By Dani Hatfield, Director of Marketing
For the past 45 summers, leaders at Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (NLOM) have taken great care maintaining and expanding our facilities in order to serve campers and guests not only from across Nebraska, but also from around the world.
“We are proud of our facilities at Carol Joy Holling Camp and Sullivan Hills Camp that comfortably welcome people of all ages year-round,” said Jason Gerdes, Executive Director. “Through the generosity of so many throughout the years, most of our facilities are among the best in the country.”
We’ve been excited to share at each Closing Program this summer camp season the status of our new Sustaining Sacred Spaces campaign—the next phase of updates to both NLOM camps.
“Excitement has continued to grow throughout the summer, and we have taken great strides in the progress,” noted Jacob Spilker, Director of Development.
$6 million of the $6.6 million full project goal has been committed or already given.
The NLOM Board of Directors made the financially responsible pledge decades ago that we will not break ground or move forward with a project until 90% of the project cost is pledged and at least 50% is in hand.
We are excited to share that many of the Sustaining Sacred Spaces projects have hit that threshold and are moving forward in the coming months!
New mattresses have already been purchased and installed in the Buckley Center at Sullivan Hills Camp ahead of the 2024 summer camp season. They greatly improved our campers’ sleep, and we look forward to the enhanced guest comfort throughout the retreat seasons, as well.
Campers at Carol Joy Holling Camp will be sleeping in yurts at The Grove site in the summer of 2025. The yurts have been purchased from Freedom Yurt-Cabins in Sidney, Nebraska.
We have also ordered a 2025 Kawasaki Mule to improve camper safety and accessibility at Sullivan Hills Camp next summer.
In addition, we recently received a commitment to purchase the van to continue transporting elementary campers to the Chappell pool, as well as a trailer and equipment to begin a new programming element for middle and high school campers—an off-site trip to Lake McConaughy, enhancing their camp experience.
The zipline at Carol Joy Holling Camp is also being enhanced. Plans are being finalized this fall for the new zipline, which will allow campers to zip across the Crystal Springs ravine and back. The first poles should be placed before Christmas—weather permitting, of course—with full construction happening in the spring of 2025.
Thanks to the generosity of many, including a major gift from the Werner Foundation, the restoration of Crystal Springs Lake—a $2.7 million undertaking—will begin next year.
“We are especially grateful for the leadership and vision provided by the CL & Rachel Werner Foundation through their recent lead gift commitment,” shared Jacob.
While the project has hit the threshold to start, the schedules of our construction partners have pushed the start back to fall of 2025.
The lake is fed by more than 100 natural springs. Over the past three decades, those springs have carried silt into the lake—bringing it to a current depth of only six feet.
This project will remove silt that has filled in the lake, as well as add a series of silt dams upstream to prevent it from filling again. We are excited that the construction timeline shows we can complete the project in time for campers to enjoy the new lake in the summer of 2026.
Filsigner Pond at Sullivan Hills Camp will also be repaired and enlarged. We will look forward to campers boating and fishing in the newly renovated pond next summer.
“We are inspired by the generosity of our friends, and look forward to those who will join us in making the rest of this campaign possible,” Jason added.
If you’d like to learn more, visit NLOM.org/sustaining or contact Jacob Spilker, Director of Development at JSpilker@NLOM.org or 402-944-2544.
