Mount Jubilee Ministries: A special place for special people

REIDSVILLE - For Mount Jubilee Ministries, changing lives began with a camp.

A Christ-centered non-profit organization, Mount Jubilee is dedicated to serving people with intellectual and physical disabilities and creating meaningful and fun experiences for the Triad's special needs population.

"Camp was the main thing the ministry wanted to do and we have done that successfully for 13 years," said Cecil Cottrell, executive director of the Winston-Salem based organization.

This summer, Camp Jubilee is taking place from July 30 to Aug. 3 at the accessible Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Center in Reidsville, where Cottrell hopes Mount Jubilee will build a lasting relationship.

"Out of 13 years, I think we've been to seven different venues throughout the state from the Asheville area to the Sandhills to the Sauratown Mountains," he said.

With this year's partnership with the Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-H Center, the residential camp was able to add a few new adventures for the Jubilee campers.

While the camp continues to offer arts and crafts as it has from the start, campers can now meet and ride horses, canoe out into the lake with a counselor and try their hand at archery.

Throughout all of the daily activities, counselors keep up with the campers and offer individualized care and guidance.

"The counselors really partner and get to know and befriend the campers," Cottrell said. "? We help them from the very beginning. We help them with their personal hygiene in the morning, we help them get dressed and we help them to the breakfast line."

An average day includes Bible stories and songs, outdoor recreation, swimming and an evening event like a talent show or a bonfire.

While the camp is a proven success, Mount Jubilee is exploring ways to continue serving the Triad's special needs population.

Mount Jubilee Ministries redefined what it wanted to become about a year and a half ago and is now looking at incremental program increases with the goal of becoming a more sustainable organization, according to Cottrell.

One part of that would mean offering more programs and services as well as developing a residential community.

"What it is means to me is the special needs population and the (general population)-an integration of folks of all abilities I think is a good way to say it-living in a community together that basically takes care of each other," Cottrell said.

While Mount Jubilee Ministries has not yet conducted a feasibility study, Cottrell envisions multiple residential communities tailored for the area and population they serve.

"For example, a rural setting with an agricultural tone to it to where there are greenhouses and gardens and a little bit of animal livestock, chickens, things of that nature," he said. "So you could have that agricultural foundation here in Rockingham and then go over in Greensboro and have more of an urban ministry downtown in an area of town where it's not so expensive. And Forsyth County, having the same type of thing there."

Camp Jubilee would continue to be part of Mount Jubilee's programs.

Coming up soon, Mount Jubilee Ministries is laying out a tentative plan for its second annual Family Fun Walk and Auction for Sept. 9 at Pennrose Park Country Club. The walk would begin at about 10 a.m. with the auction kicking off at about 12 or 12:30 p.m.

For more information about Mount Jubilee Ministries, visit their website at www.MountJubilee.org.