STONEYBROOK

BY MARIA CHILDS, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND PUBLIC RELATIONS

Thanks to the generosity of individual donors, the Capitol Federal Foundation and Sunderland Foundation, cabins within Stoneybrook Village will soon be renovated with new windows, doors and a cooling system, but this area of Rock Springs Ranch will continue to maintain its rustic charm.

The largest investment will be made in renovating the bathhouse to meet camper care and safety guidelines outlined by the master plan for Rock Springs Ranch. The existing bathhouse in Stoneybrook Village was built in the mid-1980s and the renovations have been planned since 2019.

The bathhouse’s interior will be converted into 12 new individual restrooms and shower facilities with new flooring and wall tile. The basement of the bathhouse also serves as the severe weather shelter in the southern area of the campground.

During summer camp, the newly renovated Stoneybrook Village would be used as a teen leadership community to foster a space for growth and leadership development. As a year-round conference and retreat center, this area would not only serve as a teen leadership community during summer camp but also could be rented throughout the year by a variety of groups including faith-based organizations, corporate and business retreats, health nonprofits, military partners, outdoor recreation groups and other specialty camps.

The renovations are expected to be complete in 2024.

For nearly 80 years, Kansas 4-H has built sustainable camp programming at Rock Springs Ranch. With generous support from the Patterson Family Foundation, the 4-H camp team launched the inaugural year of the Counselors in Training (CIT) program in 2022 and are looking forward to launching the Leaders in Training (LIT) program in 2023.

“The teen leadership programs at Rock Springs Ranch are designed to shape the next generation of leaders by creating experiences where youth feel a sense of pride and commitment to their camp community and Rock Springs Ranch, which can translate back to life outside of camp,” said Kansas 4-H Foundation President/CEO Mindy Weixelman. “We value philanthropic partners who believe in the mission of the Kansas 4-H program and want to invest in teens today to lead to healthy, thriving, civicminded Kansas communities in the future.”

Through the teen leadership programs, Counselors in Training (CIT) develop a unique bond as they experience 4-H camp at Rock Springs Ranch. This community will create an atmosphere of education, leadership and foster a space of positive growth for young leaders.

Elizabeth Anderson, a 4-H member from Douglas County, attended the CIT session at Rock Springs Ranch in 2022. She said that through the program, she was able to become a more confident leader and connect with campers in a different way.

“As a CIT you have the responsibility and freedom of being a camp counselor, while still having the fun of being a camper,” she said. “The relationships I made were the best part of the week. My fellow CITs were from all over Kansas, and we all were very different people, but we got along wonderfully. After the day was over, we sat on the front porch of our cabin and talked about what happened during the day and everything else under the sun. We could have solved all the world’s problems sitting out there and eating trail mix.”

Tammy Dishman, President of the Capitol Federal Foundation, said the Capitol Federal Foundation believes that the Kansas 4-H Foundation and the Rock Springs Ranch leadership teams are investing in teens for the right reasons.

“When we learned about the need to fund the teen leadership community and housing development, it was a unanimous decision among our board to fund this initiative. When we invest in our teens, we also invest in our future workforce and community development leaders,” Dishman said.