Future of Camp Okizu and Berry Creek

Dear Friends,

Since the Bear fire destroyed our camp in September 2020, our Site Committee, Staff, and Board of Directors have been working diligently to evaluate where would be the optimal place to rebuild Camp Okizu.

We have considered many options including building back at Berry Creek, purchasing a summer camp, or finding another piece of land on which we can build. We have used Safety, Accessibility, Program Needs, and Finance as our four compass points when we evaluate where to build going forward.

Based on those four guidelines, we have made the decision not to build back at Berry Creek. We know that for many of you this is hard to hear, and we share this loss as a community.

For those of you who have been waiting patiently to visit camp, we hope to be able to start offering visits in early April, once the debris removal is complete. If you want to be notified about those dates, please sign up here.

The last two years have had significant losses and challenges for Okizu, but we are moving forward with resiliency and hope. We are committed to turning this challenge into an opportunity to imagine how our camp can best serve our families for many years to come. The Okizu programs will continue at rental properties until we have a new, permanent home. And, wherever we decide to rebuild, our new camp will be beautiful and filled with the same Okizu magic. 

Warm regards,

Suzie Randall