Each summer at UCYC, a Christian camp and conference center in Prescott, Arizona, thousands of campers enjoy a week of ridiculously fun games, time spent in the beautiful outdoors, and the deepening of friendships that will last a lifetime.

Meanwhile, through a partnership with 1MISSION, these same campers have played an active role in transforming the lives of people in poverty, two years running.

Each week, campers and summer staffers participate in an auction that raises money for the cause. Groups of campers bid against each other for the chance to have dinner with certain staffers. Without fail, this auction has proven to be a fun way to connect campers’ summer experiences to an even bigger purpose.

“Our hope at UCYC is to be part of building God’s kingdom,” says program director Derek Beauchamp. “That’s why I love that we partner with 1MISSION. They make it easy to teach students about the bigger picture. Students can get behind putting families in homes and transforming communities in need. We love it and so do our campers. It’s a blast!”

The staff have skin in the game as well. Last fall the UCYC team went to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, to build a house for one of the families the campers had funded months earlier. They plan to return to build another house later this year.

This summer, UCYC campers have raised $43,000 for 1MISSION – which every dollar of that amount going directly to projects and programs in the field.

HELP PUT A FAMILY IN A HOUSE