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THE FAMILY BRANCHES OF OAKRIDGE CAMP
How one family is making a big impact on kids in Oklahoma.
By Lexi Aggen
Go-karts kick up the red Oklahoma dirt as they race around the looped track. In the center of the loop stands Goliath, a ropes course with a climbing wall, haul swing, zip lines, and more. Kids litter the field surrounding the loop, some waiting for their turn around the track, and others cheering on their new friends as they climb higher on the ropes course. The summer heat is scorching and dry, but it can do nothing to diminish the atmosphere of joy in the camp. This is Oakridge Christian Camp.
While the go-karts, ropes course, and zip line create a special experience for the children who attend Oakridge, there is one thing that makes it stand out among other camps: family.
THE HISTORY OF OAKRIDGE
The year was 1999. Brian Ball was a traveling musician and speaker, running his own ministry out of the coastal city of Newport News, Virginia.
“Being on the road was hard,” says Brian. “We had five children … so it was hard for me to be out so much.”
After prayer and consideration, Brian and his wife Beth decided to purchase a camp. They consulted with families in their community and began a search on the internet, which was still in its early years of development. The results showed Oakridge Christian Camp in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Brian flew out with a handheld video recorder to bring back tapes for his community.
They reviewed the videos, and the Balls and two other families—including Brian’s parents—picked up their lives and moved to rural Oklahoma. The camp opened its doors in 2000 and hosted 300 children from the surrounding areas that first summer.
Since then, the camp has expanded to include 55 acres of land, two swimming pools, rec rooms, a ropes course, a snack shack, two dining halls, and two chapels. Down the road from the main campsite stands the Ridge, a five-bedroom, three-story estate overlooking the valley, which serves as a facility for special events at the camp. In 2023, Oakridge welcomed over 4,000 kids to camp.
Brian and Beth raised their children Jaime, Jesse, Joshua, Jonathan, and Jeremiah at Oakridge. Today, four of the five children still work at the camp and have a passion for the outdoors, camp life, and the Gospel.
THE IMPACT OF ANGEL TREE
In 2021, Brian received a call from a member of the Angel Tree® camping team, who invited camp Oakridge to become a ministry partner. Angel Tree camping allows children with an incarcerated parent to attend camp on scholarship. Camp is a place where children can get away, meet new friends, and learn about God. For many, it can be a life-changing experience. When Brian and his family heard this, they were immediately interested—they loved the idea of serving children who might not otherwise have a chance to experience camp life.
That first year, Angel Tree campers joined a standard session of summer camp. The next year Oakridge hosted exclusive Angel Tree sessions, which allowed them to serve campers in a unique way. Soon Oakridge was offering Angel Tree camp sessions in all four seasons.
One Angel Tree camper, named Luke*, visited Oakridge for the first time in 2023. Before attending, he thought it would be like one of the camps he saw on TV, full of activities but not much else. Instead, he discovered a new home.
“I’ve connected a lot more with God and all this other stuff than I thought I would,” he says. “I thought a lot before about giving my life to Christ. And here I just finally said, ‘I’m going to.’ My counselor said it took a lot of courage for that.”
His camp counselor, Ross, noted a difference in Luke’s attitude from Friday night to Saturday morning. When Luke arrived, he was quiet and kept to himself. Thanks to little conversations with Ross and time with the other campers, Luke soon started to engage in new ways.
Camp became a space where Luke was able to process the things he had experienced in life, and where he could ask questions. He knew Ross was a safe person to talk things through.
Camp is a place where children can get away, meet new friends, and learn about God.
EXTRA GRACE
“We found that these counselors really like Angel Tree kids,” says Brian.
Many of the counselors who experience Angel Tree come away changed themselves. For counselors Sarah and Mark, Angel Tree camps are personal. They witnessed a niece attend camp and saw the change in her demeanor as her heart was impacted by the Gospel and the love lavished on her.
“I believe that being able to retreat and get away and just focus on a relationship with the Lord here at camp made a difference,” says Sarah.
But they weren’t the only volunteers impacted by the ministry. Cassie and Ross were approached before the first year of Angel Tree camping to be counselors. Now, Angel Tree campers know them as a staple of the camp. After the summer of 2023, Ross was stationed in Germany and the couple moved, but they hope to return for another session of Angel Tree camping.
The Ball family members consider themselves “Angel Tree’s biggest fans.” They knew Oakridge would be a good fit for Angel Tree camping—both theologically and in terms of their mission—and were overjoyed to share the wonders of camp with prisoners’ kids.
“I guess the best way to describe it is [to say it’s] like an extra grace,” says Jaime, Oakridge’s program coordinator, when reflecting on what makes Angel Tree sessions so special. “For me, it reignited the magic of camp. It’s been a really great personal experience for me, as well as an awesome ministry opportunity for Oakridge and our family.”
And extra grace is what the kids feel when they attend. Oakridge becomes a home away from home, and the counselors become like members of the family. For many kids dealing with parental incarceration, the idea of camp can feel daunting. The unknowns of the activities, people, and new environment may seem overwhelming. Yet it only takes one night at Oakridge for most campers to start opening up and feeling safe.
The Ball family members consider themselves “Angel Tree’s biggest fans.”
A CAMP FAMILY
During the summer 2023 session, Brian made an announcement during dinner. When he spoke, the once rambunctious room hushed, with only the sound of tacos crunching to rival his voice. He shared about the Leaders-in-Training (L.I.T.) program, which allows teenage campers to return and serve in leadership positions at the camp—another opportunity made possible by Angel Tree camping.
After the announcement, seven teenage boys—including Luke—approached Brian to hear more. They were eager to return and welcome younger children to the camp family, just as the Balls had once welcomed them.
When Brian thinks about what makes his camp so unique, he immediately mentions family.
“We want that family feel,” he says. “That family extends to other families. … I think [these kids] pick up on that. The family extension just flows through, and I hope they do feel it. I want them to feel it. The church is a family, and it’s supposed to be broader than our own personal biological family.”
*Name changed to protect privacy.
“We want that family feel. That family extends to other families. … I think [these kids] pick up on that. The family extension just flows through, and I hope they do feel it.”
—Brian
