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YMCA, Adam’s Camp build new facility

Hank Shell
hshell@skyhidailynews.com
Adam’s Camp founders Bob and Karel Horney share a laugh with YMCA of the Rockies CEO Kent Meyer during the groundbreaking of a new facility at Snow Mountain Ranch on July 17.
Photo courtesy of Adam’s Camp |

YMCA of the Rockies and Adam’s Camp are moving forward with the construction of a new 6,500 square-foot facility at Snow Mountain Ranch.

The two organizations will split the cost of the new $2.8 million building, which will include a space for conducting intensive developmental therapies and a commercial kitchen to accommodate the approximately 1,000 Adam’s Camp participants that travel to Snow Mountain Ranch each summer, said Sarah Hartway with Adam’s Camp.

Adam’s Camp is an adventure camp that provides intensive, multi-disciplinary therapy to children with developmental disabilities.



The organization brings campers to Snow Mountain Ranch for five weeks each summer, Hartway said.

“The goal of strengthening families has always been common ground we share with Adam’s Camp,” said Kent Meyer, CEO of YMCA of the Rockies, in a press release. “Sharing the common ground of the Summit building, and now this wonderful new building, will elevate both of our organizations for years to come.”



Adam’s Camp and YMCA of the Rockies started discussing the new facility in 2013 and committed to it in 2014, Hartway said.

Snow Mountain Ranch currently lacks the facilities to feed the large number of campers that visit each summer, Hartway said.

“We want to feed them well, and we want to feed them nutritiously, so the need for a commercial kitchen was what kind of started the ball rolling,” she said.

The two organizations broke ground on the new facility on July 17.

The new facility will also help Adam’s Camp consolidate its activities in one space, Hartway said.

For YMCA of the Rockies, the facility will help it accomplish its goals of serving families by providing a place to host family reunions and other events, said Rachel Anderson with YMCA of the Rockies.

“One of our biggest strengths and a big part of our ministry is serving families,” Anderson said. “This building is going to allow us to continue to do that on an even bigger scale.”

Snow Mountain Ranch hosts around 200 family reunions every year, Anderson said.

Wedding receptions would be the only use for which Snow Mountain Ranch would charge for the facility, Anderson.

So far, Adam’s Camp has raised around 80 percent of its half of the funds to complete the building, Hartway said.

“We were thinking about a three year timeline for fundraising, and we’ve been so pleased that the response of our community has allowed us to move forward faster than that,” Hartway said.

YMCA of the Rockies will maintain and insure the building and may use it for other purposes when Adam’s Camp is not using it, Hartway said.

In return for partially funding the building, Adam’s Camp will receive discounts on other facilities, Hartwell said.

“It works out financially well for both of us, and it fills all of our needs,” Hartway said.

Adam’s Camp hopes to be able to use the new facility by summer of next year, Hartway said.

The new building, which has yet to be named, will be the second built in partnership between Adam’s Camp and YMCA of the Rockies.

The Adam’s Camp Summit was constructed at Snow Mountain Ranch in 1999.

For more information about the facility or to contribute to its building fund, visit adamscamp.org.

Hank Shell can be reached at 970-887-3334 ext. 19610.


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