What is Royal Family Kids Camp? In 1985, Wayne and Diane Tesch started a week-long camp in the California mountains to give kids who had been abused or neglected a week away to enjoy what all kids should have the chance to enjoy, just being kids. The goal was to create "moments that matter" and to give kids positive childhood memories. In 1990, they decided to take the camp they had developed and make it a nationwide ministry. As of this summer, RFK camps exist in forty-three states in America and seven countries.
To a casual observer, I don't think Royal Family would look much different than most Christian camps. Other than noticing that there are a lot of adults, they would see kids playing games, shooting arrows, swimming, riding horses, learning Bible stories, having tea parties, building things from wood, and a myriad of other camp things.
Even if the observer were to get a little closer, they might not know that this camp was designed specifically around the needs of abused kids. They would hear counselors encouraging their campers to keep trying and praising their efforts at everything they do. They would see lots of food and hear mealtime conversations in which kids are asked, "What's your favorite things we do at camp?" They might note that the Bible stories are about unlikely heroes (David, Esther, Joseph), but they probably wouldn't put together why those stories were chosen.
The truth is a person has to be part of Royal Family Kids camp to really get it. When we attend training, we learn why we play games in which there is a goal to be reached but not ones in which one camper wins over another. We want these kids to experience the joy of achieving a goal without feeling that another must experience a loss for that to be meaningful. Mealtimes are times in which campers are served and allowed to have all they want to eat. If a kid wants a salad that consists of nothing but croutons and bacon, the staff will happily make that salad. There is no shortage of food for any camper. The Bible stories are, in fact, stories of unlikely heroes. Joseph's story, in particular, is one our campers can relate to as he came from a dysfunctional family and was abused and neglected by his brothers. These stories are chosen with great purpose. RFK wants their campers to see that God uses the small and the broken to accomplish His plans. During our training times, we are taught how to view misbehavior as an expression of unmet needs and how to address and correct that behavior in a positive and relationship-building way rather than striving for simple compliance. Because we know that some of our kids have a negative history with photographs, they are told up front who will be allowed to take their picture. We make sure to get shots of siblings together because some of them only see each other during this one week of the year. Every moment is thought about carefully with the core values of RFK in mind. It is the intentionality of planning around the specific needs of kids from hard places and difficult pasts that make Royal Family different from other camps.
This year was my 12th with Royal Family. I have served in both of the North Carolina camps. I have been a counselor and an assistant to the photographer. Now, I am a co-photographer and video maker. I have seen kids experience one week have an impact on their lives, and I have had the honor of seeing kids go through all seven years and leave us different people at the age of 12 than they were when they started with us at 6 years old. You can see why "It's a camp for foster children" just isn't enough of an explanation.
I can't imagine July without this experience. I'm not saying it is easy. Counselors are emotionally present 23 hours a day, and some of the kids are prone to resist that investment. That can leave you wrecked by Friday afternoon. Activity assistants are constantly on the move. They are either setting up an activity or putting it away or helping at the pool or rescuing a weary counselor or cleaning the cafeteria or trying to remember who wants half of a carrot on their salad (I cannot overstate the strangeness of the salad situation). They must be physically spent by the night time, but for an hour each night, they cover at bedtime so the counselor can have one hour with adults. The photographers are constantly on the move, trying to capture each camper's experience in a book of photos they receive on Friday. I'm not certain the directors ever sleep at all. When I say, "The week went great," I am telling the truth. It's just that great also means difficult, meaningful, exhausting, fun, emotional, and a lot of other things that the word "great" just doesn't encapsulate - unless you were there.
Each year, after I post my camp blog, someone on social media asks how they can participate. The truth is everyone can participate in some way. You may not be physically able to attend, but we have people who make blankets, people who pray for each camper by name, people who donate items for birthday bags, and people who donate money. Since I don't know where you might be when you read this, I am posting the link to the national site. It is https://rfk.org/
However, if you live in or near Raleigh, NC and want to be a part of our camp specifically, let me know. I'll connect you with our directors.
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