A wonderful problem to have!
Volunteerism has been an important part of Warm Beach Camp since its inception. In the early years, there was only one paid staff couple. The kitchen, program and hospitality staff were comprised solely of volunteers. Many of the original buildings were constructed using mostly volunteer labor.
As WBC has grown, so has its volunteer family. There has been a slow but steady increase in participation from 30,150 hours in 2008 to 50,916 hours in 2015. Today’s volunteers participate in nearly every area of ministry just like their predecessors did in 1959.
A major portion of the Camp’s current volunteer base is made up of RV Volunteers who live and travel in RV’s. They stay and volunteer at WBC for anywhere from one month to several years, providing stability and consistency in many of our programs and projects. This added workforce accomplishes work that would not get done otherwise.
The Camp currently has 20 RV sites dedicated to RV Volunteers. In our peak seasons, summer and The Lights of Christmas, often every site is filled. This summer, for the first time, WBC has had to turn away volunteer help for lack of space. Additional long term Volunteer RV sites are needed in order to accommodate the numbers of volunteers that want to stay and serve for an extended period of time.
The Camp is looking to develop five additional long term RV sites and improve three to five existing sites at a total cost of $30,000. Each site will produce an additional 500-2,000 volunteer hours per year depending on the length of stay of the volunteers, providing a significant return on investment for years to come.
We praise the Lord for drawing volunteers to the ministry of Warm Beach Camp and trust that He will continue to give us the means to provide for them.