Camp Grace: 16/100
Jon Vaughan
In 2016, Brand Vaughan Lumber launched an initiative with one goal: help 100 families in the Atlanta region by the time BVL reaches its 100th year in business in the year 2046.
The program was created because Brand Vaughan has seen growing success, and the company wanted to share that success with the community that surrounds and supports it. We’re proud to say the 100 Families in 100 Years program has already helped many noteworthy organizations in the area, including Camp Grace.
Camp Grace was started by Dave Pridemore, who is now Executive Director for the camp. He wanted to give underprivileged kids in the Atlanta area an opportunity to experience summer camp, in an environment that cultivated confidence and growth.
When Dave planned the construction of Camp Grace, he went to Brand Vaughan for building supplies. “It was just after the recession, and he’d never run a camp before and needed materials,” remembers Jon Vaughan. “We provided the materials at cost, and said he could pay us back when he could.”
Dave was able to pay back BVL for the materials within two years.
“Camp Grace is just a really cool project,” says Jon. “The people at Camp Grace are resourceful and faithful, and they figure out ways to make it through.” The buildout at Camp Grace included a dining hall, lodging, a ropes course and tons of space for kids to learn and grow. “
Dave and his staff have been running Camp Grace for the last several years with hundreds of kids staying at the camp during summers. He reached out to Jon again when Camp Grace and its programming started to outgrow its confines. They needed to build out more lodging and possible retreat space for staff or outside corporate events.
“We provided all the materials for the build, with the help of EWP donations from Boise Cascade and fiber cement siding donations from James Hardie,” says Jon.
Camp Grace inspired generosity outside of Brand Vaughan. “This was something extra special, because we got our partners to join with us in it,” Jon explained.
Brand Vaughan planned to help with the building until COVID-19 restrictions made that a challenge. But there was plenty of help for the project. “James Hardie actually sent down a group from their Atlanta team to help with installation and hang the siding,” says Jon.
The goal of the 100 Families in 100 Years project is to give back to the community that’s given so much to Brand Vaughan. Camp Grace is a program that BVL has been proud to support since it was first launched, and we’re excited about supporting their success in the future.
You can check out more about Camp Grace and what it has to offer on their website and learn more about Brand Vaughan’s 100 Families in 100 Years Project on our blog.
