At Family Camp 2025, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of Christian camping on the grounds now known as Durley Camp, dating back to 1875. This is also the final year of our 3-year campaign to raise money for the new 64-bed youth lodge.

Our goal is $2.5 million. So far we’ve received about $1.5 million in gifts and pledges. Gifts have ranged from a few dollars from young children to some people who have given well over $100,000. The Durley Board wanted to find a way to recognize all donors to the campaign, regardless of the size of the gift. 

Our solution is The Giving Tree. If you attended Family Camp, you saw it hanging in the hallway of Young Commons. That’s where it will stay until the new lodge is built. Then we’ll move it to the new building.

There are 3 different colors of metal leaves on the tree representing 3 giving levels: gold for gifts of $10,000 or more; silver for $1,000 – 9,999; and copper for $1 – 999.

So far, only the gold leaves have been engraved. That’s because we want to give everyone time to complete their pledge or add to their giving before we engrave the silver and copper leaves at the end of the campaign after Dec. 31.

If you have not yet given or want to move up a level before the rest of the leaves are engraved, you have until the end of 2025. Pledge reminders will be sent out this fall to those who have a balance remaining on their pledge.

This is our way of saying THANK YOU to all who have given to help build the youth lodge, and to encourage those who have not yet given to the campaign to get on board with a gift, get their name on a leaf, and be a part of Durley Camp history.