Skip to the main content.
Donate Need help?
Donate Need help?

1 min read

Helping Kids Find and Follow Jesus

Rebecca and Jeremiah Hughes and their kids are investing in the lives of Spokane’s at-risk children through their church and UGM's Youth Outreach program.

Every summer, UGM Youth Outreach partners with local churches to invite kids ages 8-11 from the region’s low-income neighborhoods to enjoy a week at UGM Camp. While UGM provides the support staff, the churches lead the programming and provide counselors, thereby creating long-term relationships that can grow year-round. The goal is to break the cycle of homelessness, abuse, and addiction in our community before it passes to the next generation.

Left to right: Kevin, Rebecca, Jeremiah, and BrianThe Hughes family and Mission Church have risen to the challenge. Last summer, Rebecca and their oldest son, Kevin, were cabin leaders, the younger son, Brian, was a cabin helper, and Jeremiah was a camp chef. We asked them how they got involved. Rebecca said, “Our kids’ pastor, Sue, saw what UGM was doing here, and it really prompted a desire in her heart to start an after-school program at the church. It took about six months to cultivate, but we launched in March. We call it Mission Club. The fantastic thing is that every single kid from Mission Club is either here at UGM Camp or they went to our church camp earlier this summer.” 

Kevin shared an impactful story: “Last year, we met a kid named Carroll. He ended up getting on stage at the end and telling some of his story and what God was doing. After camp, he and his whole family—his sisters and his mom—started coming to our church, and both Carroll and his 14-year-old sister were baptized. He brought another one of his sisters to camp this year, and says that next year, his two younger sisters are coming.

“We are really showing these kids who Jesus is.” - Kevin, cabin leader

“We are really showing these kids who Jesus is,” Kevin added. “I’ve had some kids say ‘I don’t know who that is’ and I get to tell them about Him. I just hope they’ll know He’s always with them, that they can take these truths with them forever.”

Families like this are putting in the work to build a stronger, more connected community for all of us. You can be a part of this mission by sponsoring a camper this summer or getting your church connected through a partnership with UGM Camp.  

 

Send a Kid to Camp. Click here.

UGM Gathering 2025

11 min read

UGM Gathering 2025

At this year’s Gathering, we heard real stories from real people about how they—empowered by the tools, resources, and support UGM offers—have...

Read More
The Community's Role in Resurrection

4 min read

The Community's Role in Resurrection

As we approach the Easter season, I feel gratitude for the Christian heritage that brings a deeper meaning to the season than Easter egg hunts,...

Read More
LC Valley Church Partner: Shann Profitt

4 min read

LC Valley Church Partner: Shann Profitt

Currently, a safe, clean-and-sober shelter does not exist in the LC Valley area, but UGM’s new shelter will provide a pathway out of homelessness for...

Read More

"When I think of UGM Camp": Hear from Phil Altmeyer

Every summer, about 500 children from Spokane’s low-income neighborhoods are invited by their local church to spend a week at UGM Camp. While UGM...

Read More
Caring for Kids at UGM Camp

Caring for Kids at UGM Camp

By Clare Pursch, UGM Camp Photographer/Blogger UGM Camp thrives on not only the incredible love of God, but also on the generosity of those who ...

Read More
Beyond UGM Camp: Local Churches Serve as Bridges from Camp to Home

Beyond UGM Camp: Local Churches Serve as Bridges from Camp to Home

Throughout Spokane's low-income neighborhoods, churches are partnering with UGM Youth Outreach to reach kids growing up in challenging circumstances,...

Read More