What is Workcamp?

You're invited to spend a week this summer rebuilding homes & lives!  Construct porches & wheelchair ramps while you reconstruct hope in families.  Brighten up homes with new walls & paint while you brighten up lives.  At the end of the week, you & your youth group will have gained work skills plus a greater understanding of people & God's love.

Tools & Transportation

Each youth group is given a color code so that tools can be marked prior to coming to camp, typically with colored electrical tape or paint marks on each tool.  Each group is given a list of the most used tools so that individual workcampers can bring two (2) tools to add to the youth group's inventory.  Each youth group needs to bring daily transportation for the number of Workcampers they are bringing.  For example, if you are bringing 12 people, you will need transportation for 2 crews.

Work Crews

Most crews are made up of 6-7 people, depending on the size of the task.  We mix crews so that each person from your church youth group is on a different work crew.  You travel to work each day to the same home with the same crew.

Who Workcamps?

A teen Workcamper must be 14 years old by the date of the Workcamp or be going into the 9th Grade in Fall after camp.  Should you have some college age young adults, it is strongly reminded that this is a retreat focusing on a quality experience for High School youth and their adult leaders.

Groups must have one (1) Adult attending for every six (6) teens attending and/or one (1) adult for each gender attending.  The same applies to groups that have less than six (6) teens.  Anyone acting as an "Adult" for a group must be 21 years old and 25 years old if designated to drive a work crew.

Tips for New Workcampers

1. Be prepared to get messy - on the work sites as well as some games back at base!

2. Bring warm clothes & blankets or sleeping bags - the school can get crazy cold at night! But, don't forget it's also going to be July, so it will be hot outside on your work sites!

3. There's a Talent Show night in the middle of the week, so think ahead & bring something that compliments or showcases your talent if you want to perform!

4. Since it's a retreat experience, we strongly discourage use of cell phones, tablets, headphones, etc. during camp, except for extreme circumstances. You'll be surrounded by tons of amazing people, so you won't even miss those things!

5. Spend time with your residents & family, if possible! They are amazing people who have invited us into their homes for the week & will bless you as much as you bless them! You will be amazed at how much you learn from them throughout the week!

Evening Programs

Each night offers a time of inspiration, worship, music, games, & projects.  Along with these activities, each night of the week has a new twist.

• Sunday night is centered around team-building with your new work crew.

• Monday night is a super-size competition with your awesome crew against all the others!

• Tuesday evening we will have a concert artist, or speaker, or entertainer.

• Wednesday night is a Talent Show Extravaganza! Wednesday is also a half-day at the work sites.

• Thursday is a special night referred to as "Gift Night". The crews are taught drama, music, liturgical dance, or other art forms by our staffers & then perform to the camp that night and on Saturday morning.

• Friday is a candelight service where crews get time together to reflect on the week and encourage each other as they leave camp.

• Saturday morning is a celebration! It's a culmination of the week shared through music, slideshows, and the art forms learned earlier in the week. We invite all of the residents to join at the school, as well as all parents, clergy, and church members.

Lodging & Meals

Each year, a local school or church serves as the Workcamp base for lodging, evening programs, & food services. Specific information will be shared with you during Registration. Groups sleep in classrooms or in rooms built in the gym.  Most campers bring air mattresses or cots and sleeping bags.  Breakfast, Dinner, & late-night snacks are served at Workcamp base each day.  Local businesses, churches, & civic groups adopt crews for lunch deliveries to the crews each of the 5 work days during camp.  If your family or organization is interested in adopting a crew for lunch, go to the ADOPT A CREW FOR LUNCH page and let us know!

Blacksburg United Methodist - Blacksburg, VA
United Presbyterian - Blairsville, PA
Emmanuel Presbyterian - Erie, PA
Church of the Epiphany - Richmond, VA
Fairview Presbyterian - Lenoir, NC
First United Methodist - Wilson, NC
Gillfield Baptist - Petersburg, VA
Glen Allen Baptist - Glen Allen, VA
Grace Lutheran - Chester, VA
Gregory Memorial Presbyterian - Prince George, VA
Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal - Richmond, VA
Liberty Chapel - Fort Lee, VA
Hilton Baptist - Newport News, VA
Ivey Memorial United Methodist - Chesterfield, VA
Lutheran Church of Our Savior - Chesterfield, VA
McConnellsburg United Presbyterian, McConnellsburg, PA
Muhlenburg Lutheran - Harrisonburg, VA
Our Lady of Lourdes - Richmond, VA

Church of the Redeemer - Mechanicsville, VA
Redeemer Lutheran - Richmond, VA
Shady Grove Baptist - Glen Allen, VA
St. Ann Catholic - Chesterfield, VA
Saint Gabriel Catholic - Chesterfield, VA
Saint James the Less Episcopal - Ashland, VA
St. James the Greater Catholic - Hopewell, VA
Saint Michael the Archangel Catholic - Glen Allen, VA
St. Michael’s Episcopal - Colonial Heights, VA
St. Philips Episcopal - Nablus, Palestine
Trinity Episcopal - Richmond, VA
Trinity United Methodist - Richmond, VA
Virginia Heights Baptist - Norfolk, VA
Walnut Hills Baptist - Williamsburg, VA
Warrenton United Methodist - Warrenton, VA
Wesley United Methodist - Colonial Heights, VA
Yorkminister Presbyterian - Yorktown, VA