For a few years after its inaugural summer, Camp Casey was set up as a series of one-day horseback riding outings.  Families got to ride, groom, eat, and craft but it was a one-day experience that happened at several farms once a month.  We called them “retreats.”

Well, the first-ever Horsey House Call (and what would eventually take our program to where it is today) happened at one of those “retreats.”

I’ll never forget that day because it was the time I realized the severity of our campers’ health.  We were holding our final retreat of the summer and a family had driven a long distance to participate.  The family had two adorable girls- 8-year old, Lindsay and 4-year old, Kelly.

Kelly had been diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast-growing, highly malignant tumor which accounts for over half of the soft tissue sarcomas in children.

Within about an hour of the family’s arrival, Kelly had a nosebleed that caused our volunteer-nurse to panic.

According to Kelly’s medical form, we learned that her white blood cell counts were too low for her blood to clot and that a nosebleed could kill her if not stopped immediately. They rushed out and spent hours at the hospital while Kelly endured a blood transfusion.

We felt terrible.

We were relieved when heard later that day that Kelly was okay but were saddened that the girls got shortchanged when it came to the fun day they were expecting.

But, it was August and we didn’t have any other programs scheduled.  So, we decided to plan one on the fly and bring Camp Casey to them.  My good friends, Ashley and Madison, offered to loan out a horse, truck and trailer and we hit the road.

We showed up with a horse named Senora who turned into an instant therapy horse.  Kelly and Lindsay screamed when they answered the door.  We told them to grab their boots and meet us by the swing-set.

It was October and a time of year when Michigan weather can be unpredictable.  Even though the forecast predicted rain, the day couldn’t have been sunnier.  We stayed for about three hours grooming, riding, making crafts in their living room and eating pizza.

It was the most perfect day that redirected Camp Casey and landed us on the path we take today.  It is one of my favorite memories and gives me inspiration whenever setbacks occur– relating to Camp Casey or anything in my life.

And, it’s fun to think back to what Camp Casey was, what it is today and the inherent characteristics that have remained untouched.

When I think of the earliest years of Camp Casey– and the seemingly endless series of obstacles, speed bumps and growing pains it endured, I’m actually surprised it survived. There were many things I did wrong that offered valuable learning lessons. But, to save space on the world wide web, I’ll limit this entry to the things I did right and properly title it:

A Guide for Founder Hopefuls

1) Tailor Your Vision:
Take time to create a broad mission for your nonprofit. Identify who you’d like to help and how. Once your mission is established, brainstorm where you think it could end up in five years.

2) Get to Know Those Who Know:
One of the many phrases commonly used in the Camp Casey office is “JFGI.” Just frickin’ Google it. If you don’t know how to get something done, use your resources and figure it out. Not only will you need your friends to offer what they can, you’ll also need their friends. Put your pride away and admit that, while you might know your vision, you don’t know everything. Be persistent and be polite.

3) Make it Happen:
No matter how you have to do it, do it. Make your service available– even if it’s on a much smaller scale than where it will be once you get the kind of funding you need. Once you can obtain press that showcases what you do to your community, you can build a strong support-base. Also, having a “pilot” program gives you a foundation to work from, internally. Evaluate how your program needs to improve and entice funding prospectives to jump on board to get it there.

4) Let it Grow:
Just because you founded the nonprofit organization does not mean it belongs to you. In fact, if you are not open to letting the organization grow organically, it won’t. Instead, it will crumble.

Open your mind and embrace its growth.

And, it’s just about this time of the year that I find myself in more need of caffeine and extra snooze hits. Yep, it’s September and it’s the time of year when our fund raising season officially commences. By this time, all of our Cowboy Camp Outs of the year have been carried out and most of our Horsey House Calls have been completed.

In other words, our green is gone.

After eight years, you would think that I would be used to the flow and understand that the money we raise (yes, all of it) we spend. And, you’d think I’d be reassured knowing that while our programs are expensive, we have consistently increased the number of kids we serve by always raising more money than the year before.

But, it never fails. Every fall, I take one look at our bank statement and go into panic mode. To think of all of the fund raising we would have to do to come back to where we need to be seems impossible. It would take more energy, more determination and more creativity than I could ever generate.

Then, I watch this video:

And I get to work.

So, Lauren entered us into a contest.

Here’s how it all went down:

Last year, when I got word that Oprah was calling it quits, I decided that I must write a letter to her crew to tell them about Camp Casey and see if the story was at all appealing.  As it’s often said in the camp office, you throw enough horse manure against a wall, something sticks.

Well, turns out Oprah was booked.

But, where one barn door closes, another must open because only days after receiving a very politically correct denial email, I received a very exciting phone call.  Apparently, Oprah’s crew wasn’t blowing smoke when they explained that they weren’t able to make it a story but would pass it along to their friends.  On the other end of the line was a woman named Jill Rappaport from NBC’s TODAY SHOW!

Jill, and the Today Show team were able to spread the word about Camp Casey to millions of viewers.  The broadcast brought in over $10,000.00 of donations and helped our program through incredible growth.  We all felt like movie stars– especially Moe who got used to life as a celebrity and now demands his carrots served peeled and chopped.

Eight years ago, the program started as a one-time gig. I was working on a farm while going to MSU when I got to know a young girl named Casey. She was going through cancer treatment and found horseback riding to be therapeutic.

When Casey passed away, I put together a one-day event in her honor that ended up taking my life in a wonderful, but unexpected, direction.

Casey Foote, 1991 - 2003.

Today, almost a decade later, Camp Casey is a nonprofit organization that serves children with cancer and their families throughout Michigan with three cost-free programs:

Horsey House Calls

Cowboy Camp Outs

Outlaw Outings