Camp Howard Celebrates 60th Camping Season with Party for 350 Supporters

Mt. Hood near Sandy, July 20th, 2013. Camp Howard celebrated its 60^th anniversary in style with tours, a barbecue and the “Countryfied” band to entertain guests. The day began with a special thank-you event for the Champions of Faith and other individual donors. According to leaders, “Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) and Camp Howard exist to give youth opportunities to gain confidence, have wholesome experiences, practice and grow in Christian values and make great memories in the process.” Camp Howard, named for Archbishop Howard, is located between Corbett and Sandy.

 

Country western band “Countryfied” played on Horton Field bringing delight to all in attendance. Event guests said they could here the music playing all over the campsite. Bandleaders, Mark and Ron Mobley from Kent, Oregon, were classmates of Sister Krista and Karen von Borstel, in Central Oregon. They were extremely excited to add Camp Howard as one of their Pacific Northwest tour events. 

Story submitted by: Sister Krista von Borstel, Executive Director

From Camp Howard:

In our 60^th year, Camp Howard has already had a very successful season with camper registrations. As of July 25, 2013, the registrations have reached 1,450 total, which is the second highest total since our record-breaking year in 2011 when Camp Howard hit 1,513 total campers. 

Campers have been pleasantly surprised this summer with the renovation of the Star Deck this season. The original Star Deck was built in 1988 by the Knights of Columbus from Gresham, Oregon. It was a treasured feature of the camp for many years and unfortunately had to be taken down in 2009. Camp Howard raised the funds to rebuild it almost immediately. Earlier this spring, Schommer and Sons came up to the camp and assembled the Star Deck. The kids have been wild about it all summer! We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to the anonymous donor and the Champions of Faith sponsors for their support of this endeavor. 

As Bill Fogarty begins his second season as Camp Director, he could not be happier with Camp Howard’s success. Fogarty is a parishioner at St. Juan Diego in Northwest Portland and has assembled a first class staff to work with the youth and provide an extraordinary summer of fun for the campers. 

Camp Howard is experiencing some of the best days in its history under the steady hand of its exceptional leaders working to present the most positive possible experience for campers. In addition to Fogarty, Karen von Borstel keeps the grounds and facilities in top-notch shape and operates a pool and kitchen that have received exceptional reviews from the Clackamas County Health Inspector. The Inspector recently mentioned that Camp Howard is the most well kept camp she inspects. In fact, she sent her own child to Camp Howard, which is another feather in our cap! 

The Camp Howard mission is to facilitate a camping experience for youth from all walks of life to provide a week of recreational fun based on Christian values. The goal was originally established by the founders of the camp back in 1952 and has been adhered to ever since. From the looks of the evaluations and responses from campers and parents, those ideals are succeeding. 

Camp Howard would like to thank all of those who have contributed to the improvement of the camp through the Champions of Faith Benefit Dinner, individual donors, especially Joseph Weston, and the Christ Child Society for their support over the years.