News & Updates

See & read about what is going on in the Warm Beach Camp & Conference Center community

A Sea of Yes!

Ladies Night Out was an event that will not soon be forgotten. Preparations were made, prayers were said, centerpieces were placed, and the smell of bacon wrapped cheesy jalapeno hors d’oeuvres filled the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center in downtown Stanwood. I don’t think I’m alone when I say that the Ladies Night Out Auction benefiting Special Friends Camp at Warm Beach Camp was wildly successful.

As all eyes were fixed on the video of a day at Special Friends Camp, a camp for adults with special needs, I felt a shift take place. Smiles widened, eyes became teary, and cheers came freely as campers whizzed by on the zip-line or tackled the climbing wall and rang the victory bell! No wheelchairs, leg braces, withered legs, or lack of sight held those determined souls on the ground!

Following the video, the 180 women in attendance were asked to consider sponsoring a day of camp for one camper at $92 a day. As the last words of the request for sponsors were spoken, the white bidder numbers flew off tables in an overwhelming sea of YES! Like a mighty wave cresting on the ocean, a powerful movement of compassion, generosity, and tangible joy moved through the crowd and flooded my heart with humbling gratitude.

I watched as women held their bidder number in one hand and displayed how many days of camp they would like to sponsor, if more than one day, on the other hand. Two days, three days, four days, 10 days… even 24 days were sponsored by individual women moved to change lives through Special Friends Camp!

Even as I type the words now, I am in awe of the movement of the Lord in those moments. The love and desire to make a way for those who cannot make a way on their own was overwhelming.

At the final count, 152 days of camp were sponsored and over $33,000 raised overall! This far exceeded any expectations and the whoops and hollers of victory were proof! Every minute of Special Friends Camp is an opportunity for a miracle, a life to change, hope to be restored, and worth to be realized. I am forever changed by the outpouring of kindness I witnessed in my own little town. What an amazing special night!

-Margaret Elaine Spears
Special Friends Camp Chaplain/Lead Staff

Storing Treasure

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21 NLT There was a time in life where Bev and I bid on abandoned storage units.  We did it with our good friends, Jim ...

Meet Warm Beach’s Intern, Jessica Graves

The internship program is back in full swing at Warm Beach Camp (WBC)! We are excited to welcome Jessica Graves (left) from Ferndale as a 2023-2024 WBC intern. Jessica has been coming to WBC since she was eight and has participated in summer camps and volunteer opportunities at The Lights of Christmas. “Years ago, my grandparents volunteered down here. And ever since I can remember, we’ve been coming down and helping with The Lights.” Jessica was looking for a job ...

Pony Club Rallies

Warm Beach Horsemanship proudly presents its pony clubbers with the opportunity to test their skills in the educational atmosphere of Pony Club rallies. Rallies are designed to foster young athletes in the areas, including but not limited to, showmanship, teamwork, horse care, and sportsmanship. Riders compete in a “horse show” environment where they are judged for their performance and evaluated for their skills in horse care, organization, grooming and turnout. The process is designed to thoroughly prepare competitors for the ...