The Ripple Effect of Your Support
Dear Amnicon Family,
At Amnicon, young people discover belonging, courage, and peace in God’s wild places. As the year closes, we invite friends of this community to help make that possible for more campers in the year ahead. Thank you for the part you have played in this ministry, and for considering a gift toward our $50,000 goal.
The rain was pouring. The tents were flooding. Twelve-year-old Kate lay wide awake on her first Amnicon Adventure. What could have been a miserable night became unforgettable: everyone huddled together, sharing stories, laughing between claps of thunder, feeling that sense of belonging every middle schooler needs.
As the trip ended, Kate climbed into the car back to Minneapolis with something stirring in her heart. “I want to go back,” Kate thought to herself.
Even at twelve, Kate knew Amnicon was more than just a week in the woods. It was home. Amnicon awakened a love for creation, and for a kind of community that grows when distractions fall away and you are seen and loved just as you are.
“Everything is so simple at Amnicon,” Kate says. “I don’t have to worry about the things that weigh me down at home. I feel the most ‘me’ when I’m in a canoe.”
Because of generous people like you, Kate kept coming back. Year after year, she returned for both Family Camp and wilderness canoe trips with her church, Calvary Baptist. That’s where she bonded with her tight-knit group of friends — Kate, Kira, Nina, and Alex — who quickly became like family. Together, they grew up on these trips, paddling rivers, setting up tents, and sharing campfire stories that deepened into lifelong bonds. Each summer brought new lessons about grit, courage, laughter, and friendship.
Amnicon had become a place of belonging and peace for Kate.
That’s why coming back in 2021 — after summers away during Covid and years of shared adventures with her group of friends — felt so heavy. Earlier that year, Kate had tragically lost one of those close friends, Alex, whose life ended far too soon. Alex wasn’t just a friend; they were family. The person Kate dreamed of co-guiding trips with, part of the core group who had experienced Amnicon side-by-side.
Traveling back to Amnicon, surrounded by that same group of friends but without Alex, was a painful reminder of what had been lost. There was shared heartache among the group and a quiet fear that Amnicon might never feel the same again.
But when they arrived, Kate stepped out of the car and breathed in the familiar scent of the Balsam Fir trees and the red clay earth. In that moment, an unexplainable peace washed over her and she knew: Alex is here.
Kate had feared that returning without Alex would feel empty. Instead, Amnicon met her with the gentle reminder that presence endures beyond absence. This familiar place revealed itself again, not just as home, but as holy ground. A place of healing where love and loss could coexist, where memories could rest in safety, and even sorrow could be held with grace.
Because of friends like you, Amnicon continues to be that kind of place. A place where young people discover courage, where community carries them through joy and through grief, and where God’s creation keeps sowing growth and goodness for generations to come.
Over the years, Kate grew from camper to guide. Today, she even calls Amnicon her literal home. As a year-round intern in Amnicon’s Outdoor Leaders program, Kate spends her days supporting the camp’s operations, guiding trips, and learning the rhythms of outdoor ministry. The program develops the skills needed to be leaders in the outdoor industry and ministry fields.
“I’m 20 and broke,” Kate laughs, “but I’m rich beyond measure for what this place and these people have given me.”
Kate is dreaming of a future in outdoor ministry and maybe even the Peace Corps. The skills she’s developed at Amnicon—leadership, empathy, and a deep sense of purpose—will ripple outward into every community she serves, carrying Amnicon’s spirit wherever she goes. This is the work of Amnicon’s ministry and one example of the ripple effect you set in motion.
When you invest in Amnicon, you invest in young leaders. You’re shaping not only their future, but the future communities they will serve.
This holiday season, would you consider giving to Amnicon so more young people can find what Kate found at Amnicon – healing, belonging, courage, and peace?
We aim to raise $50,000 by December 31 so more campers can experience growth and grace in the wild places of God’s creation. A generous friend of Amnicon has already stepped forward with a $15,000 gift to jump-start the effort and has offered to match every new or increased gift, dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000.
That means your gift today could be doubled to make twice the impact. Your generosity will keep this ministry strong, ensure scholarships for campers, and prepare young guides to lead others into God’s creation.
You are a part of Amnicon’s story through your time here, your camper’s experience, or the community you’ve shared along the way. Thank you for considering a gift to continue that story.
Together, we can ensure Amnicon remains a place where peace and transformation take root for generations to come.
Because the truth is, Amnicon isn’t just a camp.
It’s community. It’s medicine. It’s home.
And we’re waiting to welcome the next Kate.
In peace and gratitude,
Emily, Hannah, & Brad
PS: Your gift will be doubled to make twice the impact when you give by December 31. Help more young people find healing, belonging, and peace in the wild places of God’s creation!
There are many ways to make your year-end gift. You can give online or make a non-cash gift like stock, through a donor-advised fund, or via a qualified charitable distribution from your IRA, often with meaningful tax advantages. To learn more, visit amnicon.org/support or contact Emily Lassiter at Emily.Lassiter@amnicon.org.