Statements
Mission
To facilitate Christ-centered relationships between individuals from diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds through an equally diverse platform of artistic, athletic, and team-building programs.
Background
For the past 20 years, Barefoot Republic Camp has offered a fun, Christ-centered, multicultural, multiracial and multi-economic experience to more than 15,000 youth from 85 countries of origin. Our unique program model is designed to bring together young people from different backgrounds to participate in week-long team building experiences that help to build trust amongst the participants. Imagine a trust-walk where one team member is blindfolded and the other person, who is of a different race then them must lead them through the woods safely. After this initial bond is discovered, we then focus on growing the relationships between individuals so that they can understand how we are all one.
The background or history of Barefoot began long ago when the Founder, Tommy Rhodes was asked to work at a summer camp that his single mom could not afford growing up as a child. He saw the wonderful experiences the campers had and wished he would have had the opportunity to attend such a wonderful place where there were male mentors that he so desperately needed as a child. As he pursued his education attending both the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University in pursuit of a PHD in Microbiology, he began to think about ways to build a camp for ALL youth and not just those who have unlimited resources.
In the early 90's, Tommy began to have conversations with like minded individuals who were seeking unity and diversity when it wasn't as widely discussed and revered as it is today. He developed a business plan that would attract affluent campers that could pay the full price of camp and with each tuition payment, those dollars would help subsidize a LDMI camper who needed financial assistance. He also made a commitment to build "republics" or groups of campers who were equally diverse across race and income. This model is still used today and we reserve 50% of our availability to those who need financial assistance.
Impact
Top 3 Accomplishments1. Scholarship assistance in the amount of $462,000 was provided for 1,238 youth in FY18, an 18% increase from FY17. 2. In 2018, kids from 45 different countries attended 16 day and overnight sessions in four states. 85.30% of students reported an increase in confidence, 82.38% expressed that their week at camp had helped them find something that they were good at, 84.53% noted that they were more comfortable around people who looked or sounded different from them, and 90.71% expressed that they felt like they had grown closer to God.3. In February, we hosted our fourth Winter Camp with continued growth. We also held additional Father / Son and Father / Daughter weekend retreats at our overnight facility. Our Father / Son Camp is the only camp of its kind that involves ministering to fathers and sons from high and low income families. In May 2018, we hosted our inaugural Mother / Daughter retreat, and Mother / Son this coming fall.Top 3 Goals1. Recruiting more paying campers is another major goal for the coming year. Historically, we have provided scholarships for more than 60% of our campers, and we would like to see that number drop to an average of 50%. Achieving this goal would equalize our economic diversity and also help the camp become more sustainable. 2. A top goal for 2018 is to launch the second phase in a major capital campaign that will support the building of the Barefoot Republic Lodge. We envision the Lodge as the cornerstone of our camping ministry. The Lodge will create over 15,550 square feet of transformational, state of the art space for the Gospel to be shared and experienced together for tens of thousands. This multi-functional facility will provide existing campers with a platform for joy-filled friendships through enhanced programs and facilities, while also enabling Barefoot Republic's ministry to welcome the growing number of campers, families, leaders, and partners that desire to experience the ministry for themselves. The capital campaign goal for this project is $1.5M.
Needs
Our most pressing needs continue to be scholarship support and and volunteers. Additionally, in 2021, we will open Turner Lodge. This new addition to our campus is a 15,000 square foot retreat center that will allow us to offer additional programming as well as attract more outside groups to use/rent our space. When the building is open, we will need in-kind donations of furnishings to make it usable immediately.
CEO Statement
According to the American Camping Association, there are more than 12,000 camps nationwide, all providing youth with challenging activities and character-building experiences that will shape whom they become and the impact they will make in society. Typically these camps bring together kids from similar racial, social, and economic backgrounds. Barefoot Republic's challenge is to intentionally bring kids from different backgrounds, knowing that providing them this type of experience will create a lasting and powerful impact on their personal identity and worldview. The past 19 years of Barefoot Republic Camp have illustrated that our youth and the opportunity are evident! Kids thrive in our camp setting while learning more about their peers in other cultural environments, hence inviting a breakdown of stereotypes through relationships, and equipping youth with the tools necessary to create greater understanding for a better tomorrow.
Board Chair Statement
In 2018, Barefoot clarified our long-term vision of impact and the change we desire to see in the lives of those we serve. For individuals, we desire to see campers grow-up to make Christ-like decisions that embrace and promote the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17. For the church, we desire to see local churches become the biblical concept of "one body with many parts." And for the camping industry as a whole, we pray that the Barefoot Republic model would be adopted as the standard by other camps.The Board has also unanimously approved plans for the next capital campaign that will support the building of the Barefoot Republic Lodge. We envision the Lodge as the cornerstone of our camping ministry. The Lodge will create over 15,550 square feet of transformational, state of the art space for the Gospel to be shared and experienced together for tens of thousands. This multi-functional facility will provide existing campers with a platform for joy-filled friendships through enhanced programs and facilities, while also enabling Barefoot Republic's ministry to welcome the growing number of campers, families, leaders, and partners that desire to experience the ministry for themselves.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Youth Development - Youth Development Programs |
| Secondary Category: | Religion- Related - Christianity |
| Tertiary Category: | Arts, Culture & Humanities - Cultural & Ethnic Awareness |
Areas Served
Barefoot Republic primarily focuses on impacting communities in Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky (where our overnight facility is located). However, as our programs grow, we are drawing more camper and counselor participation from across the country.
| TN - Cheatham |
| TN - Davidson |
| TN - Dickson |
| TN - Franklin |
| TN - Hickman |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Williamson |
| TN - Wilson |
| National |
| TN |
| TN - Maury |
| TN - Rutherford |
| TN - Sumner |
| KY |
