Ferncliff given $1.65 million in grants

Workers from AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps spruced up the grounds and facilities of Ferncliff Camp during a 2011 visit. The camp and conference center, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., is raising money for additional facilities.

Workers from AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps spruced up the grounds and facilities of Ferncliff Camp during a 2011 visit. The camp and conference center, which is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A., is raising money for additional facilities.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center has been awarded two challenge grants totaling $1.65 million to help finance improvements.

The grants - one by the Walton Family Foundation for $1 million and the other by the J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation for $650,000 - were given to support the Ferncliff@75: Faithful Past, Bright Future campaign. Ferncliff director David Gill said the camp has until the end of the year to reach its $3.5 million goal and receive the two grants. So far, Ferncliff has raised about $2.3 million.

Ferncliff Camp and Conference Center is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and is governed by a board of directors approved by the Presbytery of Arkansas. The property, on 1,200acres about 10 miles west of Little Rock, is owned by the Presbyterian Foundation of Arkansas.

Gill said participation at the camp and conference center has increased over the past decade. Camp registrations doubled and use of the conference center grew by almost 90 percent.

“It got to the point where we need to expand,” he said.

In planning for the 75th anniversary of the camp, Gill said, a team of former campers, board members and staff spent a year planning for the future of the site, listing buildings and facilities needed to accommodate the growing demand.

The fundraising campaign will finance the improvements, including a new dining hall, 10 additional guest rooms and two youth cabins. Plans also call for a pool and water recreation area to replace the camp’s 30-year-old pool. Other projects include a 5,300-square-foot Eco Center that can house up to 28 people and a home for young adult volunteers.

Gill said the Eco Center will be built of straw bale walls and will be equipped with solar power.

“It’s an ideal place for groups who want to have a ‘green’ retreat or for youth who want to do some hands on education in caring for the environment,” Gill said.

Although the camp is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church, Gill said, the camps and facilities are open to everyone. Only about half of those who attend the summer camps are Presbyterian, he said.

In addition to camps, the site hosts events and conferences throughout the year. The Solar School is held twice a year. During the three-day course, participants learn how to install small solar energy systems, which can provide power for low-income communities for such things as water purification.

Ferncliff is also home to a 10,000-square-foot Disaster Assistance Center. The center receives disaster kits from churches across the country to send to those in need.

Gill said Ferncliff will host a national Straw Bale Building workshop April 8-14 to kick off construction of the Eco Center. About 40 participants will be on hand to help out.

“We’ll get off to a good start and then we’ll finish it with our team,” he said. “They tell us the 5,300-square-foot building is one of the larger ones in the country and will require about 1,200 bales.”

Information about Ferncliff is available online at ferncliff.org.

Religion, Pages 14 on 03/09/2013