UBC Newsletter-Winter 2025
What’s Happening?
In This Newsletter:
Thank You Summer 2025
Anticipating Summer 2026
Something New is Coming!
Upward Bound Camp Board of Directors
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Gospel Jubilee hailed as a SUCCESS!
Camper Stories-Friendship and the Power of Prayer
Thank You Summer 2025!
A thank you note. Thank you summer 2025 for 14 weeks of deep community. We lived alongside one another in mutual respect, curiosity, and celebration—not only for our campers, but for one another. Thank you for a team brought together at the very last minute from all over the world—we could not have done it without our friends Pizza, Opa, Rain, River, Slug, Cuke, Snow Lily, Butterfly, Rise, Hinata, Luna, and Sunshine. Thank you for the 135 campers and 9 families who made this our largest summer yet. Thank you for allowing us to meet and reconnect with others—to see them. To know them. To love them. To wholly celebrate them. We learned so much by living in community together. Collectively we grew more patient as we stepped into unexpected and uncomfortable challenges. We grew more curious as we continuously recognized how much more we can learn. We grew more trusting as we noticed others meeting our needs before we could begin to ask for help. Thank you for all the fun we had together and for introducing us to something new—from trash bag fashion shows, skit characters, paint drumming, so many friendship bracelets, squirt gun fights and slip n slides, bubble painting, sun printing, paper making, and so much more. Summer 2025, you reminded us that life is meant to be lived fully and to be lived in community, we are so much better together.
2025 Summer Counselors
Anticipating Summer 2026
We are working hard to prepare and plan for summer 2026 and cannot wait to open registration on Dec. 1! As we prepare, we recognize that our registration process can be time consuming and, at times, difficult. Because of our own lack of computer skills, we are limited in our capacity to make sweeping changes, but we are constantly working to make this process as simple as possible and would appreciate your feedback. If you have any specific thoughts to share about the registration process please share them with us! While we may not be able to address all comments we are willing to look at other platforms to make the process more user friendly!
Something NEW is Coming!
Thanks to a grant from our friends at the Willamette Health Council and the hard work of Compassionado Industries we are well on the way to opening “Sandy Land” a brand new outdoor activities area—featuring a 9 hole mini mini-golf course, two bowling lanes, a regulation size sand volleyball court (fit for bocce ball, sand castles, and anything else you can dream up), and a brand new sports shack constructed by local students! This project started as a sort of dream…a drawing on my whiteboard just a few weeks after starting at UBC. To see it happening two years later (in a much grander way than I ever imagined) has been a sweet gift and a constant reminder that there is so much to celebrate. As a team, we are excited to play together and increase opportunities for sports and outdoor recreation throughout the year to campers and community members!
Construction in progress of “Sandy Land”
A Heartfelt Thank You to our Upward Bound Camp Board of Directors
As a non-profit organization our Board of Directors plays an important role in the ongoing management and support of the camp. Each member of the board contributes unique knowledge and specific skills to their board participation and behind the scenes oversight of camp operations.
In my work with the board, I have come to value their contributions to the culture and mission of Upward Bound Camp. While being a board member at UBC is sometimes a challenging job, I hope and pray that each of our board members knows how much we value their time, energy and work to keep UBC moving forward.
To that end I am sharing a little about each of them in hopes that when you see them at camp or at events you will introduce yourself to them and thank them for their service.
Cindy Alleman, Board Secretary
Cindy is a camper parent and retired Educator. Cindy often talked to me about what a special place UBC is and when she asked me if there was anything she could do in support of the mission of UBC I told her about Board Participation. Cindy’s board service has included committing time and energy to the success of our annual event and telling other families about what we do here. Cindy generates great ideas for camp services and helps to guide implementation of those ideas; she supports staff training and consistently makes a difference in the lives of the campers we serve.
John Turnbull, Board Member at Large
John, my brother and friend, started coming to camp a few years ago as a volunteer in the spring to help get camp ready to welcome campers. Sometimes that meant contributing to the work of preparing the camp for camper arrival as well as taking time to be with staff as a partner in prayer and discernment and often providing Fat Boys and Squirt to volunteers and staff alike. John joined the board in 2024 and has brought in new volunteers to help with spring preparation and brings an observant heart and questioning nature to our meetings and decision-making process.
Carole Robare, Board Member at Large and previous Board Secretary
Many of you know Carole, or Care Bear, as our Administrative Manager and Graphic Designer. She came to UBC in 2018 to paint a camp-oriented mural in the hallway of the program building to compliment the existing mural of the school in it’s early days. Sadly, both of those murals were lost due to the Santiam Canyon Fires in 2020. Carole was invited to join the board in 2022 and took on the task of Board Secretary when Jodie Thompson stepped down from board membership after a more than 20-year term of service.
Aaron Thompson, Board Chairman
Where do I begin? I remember my first Christmas Camp here at Gates. It was a super fun time, and the highlight of Christmas day was not just the presents for the campers but also live music by what I have come to call The Thompson Family Band—kind of like the Partridge Family minus rock and roll music—playing and singing along to Christmas hymns and secular music. Aaron has been the Board Chairman for more than 20 years and his influence on our camp culture and success shows in so much of what we do. Aaron’s unfailing love of Jesus and our campers has been the solid foundation for managing the work of camp.
My gratitude abounds for each of these folks, and all who came before them in service to camp, who faithfully and joyfully carry out their duties as our Board of Directors.
If you would like to join this incredible team in their work to oversee camp operations and help with fundraising, ensuring that our mission to serve teens and adults with diverse abilities continues, please contact me via email at: diane.turnbull@upwardboundcamp.org
EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Gospel Jubilee Hailed as a SUCCESS!
What an Awesome Night!
Our Gospel Jubilee was rich with fun raffle prizes, silent auction items and some very cool live auction items—most of which were donated by local community members and friends of UBC.
The evening began with food including a giant charcuterie board, delicious chicken, roasted vegetables, and cupcakes donated by The Lovin’ Oven. Everything was wonderful!
This year’s fundraising event included even more camper involvement than previous years. Em, aka: Noodle, had the fabulous idea to invite campers to serve as table hosts. Our guests had the opportunity to converse with campers about their camp experiences during the course of the meal, which was enjoyed by campers and guest alike.
The performance this year included the Usual Suspects, Ken & Jan Cartwright and Nikki and Clyde Clevenger, who are always so generous with their time, energy and their very fun music. Our very own Music Man, aka: Randy O’Connor led a sing along in the form of a camp song medley. Camper Kayleeann Nisonger soloed on You Are My Sunshine and then the rest of us, musicians and audience members alike, joined in to finish the medley which included I’m Gonna Sing, Sing, Sing and I’ll Fly away. We had the pleasure of having Susan Rey, a local musician, Kyleeann Nisonger, one of our very talented campers, and Zoey Hicks whose family has been supporting camp in a variety of ways since 2020, singing throughout the course of the evening.
In between songs our favorite auctioneer and friend of Upward Bound Camp, Monte Mensing and his wife Paula, teamed up to get people excited about spending money in support of UBC. We were excited to include original art created by camper, Eli Karn, in our auction.
We celebrate the amazing support we have from our community. The event was attended by more than 75 people, and we are so grateful to have had the use of the Gates Community Church this year, because we couldn’t have fit that many people into the Old Gates Schoolhouse. To top it all off we made more than $12,000 which will be used to support camp programming and operations.
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who donated, volunteered and supported Upward Bound Camp through this event. And, hey! Let’s do it again next year!
SAVE THE DATE: October 10, 2026
Camper Stories-
Friendship and the Power of Prayer
This summer we saw God at work in our lives and in the lives of our campers—and the campers saw it too.
Andrew
Andrew came to camp for the first time last year with a goal not unlike many of the campers we serve—to make friends his age and find a community to belong to. Throughout the week of camp last year we came to know him as a deep thinker and excellent communicator as well as a true creative. Andrew shared with us about his passion for art, especially animation, comics, and character design (you can see many of his original pieces throughout our dining hall). This year he came back because camp was “worth another shot
This summer, Andrew returned to camp three times, placing himself deeper in community each week—but he will tell you, this was not easy work. At camp, just as in life, there are so many people with different personalities, needs, and interests. Everyone is trying to find their place and the people they most connect with. During his first week of camp, Andrew found himself in a difficult place because he badly wanted to connect with others but found the communication style and personality of another camper to be quite challenging. For several days Andrew chose to avoid this camper, sharing his frustration with his counselor and other staff who attempted to coach both Andrew and the other camper. Unfortunately, our best efforts were not enough to make much difference in such a short amount of time. Perhaps unsurprisingly, our efforts would not be enough—thankfully Andrew reminded us that it wasn’t just on us to change the circumstance. In his frustration, Andrew prayed with his counselor for the camper who annoyed him. He prayed for his perspective to be changed and for the other camper to become his friend one day. Staff also prayed for the camper continuously alongside him. Lucky for Andrew, we love a God who does not hold back! By the end of camp Andrew, unprompted, told his counselor “You know, prayer really does work. I have seen a change in [the other camper], they are less annoying, and I think we might become friends.”
Jacob
Jacob has a similar story. He came to camp last year looking for community and hoping to learn skills to be a better friend. While he enjoyed camp last year he was excited to come back and feel more comfortable as a returner. Before coming to camp (and every day during,) he prayed for friendship. In the first few days, he shared with his counselor that it was difficult and that he wasn’t really sure that he was making friends. His counselor though, had a different perspective. They encouraged him to see the people on his team and the younger boys who he had been doing activities with as his community and challenged him to spend time with them even if it was a little uncomfortable.
At the end of the week, it was clear that Jacob had made connections. He and the younger boys were running around playing made up games, sharing ideas about cars and shows, and laughing with one another. He was asking me questions every day about how to continue friendships outside of camp in respectful and meaningful ways and coming up with creative ideas to connect. On the last day of camp, Jacob shared with both me and his counselor how he saw God working because he prayed for one friend at the beginning of camp and was leaving with four. He was in awe that his prayer had been answered and it was a joy to celebrate it alongside him!
Emily & Bryn
Speaking of friendship…I could go on and on. Alas, I will only share one more story of a friendship that has been a joy to watch. This story starts with a camper who has been coming to camp for years, constantly connecting with those around her. Emily has received awards year after year showcasing her friendly spirit and ability to make almost anyone feel at home. While she has amassed a great number of friends who she stays in touch with summer after summer, this year brought an unexpected gift.
Enter Bryn. Bryn came to camp this summer after connecting with us during the off season as she was searching for a camp where she would be supported, loved, and safe. She came excited that she could share her love for Jesus and could have conversations with staff to challenge her in faith. At camp, Bryn and Emily became fast friends nearly from the moment camp began. They share deep faith, positivity, and a friendly spirit—as well as a hometown. In a way that only God allows, the girls had signed up for the same three weeks of camp, deepening friendship, pulling others in, and building the shared experiences that form firm foundations for relationships to grow from. After camp, the two have stayed in touch and plan regular outings in the community with one another and have several on the books for the future. THIS is what camp is about!
