Boys Ranch rounds up aid for Camp Wakahni

|tab|

After a summer of silence, Camp Wakahni, the landmark property of the Ozarks Council of Camp Fire Boys and Girls, should be alive with youth ac-tivity again next year. |ret||ret||tab|

But the camp, located in southwest Polk County about 30 miles northwest of Spring-field, will be run by a new owner. |ret||ret||tab|

In October, Good Samaritan Boys Ranch purchased the 225-acre property, a deal that ensured the future operation of the camp and helped the Camp Fire council get back on its feet after months of financial problems. |ret||ret||tab|

"We're in the recovery stage," said Julie Thomas of Highland-ville, president of the Camp Fire board of directors. "This is a win-win for everybody. Camp Fire had not maintained the camp, and the Boys Ranch can." |ret||ret||tab|

The acquisition "is a huge addition to our outdoor and horse program" said Kevin Killian, Good Samaritan director, who noted that Camp Wakahni has been a source of "vital service" in positive social training for youth for about 40 years. |ret||ret||tab|

The Boys Ranch, based near Brighton in northern Greene County, provides treatment and education for boys 12 to 18 who have run afoul of the law or been diverted from troubled homes. |ret||ret||tab|

Officials of both organizations say the transaction between Camp Fire and Good Samaritan involved more than just a land purchase. |ret||ret||tab|

"It's really a unique situation," said Larry Leek, director of planning and development for the Boys Ranch. |ret||ret||tab|

The two organizations worked out a "strategic alliance," an agreement in which Good Samaritan purchased the camp, pledged to allow Camp Fire priority access for its campers, and agreed to help Camp Fire with fund-raising development and staffing, Leek said. Camp Fire also has a nonvoting member on the Good Samaritan board, Thomas said. |ret||ret||tab|

A deed of trust reflecting a $275,000 loan to Good Samaritan from Empire Bank of Springfield was filed in the Polk County Recorder's Office, but Killian says that sum involves more than property purchase. |ret||ret||tab|

The money covers the $126,323 mortgage Camp Fire had on the property, along with other financial help for Camp Fire and some costs associated with fixing up the camp, Killian said. |ret||ret||tab|

"It's sort of a complicated issue," he said. |ret||ret||tab|

Leek added that there was "some anonymous help" in the form of additional funds for the acquisition. |ret||ret||tab|

At one point last spring, with Camp Fire leadership in disarray and operations at a standstill, selling Camp Wakahni to pay off the bills became an option, Thomas said. But leaders were reluctant to see the camp disappear. |ret||ret||tab|

"We didn't want it to go to a developer," Thomas said. |ret||ret||tab|

By then, Good Samaritan had taken notice of the situation and got involved. |ret||ret||tab|

"We're in close proximity, and this came to our attention," Leek said. "The horses (at Camp Wakahni) needed shoeing, and we helped with that, and that's where we started." |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Shared interests|ret||ret||tab|

Good Samaritan also felt a kinship with Camp Fire because both are devoted to helping build healthy lives for youth, Leek said. |ret||ret||tab|

"We try to support anything like that, and we worked to come up with a way to save the camp and Camp Fire," he said. "The more we talked and explored, the more interest we had that the camp not be lost." |ret||ret||tab|

The Boys Ranch is working to clean up, fix up and make facility improvements so Camp Wakahni can be open for business next spring, Leek said. The camp is in need of significant restoration, he added, including the rebuilding of camp sites. |ret||ret||tab|

The ranch put out a call for volunteer help and secured assistance from some military units to provide manpower as part of their civic service work. |ret||ret||tab|

Recently, a group of 42 Marines stationed at Fort Leonard Wood spent a work day at the camp, mowing, cleaning up brush and leaves, and disposing of dilapidated furnishings. |ret||ret||tab|

"We got approval from the Army Reserves to help bury water lines, build a new corral and do road maintenance," Leek said. "We're confident we can do a first camp sometime in the spring." |ret||ret||tab|

Although it is not common for nonprofit organizations to engage in this kind of partnership, in this case it appears to be very beneficial for both, said John Rush, executive director of United Way of the Ozarks in Springfield. |ret||ret||tab|

"I think this is extremely generous of Good Samaritan," he said, adding that the agreement was an "excellent, smart decision." |ret||ret||tab|

Camp Fire has been a recipient of substantial sums from United Way in recent years, according to Rush. In 1998 Camp Fire got nearly $80,000, which increased to more than $86,000 in 2000. The or-ganization got only $20,000 this year after it became apparent the group was in serious financial trouble. |ret||ret||tab|

Rush said United Way also came to the rescue last summer, paying $12,000 so the scores of children who had registered for Camp Wakahni could be sent to camp elsewhere. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

What happened|ret||ret||tab|

The crisis for Camp Fire came about because "there was a lot of emphasis on serving, but not generating funds," said Julie Thomas, who became president of a revitalized Camp Fire board last May. |ret||ret||tab|

Staff and board turnover became a problem, too, she said. By early last year, the leadership broke apart amid board resignations, and Camp Fire had to lay off its five paid staff members in March, which meant that Camp Wakahni couldn't function. |ret||ret||tab|

"It was pretty bad," Thomas said. |ret||ret||tab|

She added that the group had put too much emphasis on what was called Camp Codah, an operation for children in socially risky situations. Camp Fire paid campers' costs through "scholarships," but the board was not doing the fund raising, Thomas said. |ret||ret||tab|

What often happens in groups with programs of this nature, Rush said, is that people don't want to cut off the services, even though the money is not there to pay for them. |ret||ret||tab|

According to the financial statements that tax-exempt organizations are re-quired to file with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Camp Fire lost more than $7,500 in 1997. Revenues were nearly $201,300 but expenses were approximately $208,800. |ret||ret||tab|

The following year, Camp Fire reported ending with a surplus of about $10,700 on revenue of $308,161, as contributions from the public, government and grants improved markedly from the previous year. |ret||ret||tab|

|ret||ret||tab|

Losses|ret||ret||tab|

But in 1999, the organization reported losing $21,000, as public support plummeted by about $47,000 and expenses rose significantly. Camp Fire had $322,227 in total expenses that year, with only $301,165 in reported revenue. |ret||ret||tab|

Meanwhile, Camp Fire reported that debt, which had held steady at about $66,000 to $68,000 in 1997 and 1998, more than doubled by the end of 1999 to $137,964. |ret||ret||tab|

No report is yet available for the current year because the group filed for an extension. |ret||ret||tab|

The reason given on the application for extension, submitted last July, was, "This organization is insolvent and the group's volunteers are in the process of deciding whether to liquidate the organization or attempt to keep it operating. All paid staff have left, since March 28, and the 2000 financials have not been completed. We currently do not have the funds to pay the previous accountant for the 1999 audit." [[In-content Ad]]