About RFKC James River
Mission
Confronting abuse and loving kids in Aberdeen, Brookings, Huron, Madison, Mitchell, and Watertown, SD and areas in between.
Vision
Our vision is to put the children first. We strive to provide the best possible experience for each child. We provide a non-competitive and non- threatening atmosphere while allowing children to experience success. We show God’s love modeled through consistency and building relationships.
Value
We are part of the nation’s leading network of camps for abused, neglected and abandoned children. We fully trust in God to move forward with these kids.
About our camp
Christie Brantner is the camp director. Brantner has worked for many years as an educator in South Dakota.
As you might imagine, it’s not easy to raise nearly $35,000 each year to create a fun-filled, God inspired week of memories for these children. The smiles on their faces are worth more than we could possibly give. Throughout the year, our team of volunteers work hard to raise funds through various fundraisers, grants, and personal donations. Our volunteers LOVE serving at camp! Once a volunteer comes to camp, whether for a day, or the entire week, they keep coming back! Many guides and support staff return to serve these children each year.
Confronting Abuse Since 2016
226
Kids at Camp since 2016
368
Volunteers at Camp since 2016
121
Kids served in 2022
Volunteer Stories from our 8 years in operation
Stories to come!
— Volunteer
Stories to come!
— Volunteer
Stories to come!
— Volunteer
Same Heart, New Name, Bigger Impact.
We are now For The Children and here’s why.
For 30 years, volunteers, churches, businesses, local municipal partners and Royal Family Kids staff have dedicated their time, talent and treasures to help transform the lives of vulnerable children across the US, and world.
While RFK has formally overseen our camps and mentoring programs, the breadth of our work has evolved far beyond these two programs. Today we provide direct trauma intervention, advocacy, fostering, adoption, support to parents, and other crucial wraparound services.
While we acknowledge the expansion of our work across our 252 chapters, COVID-19 has profoundly increased the needs of children and families. Extreme gaps in fulfilling these needs cannot be overstated.
In order to address the systemic issues surrounding child welfare today, our organization must respond.
Consequently, as of November 2020, Royal Family KIDS, will officially be renamed For The Children. This transition will bring clarity to new opportunities, from providing laptops and shoes to needy children, to assisting overburdened social workers, to providing temporary shelter.
The teaching and example of Jesus in caring for “the least of these” will remain our motivation. As For The Children, we are also eager to focus on the systemic issues facing children, around the globe.
