Aug 5 / 2024
Funding Opportunities
What impact would you like to make at John Knox Ranch?
Below is a list of site improvement funding opportunities to help us better meet the needs of our campers and retreat participants. If you are interested in contributing to one of the below projects, please contact Executive Director, Henry Owen and visit our donate page.
Rainwater collection on existing bathhouses. Clean water is a scarce resource in the Texas Hillcountry. We should not be using drinking water from our well to flush toilets. This project would add a 1,500 gallon metal rainwater collection tank to each of the existing bathhouses so that we can use rainwater for toilet flushes. Each of the 3 rainwater collection projects will cost $7,000. UPDATE: We've got one of the rain water collection systems completed and we are looking forward to getting the other two done.
Screen cabin renovations. We love our screen cabins and have identified a set of upgrades to make them more comfortable and user-friendly. In each of our 10 cabins, we plan to install an exhaust fan, a new ceiling fan, and new LED lighting. Material costs for screen cabin renovations are around $1,000. This would make a great group volunteer project!
Camp Ministry Apprenticeship Sponsor. We have started a Camp Ministry Apprenticeship program designed to develop servant leadership skills while providing experience in camp ministry with hope that participants will continue their careers in camping, church ministry, recreation, education, or any other children, youth, and family-based organizations. Apprentices live onsite for one year and are active participants in all areas of our ministry. We are seeking a sponsor to donate $15,000 per year for one apprentice.
Solar Panels on pavilion/DH $34,000. The outdoor pavilion is in an ideal orientation for a solar array and it is on the same meter as the Dining Hall which is our largest consumer of electricity each month. A solar array here could offset 25% of the meter's annual usage and decrease our monthly electric bill by $200.
Strategic Planning Consultant. Now that the Conservation Easement is in place at JKR, we need to engage a strategic planning consultant to lead our committee through a planning process to help direct the next 5 years of our ministry. Estimated $15,000
New Ropes Course Poles. The telephone poles in our ropes course are nearing the end of their 30 year lifespan. In order to continue to offer our high ropes program we need to rebuild our course with all new poles. This is a very expensive project that we estimate will cost $80,000.
Site Survey. The last professional survey that was done at JKR was completed in 1997 and is outdated! To find buried water lines we refer to a hand drawn map. A new survey would help us identify all buried and above ground utilities, help in creating a new site map, and assist during our upcoming site master planning process. $13,500
Expand chapel. Our beloved wooden chapel on the hill is bursting with campers during our full summer sessions. We would like to expand the chapel in the back by a few rows which will increase seating significantly but not change the overall shape and feel of the chapel dramatically. Estimated $15,000
Slingshot range. This will be a NEW activity. We will build a slingshot range with fun designs and targets near the archery range. This will give us a new program to offer our campers and retreat participants. $10,000
Field Trip Scholarships. We host over 2,500 students for field trips each school year. Many schools that attend are lower income and need a sponsor to pay for their field trip fees. $2,000 covers one day of field trip for 90 students.
Redo plumbing in Pool Shower house. The old copper pipes burst at least once per winter. We need to transition the whole building to pex piping to better protect it. $5,000
New conference building near office. Our current office is too small for our staff! We have 3 people working out of 1 small office space and another using the conference room as a temporary office. We also need more meeting space for our own meetings and to offer to the community. We will build a new conference/meeting building next to the office and convert the old conference room in the office into two additional offices for staff. Estimated $100,000
Furniture for Oak Commons. The furniture in Oak Commons (one of our meeting spaces) is tired and stained. We plan to replace it with a matching set of furniture that is built specifically for the rigors of a summer camp! $5,000
New Benches around the Campfire. The Wimberley ISD shop class has agreed to build us 10 new campfire benches as part of their school projects! They are donating their labor. Supplies for this project will cost $1,500.
Below is a list of site improvement funding opportunities to help us better meet the needs of our campers and retreat participants. If you are interested in contributing to one of the below projects, please contact Executive Director, Henry Owen and visit our donate page.
Rainwater collection on existing bathhouses. Clean water is a scarce resource in the Texas Hillcountry. We should not be using drinking water from our well to flush toilets. This project would add a 1,500 gallon metal rainwater collection tank to each of the existing bathhouses so that we can use rainwater for toilet flushes. Each of the 3 rainwater collection projects will cost $7,000. UPDATE: We've got one of the rain water collection systems completed and we are looking forward to getting the other two done.
Screen cabin renovations. We love our screen cabins and have identified a set of upgrades to make them more comfortable and user-friendly. In each of our 10 cabins, we plan to install an exhaust fan, a new ceiling fan, and new LED lighting. Material costs for screen cabin renovations are around $1,000. This would make a great group volunteer project!
Camp Ministry Apprenticeship Sponsor. We have started a Camp Ministry Apprenticeship program designed to develop servant leadership skills while providing experience in camp ministry with hope that participants will continue their careers in camping, church ministry, recreation, education, or any other children, youth, and family-based organizations. Apprentices live onsite for one year and are active participants in all areas of our ministry. We are seeking a sponsor to donate $15,000 per year for one apprentice.
Solar Panels on pavilion/DH $34,000. The outdoor pavilion is in an ideal orientation for a solar array and it is on the same meter as the Dining Hall which is our largest consumer of electricity each month. A solar array here could offset 25% of the meter's annual usage and decrease our monthly electric bill by $200.
Strategic Planning Consultant. Now that the Conservation Easement is in place at JKR, we need to engage a strategic planning consultant to lead our committee through a planning process to help direct the next 5 years of our ministry. Estimated $15,000
New Ropes Course Poles. The telephone poles in our ropes course are nearing the end of their 30 year lifespan. In order to continue to offer our high ropes program we need to rebuild our course with all new poles. This is a very expensive project that we estimate will cost $80,000.
Site Survey. The last professional survey that was done at JKR was completed in 1997 and is outdated! To find buried water lines we refer to a hand drawn map. A new survey would help us identify all buried and above ground utilities, help in creating a new site map, and assist during our upcoming site master planning process. $13,500
Expand chapel. Our beloved wooden chapel on the hill is bursting with campers during our full summer sessions. We would like to expand the chapel in the back by a few rows which will increase seating significantly but not change the overall shape and feel of the chapel dramatically. Estimated $15,000
Slingshot range. This will be a NEW activity. We will build a slingshot range with fun designs and targets near the archery range. This will give us a new program to offer our campers and retreat participants. $10,000
Field Trip Scholarships. We host over 2,500 students for field trips each school year. Many schools that attend are lower income and need a sponsor to pay for their field trip fees. $2,000 covers one day of field trip for 90 students.
Redo plumbing in Pool Shower house. The old copper pipes burst at least once per winter. We need to transition the whole building to pex piping to better protect it. $5,000
New conference building near office. Our current office is too small for our staff! We have 3 people working out of 1 small office space and another using the conference room as a temporary office. We also need more meeting space for our own meetings and to offer to the community. We will build a new conference/meeting building next to the office and convert the old conference room in the office into two additional offices for staff. Estimated $100,000
Furniture for Oak Commons. The furniture in Oak Commons (one of our meeting spaces) is tired and stained. We plan to replace it with a matching set of furniture that is built specifically for the rigors of a summer camp! $5,000
New Benches around the Campfire. The Wimberley ISD shop class has agreed to build us 10 new campfire benches as part of their school projects! They are donating their labor. Supplies for this project will cost $1,500.
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