Our History
Randolph County KIDS, Inc., a non-profit corporation, was formed in 1991 to assist Randolph County young people involved in the juvenile system. This non profit organization was championed by Randolph County juvenile Judge, Jan Chalfant. Camp Yale was originally envisioned by Judge Chalfant as a program of this corporation.
In 1998, the board of directors decided to establish an outdoor education camp for "at risk" children and families. With the assistance of Randolph County Commissioners, 25 acres was gifted to our Corporation and, with support from the local Family Social Service Office, construction of Camp Yale (Young Adult Leadership Environment) began in November 2000.
In October 2001, Camp Yale opened it's doors offering programs to youth in the form of challenge education courses also known as ROPES programming. This unique leadership training program provides kids an opportunity to physically experience teamwork, goal setting, communication, listening skills, cooperation, conflict resolution, problem solving and learning leadership roles. By autumn of 2006, over 7,000 youth had participated in training and programming with Camp Yale.
In the Autumn of 2006, the board of directors realized there was a great demand for the type of facility and services Camp Yale had to offer, and decided to expand the Camp Yale target market to serve organizations and youth beyond the immediate geographic area. By January 2007, staff began to market to the corporate, social services, the religious community and other non profit organizations beyond the borders of Randolph county and the surrounding counties.
Today Camp Yale is serving organizations in half and full day experiences and overnight retreats from across Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, and Kentucky.