and functional buildings, while transforming our “summertime” camp into a year-round facility to be used to glorify God and share His love.

New Dining Hall Case Statement

For 55 years, Northwestern Ohio Christian Youth Camp has been a “SAFE HOUSE” for souls seeking to meet or grow closer to the Father, practice independence, find belonging, and become leaders. Today more than ever, our faith communities need a haven of opportunity for children and families to focus on their walk with Christ. Our goal for NWOCYC is to be a year-round facility to serve as that refuge for children, adults, and families to create Christian relationships, develop leadership skills, and grow their faith. NWOCYC currently serves approximately 400 campers with 200 staff over 5 to 6 camp weeks per summer.

The focus of Dining Hall fundraising is to support the urgent need to replace the existing Dining Hall and in doing so provide year-round functionality. Other future improvements are planned such as two heated housing units to further the camp’s year-round capacity.

While the spiritual health of the camp has remained strong and the financial health is adequate to maintain the current status of the buildings and grounds, funds for capital improvements are desperately needed. The entire camp is aging and while many areas have seen improvements, numerous other areas still need repairs and upgrades. We are feeling the burden of responsibility to pass a safe and functional (not fancy) camp to our children, grandchildren, and future generations. This cannot become a reality without investing in a new Dining Hall and having a mindset of continuous improvement.

Please help us achieve this goal. How You Can Help…

• Pledge a monthly amount for five years (or any duration that works for you). See any Fundraising Committee member.

• Donate through our website at nwocyc.org/donate. You can do automatic monthly donations as well as a one-time gift.

• Mail a check made payable to NWOCYC to NWOCYC, 2905 Starr Ave. Oregon, OH 43616.

• Estate plans – contact Jeff Endicott, Board President, at endicott.jeff@outlook.com.

• Securities gifting – contact Chris Ackerman, Board Treasurer, at cackerman22@buckeye-express.com.

If you would like to know more about this project, see any board member or feel free to contact Jeff Endicott, Board President, at 567-208-7353.

Solar Eclipse Event Weekend as a Huge Success!!! 😍

We swung open our gates and hosted a unique opportunity to engage in the spectacular event. The two-day adventure gave participants a true immersion into nature. A constant roaring fire in the 1940’s Tappan Lodge, camp style meals, hiking at Howard Collier State Nature Preserve, star gazing, sleeping in cabins, singing around the fire circle, crafts, a science/Biblical-based astronomy lesson, making new friends, and experiencing totality together away from the city lights was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

When we learned that totality was passing right over our camp over a year ago, we were stunned. We feel God provided us with the cosmic entertainment and all we had to do is open the gate and invite people to attend. The event ran smoothly and exceeded our expectations. Our guests came from every corner of Ohio, and we even had a few from as far away as Colorado, Texas, and Florida. We were blessed with 92 people making the trip to our beloved camp for this spectacular event.  

More fun is being planned for this spring on May 18th when we will hold our Spring Rally Day beginning at noon and Camp 5K that starts at 10am.  

National Recognition of our beloved camp! ❤️ 🏕️ ❤️

We are very excited to announce that as of January 2024, NWOCYC is now listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

NWOCYC (remembered by many as Camp Pittenger) is of local and national significance through its vibrant history as a YMCA camp from 1931 to 1978, before we purchased the property. First known as Camp Sandusky (established by the Findlay YMCA in 1931), the property became Camp Pittenger when purchased by the Tiffin YMCA in 1938. What truly sets Camp Pittenger apart is the amazing and important history with disabled campers. From 1940 to 1978 the Ohio Society for Crippled Children (OSCC, which became the Easter Seals) operated an annual camping program at Camp Pittenger for disabled children and teenagers. Each August, for nearly four decades, campers with physical and intellectual disabilities lived in community, participated in adaptive recreation, and built connections with other disabled peers from across the state of Ohio. Several old black and white pictures can be found in the Photos tab at nwocyc.org. Excited to uncover this rich history of Camp Pittenger, we have been reestablishing relationships with locals and recording oral histories from former campers and staff to preserve their stories for future generations.

After a yearlong application process to honor the mid-century YMCA and Easter Seals histories, we have just been awarded this national designation of historical significance.

We prayerfully anticipate this will open historical avenues of financial support for our older structures. Additionally, this in no way limits our ability to modify our property as deemed necessary by the Board of Trustees, such as building the new dining hall.

These are indeed exciting times for our camp. We are so thankful for the rich history as we joyfully anticipate a bright and blessed future.