Beloved and Beyond: Rosebud camp caters to people with special needs
By AMY ROGNLIE | Photos courtesy of BELOVED AND BEYOND
“Changed lives for His glory — that is the big why of what we do at Beloved and Beyond,” said Glen Elder, founder and director of the nonprofit camp in Rosebud. “There are thousands of young people in our community who have special needs and have no place where they feel they belong.”
Enter Beloved and Beyond Camp, where all people can believe they are beloved and belong; that they have been created with beauty and blessing. This Christian summer camp is dedicated to serving children and adults with disabilities and giving hope and encouragement to families who deal with the challenges of disabilities while increasing awareness in hundreds of volunteers each year. This is a place where everyone — campers and staff alike — are celebrated as exactly who God designed them to be; where everyone can be love to others, be loved by others, and know that God calls them each beloved.
Beloved and Beyond offers nine weeks of camp each summer, with three of those weeks also welcoming sibling campers, creating a unique space for them to experience the joy of camp together. The camp offers all the classic summer camp activities — adapted so that every camper, no matter their abilities, can fully participate and experience the joy of God’s creation. Campers enjoy horseback riding, fishing and canoeing, swimming in the pool every day, silent discos, zip-lining, a giant swing, arts and crafts, a fun-filled costume closet, water games and archery. Each night, campers participate in themed parties and at the end of the week, campers have a chance to shine in a talent show.
“I grew up going to church camp every summer and saw how awesome it was for people to get out in God’s creation and learn more about Him,” Elder said. “My wife, Laura, who also serves as camp program director, and I have five kids, two of whom have special needs.”
The Elders passion for camp was lit in 2006 when friends asked them to help start a camp for kids and adults with disabilities, including their siblings. The couple directed the camp until 2020, witnessing incredible growth in the camp from only 17 campers the first year to 700 in 2019.
In 2020, they launched Beloved and Beyond and hosted their first winter camp during the height of the pandemic. For the next two years, they utilized existing camp facilities to execute Beloved and Beyond on the road, renting various camps around Texas.
In 2022, they purchased an existing camp and began upgrading it with roads, sidewalks, ADA bathrooms, and a zero-entry accessible swimming pool. Rolling hills, beautiful trees, and a huge spring fed lake are part of the experience as the campers fish and boat in the beautiful Central Texas sunset.
Since the camp was founded in 2020, more than 7,700 campers, volunteers and staff have been to camp. For the campers, Beloved and Beyond provides six days of unbridled fun, new relationships, and a sense of belonging. For the parents, camp offers a few days of respite — often the only respite days families experience in a year. For the young volunteers, a week of camp at Beloved and Beyond is life-changing.
Elder loves to see the transformation of volunteers, such as the tough high school football player who volunteers at the camp to meet his service hour requirement.
He doesn’t “get it” at first, but by the end of the week, he is holding hands with his buddy and crying when the campers leave.
“In a six-day period, you can radically change how these young people (the volunteers) view others who are different than themselves,” Elder said. “They even relate to each other differently than before they came to camp. Because we are so accepting of our campers, they all — campers and volunteers — become accepting of each other and begin to understand the value of unconditional love and community.”
Besides the nine weeks of summer camp, the Beloved and Beyond staff also hosts a spring break camp, a winter camp and a family camp throughout the year. Though the camp has many repeat volunteers, the camp needs more than 800 high school and college-aged volunteers to staff all of the sessions. Adults, teenagers as young as 13, and volunteer medical personnel are also needed for each camp session.
In addition to their camps, Beloved and Beyond offers the Beyond Team, which is a job training program for campers who want to come back and serve and learn job skills. Elder can testify to the effectiveness of their program, as his own son, Kody Noah, recently completed the program and was able to land a job at a local Chick-fil-A. The restaurant’s managers are very impressed with Kody’s skills, showing that he learned a lot about serving food and cleaning through the Beyond Team program.
“More than just fun, everything we do is rooted in sharing the love of Jesus. Through every activity, friendship and moment of joy, we want each camper to know that they are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God (Psalm 139:14) and deeply loved by Him,” Elder added. “Our greatest joy is creating a space where campers can experience Christ’s love, be fully known and accepted, and have an unforgettable week filled with joy, connection and faith.”
BELOVED AND BEYOND
Office: 979-353-2838
Website: www.belovedandbeyond.org
Instagram: Instagram.com/beloved_and_beyond/
Facebook: Facebook.com/BelovedandBeyond/
