We’ve completed the $25,000 Match Grant!

At our Annual Meeting on October 12, 2010 we reached our goal of raising $25,000 to go towards funding the new log cabin meeting space at Birchwood Camp!! This amount has been matched by the Rasmuson Foundation and Friends of Birchwood Camp, which means we’ve raised $50,000 since the match campaign began in May.  Thank you all for your gifts and for helping us to reach this great goal!

This space is now useable and heated, though it does still need some finishing work inside and out. However, groups can begin enjoying the expanded program space soon!   Our next project is to furnish the interior with tables and chairs. We’ll be sharing info on how to sponsor a table or chair soon. 

Check out the Photo Album of the New Building on our Facebook Page!

Birchwood Camp is Building for the Future!

In 2009 Birchwood Camp broke ground on a new meeting space cabin. With the growing demand for more program space, both year round and during our summer camps, the Board of Directors decided it was time to expand!

As with any building project, this one has provided a few surprises. The main one came during excavation, when we found we needed to dig deeper than expected for a solid foundation. This created an opportunity for essentially a full basement, and so our future will be bigger than expected – a good thing! The upper portion of the building is about 30-by-50 feet, providing 1,500 square feet of new space for meetings and other indoor programming.

North end of Meeting Space, August 2010

In May 2009, the area was cleared by the youth group from United Methodist Church of Chugiak. During the summer, a VIM team from North Carolina laid the electrical wiring. Several weeks later a West Virginia team completed the foundation. We were fortunate to have Richard Northrup as our volunteer onsite project director during summer 2009; he brought over 15 years experience as a contractor and project manager, and he did a great job supervising our many volunteers.

The logs for the new cabin were ordered from Jim Hitchcock of Caribou Cabins, who has been building log cabins in Alaska for decades. Jim has constructed and/or provided logs for many of the buildings on campus. In August, a VIM team from Reynoldsburg UMC, Ohio spent two weeks working with Jim to erect the log walls. By September 2009 we had the roof on and the shell of the building closed in for winter.

Front interior with cross and windows, August 2010

Phase Two of construction is currently underway; we plan to complete the upstairs of the building, bringing it into operation as soon as possible. So far this summer, volunteers have shingled the roof, installed electrical wiring, preped for insullation, installed sheetrock and painted the ceiling, have sanded the walls and applied a protective clear coat. The windows are currently being installed as well as the soffits. Thanks to the work teams from Velda Rose UMC in AZ, Tennison Memorial UMC in TX, and FaithWorks Christians in Mission Group from AZ. We also appreciate our many local volunteers who have worked on the building! The building weather tight, warm and lights-on this fall, and ready for use by churches and other groups.

Birchwood Camp is a special place to many people. This building project will allow future generations to experience the joy of camp.  In addition to allowing Birchwood Camp to host larger groups and generally expand its ministry in Alaska, the new building will allow, for the first time, the camp to host multiple large groups at the same time making more efficient use of all our facilities and staff. Please consider making a donation to our capital project fund so that we will be able to open this building in 2010.