Volunteers rally to rebuild flood-damaged Texas camp serving children with disabilities

Since the tragic floods in Central Texas, hundreds of volunteers have made their way to Kerr County to help with the flood aftermath. But for many, the Hill Country flood aftermath is hard to process.

“It’s the kids’ shoes. Every time I see one, it pulls at your heartstrings,” said Jared Ronning, who came to Kerrville from Orange, Texas. “Yesterday, I found a baby purple Croc and, like, a baby life jacket next to it, and you don’t know until you look.”

Ronning is one of hundreds of volunteers who have inundated Kerr County to help with flood clean-up. Ronning found out the Children’s Association for Maximum Potential, also known as Camp CAMP, needed help rebuilding. The camp serves children with disabilities.

“It’s easy to sit and look at your phone and think, ‘man that’s sad.’ It’s a lot harder to put it down and come out here,” Ronning said. “I feel like if I was able to help, I might as well anyway I could. I know there are a lot of families going through a lot worse than I am.”

Approximately 6-8 acres of land at Camp CAMP were damaged. On Saturday, the Texas Division of Emergency Management began requiring volunteers to register to better coordinate efforts.  

“Compared to the losses at some other camps, and what communities have faced, we’re blessed because our campers weren’t here when the flooding event happened,” said Brandon Briery, the chief operating officer. “The flooding, the debris, has just completely changed the landscape of this.”

Briery said many families who attend the camp were worried it would close for the remainder of the summer because of the damage at the grounds and in the county.

“We have been inundated with calls from camper families saying, ‘When are you going to reopen? We want to make sure we get to come,’” Briery said.

He added that the camp has received criticism for trying to reopen too soon.

“For our campers and families who don’t have opportunities to go to camp anywhere else, because of the severity of their disabilities or their illnesses, for the families to be able to get a break from caregiving,” said Briery. “Because of the special nature of who we serve and the limited opportunities that they have to have this type of experience, when we look at all of the needs, there’s no way we could keep from opening.”

The camp hoped to reopen its doors Sunday, but because of another flash flood warning in the area, they pushed it back until Monday. While Briery said he understands the concerns of the community, it’s a moment of normalcy for their families, a moment to recover and rebuild together.

“There is also hope, that hope that tomorrow can be better because there are people who are willing to come together to make things like this happen,” he said.