Completed
Gauley River Lodge: Opened in June 2022
A state of the art facility, The Gauley River Lodge, is our first year-round lodging option. It features 20 bedrooms with 56 total beds, 12 bathrooms, an over-sized kitchen, and a great room. Visit the "Retreats" tab for rental info. In the future, this building will transition to the Assignment Team Lodge. Including beds at the Adventure Camp, this new addition brings our total bed count on property up to 140.
Adventure Camp - 2nd Basecamp: Completed in 2021
After growing by 110% in 2020, a 2nd Basecamp was added, effectively doubling the number of guests we can serve at the Adventure Camp. We now have 64 total beds for campers/leaders and another for 10 for volunteers. To date, we have served over 3,000 guests at the Adventure Camp during the school season and summer.
Welcome and Operations Center: Completed in 2020
This building will serve as both the maintenance shop and short-term administration office until a standalone office can be built.
Intern Bunkhouse: Completed in 2019
The 3 car garage on the Vinton Rd property was converted into the Intern Bunkhouse which is a 3 bedroom and 4 bathroom housing unit for interns. The accomodations combined with the full kitchen and ample storage makes this the ideal short term operational headquarters.
Vinton Road Property: Purchased in 2018
The acquisition of Vinton Rd. property immediately enhanced current ministry at the adventure camp as well as development efforts. The property is conveniently located on the road into the property and features a 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathroom home, which serves as the primary residence of our Camp Manager, plus a 3 car garage.
Adventure Camp - 1st Basecamp: Completed in 2016
In an effort to get kids on the property immediately, we opened the Adventure Camp, 6 months after the property was acquired. This minimal viable product uses a hub and spoke model where camper leave the property each day to participate in a variety of adventures ranging from rafting to kayaking.
Executive Campaign Committee: Created in 2016
The Wild Ridge Executive Campaign Committee or ECC for short is made up of dedicated men and women who have a desire to see the next great Young Life camp built in West Virginia. What they desire most however is to see the next kid have an encounter with Jesus Christ. The ECC is made up of important volunteers and key regional Young Life staff.
Land Acquisition: Completed in 2015
After several years of evaluating different properties and fundraising, we acquired the Wild Ridge property in December of 2015. The property consists of 1,100+ acres and 1.7 miles of frontage on the Gauley River.
Current
Infrastructure - Started in 2020
At the end of 2021, an anonymous donor pledged $7 million for the infrastructure. This generous gift is the key to our future success as it will give camp the backbone needed to support future growth. The infrastructure consists of the main road, clearing, grading, all the utilities, and more.
Camper Activities - Started in 2022
Several smaller recreational activities are currently being added. As funding allows, more camper activities such as a basketball court, volleyball courts, and more will be added.
Multipurpose Building: $9.9 million
After successfully raising $14 million in the last 2 years, capitalizing on the current momentum is crucial. The next two steps are to build a multipurpose building and a camper dorm. More information can be found on our updated Case Statement.
The multipurpose building will consist of a dining hall for up to 300 people plus a temporary club room, game room, store, snack bar and leader’s lounge. In the future, this building will transition to a dining hall for up to 600 people.
Camper Dorm: $5.1 million
Built in conjunction with the multipurpose building, a 100 person dorm will allow us to host more campers and leaders. In the future, this building will transition to Work Crew and Summer Staff housing.
Fundraising for these two next steps is currently underway. Please consider helping us meet our new $15 million goal by giving.
Future
- Additional lodging to support 480 campers/leaders
- Club room
- Pool complex, store, snack bar, and game room
- Gymnasium and camper rides
- Adult Guest Lodge
- Clifftop lake and more
