The History of Roundup River Ranch
While Roundup River Ranch opened the doors to our first campers in July 2011, camp began with a dream in 2002 – a dream to carry out the vision of actor Paul Newman and bring a Hole in the Wall Camp to Colorado. Two members of the Board of Directors of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, David Horvitz and John Forester, determined the Rocky Mountain region needed its own camp so children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses could as Paul said, “kick back, relax, and raise a little hell,” – completely free of charge to children and their families. They started conversations with a group of dedicated individuals to make the dream come true.
A few years later, in 2006, Alison Knapp, a local philanthropist, officially founded Roundup River Ranch, then known as OK Corral Camp, and began the process of bringing a camp to life. Alison recruited a diverse Founding Board of Directors and the founding executive director, Ruth Johnson. Over the next five years, the Board along with a dedicated group of staff, volunteers, vendors, and many others worked tirelessly. To make Roundup River Ranch a reality, this dedicated team helped:
- Conduct comprehensive planning
- Raised funds to complete a $20 million capital fundraising campaign
- Participated in rigorous reviews and licensing
- Formed medical partnerships with Children’s Hospital Colorado (formerly The Children’s Hospital) our founding medical partner; National Jewish Health; Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children P/SL; and Vail Valley Medical Center
- Guided the construction of the fully adaptable camp facility
When Roundup River Ranch welcomed its first campers on July 6, 2011, it was evident that the original dream to create a place where kids could “kick back, relax, and raise a little hell” came true. Their lives were enriched and in the words of our campers, they were able to enjoy the “best week of their lives.” From the wide variety of programming offered – arts and crafts, fishing, the challenge course, canoeing, archery, horses, music and theatre, discovery and more – to the experience of being surrounded by campers who shared similar experiences and challenges, campers left Roundup River Ranch with a boosted self-esteem, newfound friends, and memories to treasure and cherish forever. Because of the medical support around them, kids could just be kids again. And, this is only the beginning of the empowering, intentional camp programs that we will continue to provide in the years to come.
Roundup River Ranch was made possible through a caring, generous community who committed to ensuring that children with life-threatening illnesses experienced the joys of childhood – for free, forever. The community has expanded, and it is the people involved with Roundup River Ranch, our staff, Board, volunteers, advocates, friends, and many others, who continue to bring life to the organization. With such strong beginnings, we look forward to a great future of transforming the lives of our special campers and their families from the Rocky Mountain region and beyond.