Camp Conquest

Mark is the Founder & CEO of⁠ Camp Conquest,⁠ an overnight camp for children and adults with special needs and disabilities in Millington, TN. He and his wife, Amanda, are blessed with 5 great kids, ages 15 to 27, and 2 grandchildren. Mark and his family live in Arlington, TN. He grew up in Dallas, TX, where his parents took in 28 foster children when he was growing up, and several had a special need or disability. His message is that camp builds confidence, community, and social interaction.

Edited Transcript:

Marsh Naidoo (00:25):

Welcome to this episode of the Raising Kellan podcast. My name is Marsh Naidoo and I blog at www.raisingkellan.org where we curate resources for parents raising children with developmental delay and disabilities. As always, remember, the content on this podcast is purely informational, and if you seek advice for your specific situation to contact a trained professional. Today's episode is brought to you by Move Up Physical Therapy, a private practice in Barttlesville, Oklahoma, owned and operated by Rebecca Renfro. Rebecca, thank you so much for believing in the work we do and your sponsorship. We are getting ready for summer and talking all things camping. Today we are joined by Mark Price of Camp Conquest in Millington, Tennessee. So guys, grab your cup of coffee, put your feet up, and get ready for some awesome conversation.

Marsh Naidoo (01:41):

Mark, welcome to the Raising Kellan Podcast. We are so honored to have you here with us today. Mark Price is actually joining us from an organization called Camp Conquest. Today we just wanna hear all that we possibly can from you, Mark, about the camp. Before we head in that direction though, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and some of the origin story of Camp Conquest?

Mark Price (02:20):

Absolutely. And thank you for having me on the program. Back in 2010 we knew a family that had a young boy, a sweet boy who was autistic. They always struggled to find caretakers for him in the summertime, and they both worked so they couldn't take time off and because he would like to bite and kick, pinch slap, after a few weeks they would have to change caretakers. And I remember the mom was in tears talking about what summer was going to look like coming up. And on the way home, I remember thinking, what would it look like to have a place for kids like that to go in the summertime? So I, over that weekend, I drew out a map of what a camp would look like, and that ended up in a my desk drawer.

(03:20):

And when we were moving. So when you, you know, when when you sell your house and you move, you touch everything you own to pack it up. And I'm looking at that map and my wife came into the office there and said, what is that? And I said, well, what's that map of that camp? And she said, well, why don't you do something about it instead of sticking it back in a drawer? So I said, okay. So after we moved, we got settled into the new house. I was a commercial insurance broker, so I knew how to write the insurance for a camp, but I didn't know how to start one. But I knew enough to call camps around the country that served that community. And so I made several phone calls, Joni and Friends in California and Camp Twin Lakes in Georgia.

(04:06):

And one of those camps was Camp Barnabas out of Missouri. And Camp Barnabas was on Extreme Home Makeover in 2005, multiple locations around the country, very successful camp operation. And so I had several discussions with the founders, Paul and Cindy Tease, and amazingly, after several discussions, they, they guided us on what type of campground to look for. And we identified three, and they offered to come to Memphis to help us pick the campground. And this was in 2010, they said, they said, what if we brought a leadership team to Memphis for the first couple years to get you started? And so that's what happened In 2011, camp Barnabas came to Memphis and helped us establish a camp for special needs in disabilities here. They came back again in 2012, and then we created Camp Conquest in 2013. So it, it all started on a piece of paper and just with God's blessings blossom and it blossomed into what it's today in our 11th year.

Marsh Naidoo (05:12):

Mark where were your guys originally located at? Because from my understanding y'all have your own property now in Millington, but how did that transition happen?

Mark Price (05:25):

Sure! So we rented campground space for the first three years we were at a really nice campground here in Memphis in 2017 we had our first camper in an electric wheelchair into camp. And we couldn't even get that into the cabin. Cause the threshold when you walk into the cabin was so high that we could not get the wheelchair over that. So we made the difficult decision to move to another campground. And we were there for four years renting that campground space, but we couldn't, we could not grow. So in 2018, we had 72 campers on a waiting list, and we could not add additional any more weeks at that camp around. Cause as soon as we're packing up another campus, come another group is coming in behind us. So we knew then, okay, we have to find our own place.

(06:15):

So amazingly my wife I was in the second week of camp and she's searching online and she finds a campground right here in Memphis. The closest campground other than this one was in North Carolina. So we found this 78 acre campground that had been sitting empty, just vacant for the last five years. So in August of 2019, we purchased that campground and it had an existing lodge and it has 56 beds, a dining hall, a small lake. And so we made that purchase. And it has been just, it has been a, a wonderful journey since then.

Marsh Naidoo (07:00):

Well, I would like to acknowledge Lindsay Hayes a young lady that I know, she's actually a teacher in the Arlington school system. And we were just talking on Monday, Mark, and I'm like, you know, I wish there were camps around our area here in northwest Tennessee. She said I have a friend whose son goes to a camp right here in Memphis. And I'm like, what <laugh>? And so that's how the conversation evolved. And then here I'm getting to talk to you today. I really wanna share Mark, what the camp experience is like for our kids. And my understanding it's not only kids as well, you also serve adults with disabilities.

Mark Price (07:51):

Yes, we do. And so much of what we do is what Camp Barnabas does, you know, it, Camp Barnabas has been doing this for 30 plus years, and they just had so much knowledge. So much of what we do, we duplicate that. And soagain, there are over 11,000 camps across the country. And of those 11,000 camps, about 10% of them say that we serve special needs and disabilities. But what those camps, those 1100 camps, about 95% of them, the campers have to be able to ob bath themself, dress and feed themself. And they also age those campers out by the age of 18, 22 or 25. So the, that's, you know, we have a camper that is 61 years old and Jenny has more energy. I I, I kid you not more energy than anybody else at camp. I could never imagine telling Jenny that she could not come back to camp.

(08:53):

So we will do specific weeks for those age groups. So we have four, so we're adding two more weeks this summer. So we'll have six weeks of camp, four adults, two children, and so we'll do two weeks of adults, then a week of children, and then two more adults and then a week of children. And so it, again, all these camps that are aging their kids out, and there's several of them within an hour and a half drive of Memphis, and they refer their campers to Camp Conquest once they do age out of that camp.

Marsh Naidoo (09:30):

So for example, as a parent, I'm interested in sending my son to camp. What would that process look like? How do we go ahead? Finding out more about what enrollment is like, tell us a little bit maybe about the camp and the weekly slots. You know basically the information a parent may need.

Mark Price (09:58):

Sure. So on our website, we sat down many years ago and we came up with all the different types of questions we've been asked and what parents might want to know about a week of camp and what that looks like. So we've got a lot of those frequently asked questions on our website. And then when they register, when parents go to register their camperthey can pick the specific weeks. We have weeks for down syndrome, weeks for autism, weeks for intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities. And then once they register their child they pay that a hundred dollars registration fee that goes towards their scholarship. And then they will get in a separate email welcome packet with a packing list and all the things to bring to camp, thingand s to not bring to camp. And then we will continue that communication up until leading up until camp so that they're ready.

(10:58):

And you know the beautiful thing of it is we have campers that come from within an hour five minutes down the road and five hours away even as far away as Michigan. Because we are one of around less than 50 camps across the country that serve all ages of all disabilities. So we have campers that come from Texas, Louisiana, South Carolina, Michigan, Florida, and it's, and same with volunteers. We have volunteers that come all from all over the country. And again, going back camp Barnabas taught us that we really should have a one-to-one ratio. And so we have practiced that since day one. So for every camper that comes to camp, they are paired up with that counselor for the week. So in a cabin group, we'll have four campers on the bottom bunks, four counselors on those top bunks, and then two cabin leaders in each group. And so those cabin leaders are there for support, added support to do wheelchair transfers, help with hygiene and bathing and that type of stuff.

Marsh Naidoo (12:04):

That was something I was gonna touch on. In the event that a camper might need assistance with personal care or ADLs, how would've that kind of be set up. Would a helper or missionary or counselor that is paired up with that child or adult, is that the person who facilitates the activity of daily living ?

Mark Price (12:34):

Yes. Sovolunteers arrive on Sunday for training. Campers don't arrive until Monday at 4:30. So we have a full day plus of training with those volunteers. And we are medical teams. So each week of camp, because our parents come with so many medications and medical attention we will have a medical team each week of camp, and they're volunteers as well. And so that medical team will look at the diagnosis for that week and they will they will, their training will be specific to that diagnosis. And so they'll we'll train them on how to properly change a brief or a pull-up. We don't call 'em diapers how to properly bathe that camper. So we don't, we don't take the washcloth to wash them. We put it, we put it on their hand and we help that person. And we have a third three-person rule. So during that training we stress that there's a three-person rule at camp. So you are never to be alone with your camper, not in the bathroom, not in the cabin. And you can be off by yourself in outside, away from your group so that you can be seen. In our 10 years..

Marsh Naidoo (13:59):

Safety, just general safety,

Mark Price (14:01):

Yes, absolutely. In our 10 years of operating camp, we have, we have had no accidents nor injuries, and that's unheard of in the camp world. And it's, you know, it goes back to that insurance hat that I wore for 24 years. That commercial insurance hat, you know, having that strong risk management program has kept everybody safe. And by having that one-to-one ratio, you know, you don't have people getting hurt. You don't, and that's why so many camps around the country, it, it's not, it's not easy to do this because it takes so much manpower to operate a camp like this. So I'll tell you, it's one of the most rewarding things you can do to take that camper whether they're high functioning or a camper in a wheelchair with a feeding tube and a trach, and you take them and send them down a zip line or put them on a horse or let them shoot archery canoeing. It's just, yeah, it, it's the most rewarding thing I've ever done.

Marsh Naidoo (15:05):

So Mark is there anything else that you would like to touch on, that you would like listeners to know and maybe those young people out there listening that may wanna even volunteer. Is there anything that you would like to let us know?

Mark Price (15:25):

Yes, and that, again, because it takes so much manpower that is one thing that we, our biggest need right now is for volunteers. So each week of camp we need a hundred for each summer we need 120 volunteers. And those volunteers range in ages of 13 to 65 ish. 13 and 14 year olds are, they are what we call our conquerors. So they set up and break down activities throughout the day, and then once they're done setting those activities up, they are paired up with a cabin group. And so they'll go over and help that cabin group and become support for that group. And then counselors are 15 to 30 ish, and again, they're paired up with that camper for the week and they get to pick the camper that they're going to spend the week with. Once we assign these volunteers to a cabin group with their cabin leaders, so Monday morning after breakfast, during, still during training, they will take their four camper applications and they'll sit down and they'll, they'll train over these four campers and their families and for safety during the week of camp and their arrival.

(16:36):

And then each missionary gets to read through that camper application, all four of 'em. And then they pick and choose who they wanna spend that week with. So the need for those missionaries, those volunteers is very, I very strong. And then our cabin parents, our moms and dads, they're there as well as support. They're also paired up with a cabin group and they're there for support throughout the week. Some parents like to be a counselor and if they have that kind of energy, cuz it does take a lot of energy <laugh> just to, you know, to yes. Spend that week. And, and, and we give them, just to give you an idea of what a, a day of camp looks like. Yes. So we'll get up at seven 30 morning songs are at eight o'clock and we, we have some great camp songs kind of, you know, move your, move your arms, move your legs and, and kind of get the blood flowing.

(17:26):

And then 8:30 is breakfast and then we'll go back each cabin group will go back to their cabins and clean their cabins and then they'll do a, a morning devotional. And then 10:30 is our first activity. And so each cabin group will go to a different activity and then at 11:30 we switch and go to the second activity lunches at 12:30. So at one 1:15 everybody gets a break. Everybody the campers go down for a nap and the counselors and volunteers can go down for a nap as well if they like or they can go into the lounge room or just hang out around camp if they like. At 2:15, we're back up, we're back up again. I'm sorry, 2:45 we have snow cones. And every afternoon it's beach time. We have a large sandy beach on our lake.

(18:16):

And so the kids will go down there and play. They'll fish, they can canoe if they want, and we'll do our afternoon activities. Then 5:30 everybody goes back and gets cleaned up, showered up and they get their evening and costume cuz we'll have different themed parties after dinner each night. Wow. So the first night, and this is by design cause when you bring 50, 60 people together a lot, they don't know each other or they haven't seen each other in a year. But our first party is a paint party. And so we'll have five big 20 gallon buckets full of different colored paint, and we have squirt sticks, squirt guns, foam balls, all kinds of fun stuff. We have a hundred foot water slide down to the lake, and so everybody's wearing a white t-shirt. And so after dinner we say go and for 45 minutes everybody's sling paint and they're covered in paint.

(19:10):

And the neat thing with this is when I throw a, when I squirt you with paint or if I throw a phone ball at you and get you wet, now we're friends. So by the end of the night, everybody's best friends and they're all high-fiving and having a great time. And so around eight o'clock we will do a, a wrap-up songs and devotional and then it lights out for campers at 10 o'clock. And then a beautiful thing that we do at camp, and again, we all, we learn this all from Camp Barnabas, but we do family time. So the, the cabin leaders will take the missionaries out and they'll sit in a circle outside the cabin and they just talk about their highs and lows. So Marsh, what was your high for the day?

(19:59):

And they'll talk about that and then what was your low for the day? And I'll tell you, this is a time you can just sit back in the distance from afar and, and I love to do this. And you hear the laughter and then you hear the crying and more laughter and it, it, it's just so neat because these, these missionaries come thinking I'm gonna love on these kids and I'm gonna just, I'm gonna give them the best week. But what they don't realize is when they get there, and, and I know you, you see this as well, and, and we do because of our son with Down syndrome, they, they feel this unconditional love back from their camper and it's just, it, it just touches their heart. I still get, I I still get emotional when talk about this because it, every year we see this time and time again and, you know, the media doesn't paint a pretty picture for our youth, but if you saw the youth that we get, they are, they are phenomenal. The servant leaders that we see coming, coming through camp each and every summer is just a beautiful thing.

Marsh Naidoo (21:08):

Mark, for young people that might be interested in serving as missionaries, how do they start that process? Do they just apply through the website? Is there is there any cost for them to be a missionary or how does that work?

Mark Price (21:26):

Great question. So yes again, we sat down several years ago and we have several frequently asked questions on our website. They would register through the website. One of the things that we learned early on, our missionaries pay a hundred dollars to be there for the week and since we're a nonprofit that helps offset our costs for meals. But another thing that it does is it creates, it, it creates the skin in the game because, you know, we were told early on, if you're going to tell parents that you're gonna have a one-to-one ratio and they're counting on that, if you have a hundred campers show up for a week, you better have that a hundred to hundred 10 missionaries there for that week as well. So by charging that fee, yes, it helps us offset those food costs.

(22:17):

But it also, in all of our 10 years of operating camp one, we were out for Covid, but nine years of operating camp, we've had less than five volunteer missionaries not show up. And they always called, they would always call to say, Hey, I'm sorry I can't make it. I was, I had back surgery or one reason or another when you, when I talk to other camps around the country that do what we do, they have camp volunteers that don't show up all the time. And it's, it's such, it puts so much stress on the rest of the group. So it's, it really helps out. So yes, they go and, and register online and, and then pay that fee.

Marsh Naidoo (22:57):

True. Mark, thank you so much for taking the time to tell us about camp Conquest. And if you are interested in finding out more about the camp guys, please check out camp conquest.org. Mark, or is it.com?

Mark Price (23:16):

It's dot com. There's a camp conquest.org in Pennsylvania that's been around for quite a while.

Marsh Naidoo (23:22):

Okay. So that, again, guys, is campconquest.com. Mark you have an amazing day and we hope to see you soon.

Mark Price (23:36):

You too. Thank you Marsh. It was really nice meeting you.

Marsh Naidoo (23:39):

You too, sir.

Marsh Naidoo (23:41):

Thank you for listening along on the podcast today. We sincerely appreciate a rate review and a share of the information that we provide to other parents seeking this type of information. We hope you guys have an amazing summer! And be sure to check out Camp Conquest on camp conquest.com. Please share your summer adventures with us by tagging us on Facebook at Raising Kellen. And we look forward to hearing more about how you'll get to spend the summer. As always, remember, get to the top of your mountain. This is Marsh Naidoo signing off.M