Camp Christopher is a Place for Healing and Hope
COTTON, Minn. — It’s peaceful at Camp Christopher. You can hear the wind as it whips through the trees. Crickets chirping in the grass. The river bubbling through the property.
It’s a place and a time where you can clear your mind and let it wander as if on the wind.
Camp Christopher has become a refuge of sorts for people who need to grieve or deal with mental issues. But it’s also a place to find healing and hope.
There’s no cost to camp here. Dave Endicott and his wife Esther want people to come and let their minds wander and heal. “We didn’t have a vision. This wasn’t some great, you know, we literally just said this is too nice of a space not to get used two or three times a year…how can we share that.”
Two years ago, David’s brother Christopher died by suicide and Dave had his own grieving process to go through. This 11-acre spot near Cotton has been a tonic that he needed, and he knew others could benefit from the camp as well. “This is way beyond anything I ever thought of and we just let it flow and happen.”
Since letting people know of the camp and that it would be available at no cost, it’s has been very busy.
“We ended up fully filling every single day from the middle of May to the middle of October within two weeks,” said Endicott. “I probably could have filled it two or three times. Found out there was an enormous need for folks to have a place to come to nature, and just do some of that healing and grieving. Whatever it is, wherever they are on that journey.”
This past Mother’s Day Dave and Esther and their mothers spent the day at Camp Christopher. That day Dave’s mom, Sharon planted a pear tree on the site in honor of her son, Christopher.
Most everyone who’s visited has written in a journal. Some people have left just a thank you but often they write about their journey and how the camp has helped.
Next year, the camp will likely ask people who register if they would be open to having another group using the camp at the same time so that more people can benefit from Camp Christopher.
