Calvary Horse Camp

Calvary Horse Camp is a 5-day, Christian horse camp for Oregon foster girls ages 10-13. My name is Katie Johnson, and I founded this non-profit ministry in 2018 during my freshman year of high school. We held our fifth annual camp in 2023! In fact, we now have alumni campers, who have aged out of the program, who are coming back to serve as volunteers.

Calvary Horse Camp was founded with the goal of providing a place for urban foster girls to feel safe and have fun while learning to ride and care for horses. We believe that God designed horses and girls to connect, and we hope to give our students a chance to do so with their horse during a five-day horse camp. We hope that through bonding with their horses and with other campers and staff, the girls will feel safe, happy, and encouraged. It is our mission to bring kids to Christ, give them a chance to do something that they otherwise may have never been able to do, and ultimately to change lives for the better.

Horse Camp is staffed by an all-female 100%-volunteer staff--horse wranglers, teen counselors, and adult counselors. Each camper is assigned her own horse for the week to feed, water, ride, and care for. All horses used in the camp are beginner-safe and loaned to the camp from generous local ranchers and residents. Safety of both girls and their horses is our top priority. Each girl is assigned a horse wrangler who helps her learn how to ride and care for her horse. Our horse clinician spends all week pouring into these girls, meeting them where they are to build their confidence and provide a unique and unforgettable riding experience!

Other camp activities include speaker sessions, small group times, outdoor games, quiet/story time, meals, singing, and more! Our teen staff spends all week with these girls modeling Christlike behavior, building relationships with them, and guiding them in small group and game activities!

While all our staff are volunteers, we do have to raise funds each year for liability insurance, food and supplies, facility rent for the arena and pens, and some limited travel reimbursement for staff. On average these expenses total around $3500-4500 each year. A huge thank you to those of you who have made this possible with your generous donations in the past five years and to those who will make the 2024 camp possible!

Finally, please pray for this ministry – for both campers and volunteers.

Thank you and God bless,

Katie Johnson

Calvary Horse Camp Website