A McLennan County campground that attracts hundreds of Jewish youths each summer and hosts numerous other groups the rest of the year is pumping big bucks into improvements.

The Greene Family Camp, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this summer, has spent about $4 million on facility upgrades during the past couple of years, director Loui Dobin said.

If all goes as planned, it will invest about $4 million more in the near future, he said.

Zoe Feder (front), 11, and Alyssa Elkin (back), 12, read letters from home in their cabin at the Greene Family Camp.
Duane A. Laverty/Tribune-Herald

The camp also is considering adding more full-time staff so it can offer various programs throughout the year, Dobin said.

As things are now, Greene operates a summer camp for Jewish children during the summer. But the rest of the year, it only acts as host for various groups that rent the facilities.

Part of the vision for the future is for the camp to serve as both host and program provider, Dobin said.

It might offer team-building training for companies or nature-based programs for schoolchildren, he said.

Along with that, the camp is looking to increase its midweek business, Dobin said. It has bookings nearly every weekend. But it doesn’t host many groups during the week, he said.

“That’s what would take it to the next level,” Dobin said.

The camp, which occupies about 200 acres in Bruceville-Eddy, is one of 13 camps operated by the Union for Reform Judaism in North America.

It is designed to serve members who live in Texas and Oklahoma.

McLennan County was chosen as the camp’s home because of its central location, Dobin said. The camp’s name comes from late Dallas resident Edward C. Greene, who was a large contributor.

During the summer, Greene runs two monthlong camps for youth ages 9 to 17. It also offers a couple of shorter camps for younger children.

About 900 youth attend those summer camps, Dobin said. They’re joined by about 150 staff members per session.

The rest of the year, the camp rents out its facilities to other groups.

Nearly all of its business involves overnight stays, Dobin said.

The camp’s offseason customers include companies, universities and religious groups of all theological stripes, Dobin said. It is also popular with groups that serve certain populations, such as children with autism, he said.

When summer camp is not going on, Greene often hosts as many as three different events at once, Dobin said. It can accommodate up to 700 people at a time, he said.

Groups can take advantage of the camp’s full range of offerings, Dobin said. They include a swimming pool, lake and challenge course.

The most recent addition is a new sports center with a gym, gymnastics area, fitness center and gameroom.

All of the facilities at the camp, including the cabins, are air-conditioned.

Liz Taylor, director of the Waco Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she is excited to hear about the improvements being made at Greene. From time to time, the bureau refers groups looking for local accommodations there, especially if they want a spot that offers outdoor activities, she said.

“I think they fulfill a unique slot in our repertoire of venues and facilities,” Taylor said.

The $4 million in improvements that have been made account for about half of what Greene hopes to eventually raise through its ongoing capital campaign, Dobin said.

Plans for the rest of the money include a new theater center, more cabins and a big treehouse that could be used for campouts.

Dobin said he would wager many local residents would be surprised by what the camp already offers, much less its plans for the future.

Aaron Eichelbaum, 12, visits with chickens at the zoo area of the Greene Family Camp in Bruceville-Eddy on Friday. The campground, which offers summer camp for Jewish children, is celebrating its 35th anniversary.
Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald

“They don’t realize it’s a multimillion-dollar operation that’s always going,” Dobin said.

Arnold Miller, a local resident who is retired from the meat-packing business, has been involved with the camp since the beginning.

But even he can barely believe what he sees when he visits the camp now, he said.

“People come here and don’t know it’s the old Greene Family Camp,” he said.

Miller said it’s exciting that the camp can serve people in new ways while still holding true to its original mission of providing summer camp for Jewish youths.

While the children participate in traditional camp activities such as sports, cookouts and swimming, they also get a good amount of religious teaching.

That comes in the form of formal services, as well as incorporating Jewish philosophy into everyday activities and moments.

“We infuse a certain amount of Judaism we hope they will retain forever,” Miller said.

Local resident Loren Schwartz said the camp has certainly fulfilled that role for her two sons. Now ages 14 and 15, they have attended summer camp at Greene for years, she said.

“It is probably the single biggest factor and impact in their Jewish spiritual life,” she said.

cculp@wacotrib.com

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