Allendale Christian Camp and Retreat Center ministers to more than 2,700 campers each summer, offering exciting activities, like a low-ropes course, climbing tower, pool, waterslides, zipline, and many other activities for groups of all sizes.

In 2016, E91 Foundation gave Allendale $2,700 from the George Hall Fund for youth camper scholarships and $7,360.23 from the Tolan Donor-Advised Fund.

Camp Allendale has been the recipient of grants from the E91 Foundation for many years. Funds have enabled facility expansion projects, camper scholarships, CEO Succession Plan funding, matching gift campaign to proved a bus for camper transportation, and much more, according to Camp Executive Director Randy Pim.

“As with all nonprofits, camp finances are always tight,” Pim says. “Regular income is needed for salaries, utilities, insurance, and normal maintenance and upkeep, leaving little funds for facility improvements. Funds received from the foundation are an excellent source for the extras that enhance our ministry.”

Some of those extras include a fishing dock accessible by children with disabilities, decks on several buildings, new mattresses, and bunk beds. The more recent gift from E91 funded a patio and fire pit at the camp’s beach shelter. It was erected in memory of a past E91 Foundation board member.

“The greatest impact of E91 grants has been in the lives of young people through our camper scholarship program,” Pim says. “Through this program the camp provides camp tuition subsidy for children who otherwise could not afford to attend a session camp. Many times these children are not connected to a church, so their time at Camp Allendale is a rare opportunity for them to hear of the love that God has for them. The outcome for many is to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. For others, it establishes a foundation to build upon.”

As evidence of the difference the scholarships make, campers sent the following letters to the E91 Foundation board:

Thank you for the scholarship that enabled me to go. I had a great experience. I loved the Blob, worship time, I actually liked everything about it, especially worship time. I hope I have the opportunity to go again some time. —Michael

Thank you for funding some of my Allendale camp tuition. I had a great time! One of the things that was my favorite was the biplane and the giant swing! —Lucy

Thank you for the scholarship to be able to go to Camp Allendale this year. I learned so much about God and how he has an unstoppable plan. I learned the memory verse for the week. It said, “We cannot stop telling everything that we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20. It’s so fun to play all these fun games and learn about God. My friends play around a lot and have a fun time at camp. I have enjoyed everything that you put together. —Carter

I had a great time at camp. Thank you so much for the scholarship that allowed me to have that amazing experience. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done, and it helped me grow tremendously in my relationship with God. Thanks again for the opportunity. —Bri

Thank you for my scholarship to go to Camp Allendale. At camp, I made many new friendships and reconnected with old friends. I also grew my relationship with God. During Encounter Time, we read passages from the Bible and had time to pray and just be by ourselves with God. Also, during chapel and small group time, we got to discuss with our group. We also did many fun team-building activities that helped us bond with our group. We did the low-ropes course, which every obstacle needed more than one person to be successful. We also did the ziplines, which everyone needed to be ready and helped with to be fun and safe. We also did many more activities that bonded our group and grew each one of us closer to God. Thank you very much or the opportunity to have a great week! —Megan

Thank you! I really enjoyed Camp Allendale. It was so much fun! —Abby

I am very thankful for East 91st helping me out paying for camp. If I wouldn’t have gotten that tuition money for camp, I would never have gotten to have a wonderful experience by getting closer with God and new friends. Most of all going on the Blob and having all those thrills. The many new things I learned at camp, like a new song, but in Italian. One thing that I felt good about was seeing how much I donated and every other camper for missionary. There are so many words in the world to thank you. I do not know which ones to use. Gracias for giving me a wonderful experience at camp. —Jessica

I am a third grader. This is my third year going to camp. I liked camp because I got to make my dad into an ice cream sundae. I made lots of new friends. One of them was Jantay. He was good at carpet ball and tetherball. Jesus changed my life by showing all the things he made. He made all the trees, birds, and you and me. I liked the mission time. I LOVED the missionary! He taught us an AWESOME way of “Jesus Loves Me.” Thank you for helping go to camp. —Noah

I am a second-grade girl. This is my second time being at Camp Allendale. My mom went with me. I got to see my brother and my dad there, too. My favorite thing about camp was listening to the missionary. I liked the song that he taught me. I made new friends. I liked swimming. I learned that in Italy there are only Catholic churches. It was fun when we put whipped cream in our counselor’s hair and threw cheese balls at him. And then I saw my dad had to be an ice cream sundae. It was funny. I liked carpet ball and giving my money to the missionary. Thank you for giving me money to go to camp. I can’t wait to go to camp next year. —Lilly

The Grant Process

Pim says the grant process has been easy to navigate.

“Typically, my request includes a desired project for the funds requested. I couple that with how that particular project will expand or compliment our current ministry goals,” Pim explains. “Foundation board members have been very helpful in providing advice on improving my grant application. My contacts with board members have always been positive. They truly want to provide assistance to those requesting funds. It is apparent to me that the board wants to give money to advance Kingdom work.”

Not only does Pim encourage nonprofit Christian organizations to apply for a grant from E91 Foundation, he says those planning to make a charitable contribution should also consider E91.

“The Foundation board takes seriously their role of being good stewards of what others have entrusted to them. They have a global and local approach to what organizations are given consideration for grants. The board also does an excellent job of requiring accountability of funds provided to the organizations. This insures that the grants are utilized to maximize the Kingdom impact that is desired by those who have provided the funds originally,” Pim says, adding that the camp’s relationship with the foundation is invaluable.

“Camp Allendale has enjoyed a rich partnership with East 91st for many years. Each summer, the church and the camp have the opportunity to reach countless young lives for Christ. Children from E91, but also from all of central Indiana.”

In 1951, a young Bill Bright sought to make a difference in the lives of college students through Campus Crusade for Christ. Within a year, more than 250 UCLA students received Christ, including the student-body president, campus-newspaper editor, and many athletes. As the mission spread across campuses, it eventually became Cru and expanded to high schools.

In 2016, E91 Foundation granted $5,000 to help Deb Foxworth support the Cru program at Fishers High School.

“I am so very thankful for the E91 Foundation and the grant they have given my ministry with Cru High School,” Foxworth says. “The grant has enabled me to win (evangelize), build (disciple), and send (train to multiply the gospel) teenagers for Christ.”

Foxworth gets excited when she talks about the work she does. “It may sound crazy, but I LOVE teenagers,” she says. “I see their hearts seeking to figure out and know who God is and how He can meet their deepest needs. So the E91 grant gives me the resources—the foundation, so to speak—to work full time in the harvest field of high-schoolers. Thank you, foundation board, for choosing me as a laborer in this amazing harvest of teenagers. You partner with me!”

Foxworth refers to John 4:35, which reads, “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest.” (NKJV) “My eyes see that harvest field of this generation of teenagers ripe for Jesus!” she says.

The grant Foxworth received from E91 impacts her ministry and the students she serves by giving her the financial support to do the life-on-life, face-to-face ministry of sharing the gospel with students, encouraging them to put their faith in Jesus Christ, helping them be discipled to so they know Jesus and what His word says. By doing this, teenagers are able to witness and disciple to their peers.

“I interact with girls at our weekly large group meetings at Fishers High, outreach, meet individually or in small groups with girls to love on them, listen to them, be safe and confidential, answer their questions, share the truth of salvation through Christ, and have small group Bible studies,” she says, adding, she also does “a thousand other things like having coffee, pizza, meals together, driving them home, picking them and their friends up and sitting over a cup of coffee to share Jesus with them, taking them home, meeting their parents and family, being a listening ear in our social media’s impersonal culture, giving them their first Bible, teaching them about the Christ-centered life, how to be a Christ follower, how to share their faith with friends, etc.”

Foxworth shares a story about a junior, Hanna, who told her about a friend who was not a Christian, but because the young girl’s love for Jesus was so strong, she wanted her friend to know him, too. “I had been discipling Hanna for a few months and she asked me to demonstrate and teach her how to share a concise and transferable gospel presentation,” she says. “This is what I love! Hannah became a Christian and now I can disciple and coach her to introduce her friends to Christ.”

Foxworth adds that there are so many incidences of how individual young women have been transformed because E91 Foundation supports her ministry.

Such as this example of spiritual multiplication: “Janey was a freshmen at Fishers and on the softball team. Cru did an evangelistic meeting with the team. As a result, Janey gave her life to Christ and started to grow. I met with her and helped her learn to grow in her personal relationship with Christ. We meet after school in a coffee shop. Many times she will say, ‘Can I bring my friend?’ So together, we have shared Jesus with several of her friends and seen them come to know Christ. One Sunday, I was asked to give a Cru presentation in a local church. I brought Janey and another girl I am discipling to give their testimonies. Janey’s parents and sister and her friends came to the service to hear her. After church, Janey’s dad asked if he could talk to me. So Janey and her dad and I had coffee. We talked for two hours. Her father said he knew something was missing in his life. He didn’t know God the way Janey did, and he wanted too! I asked if I could share with Him about how to begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. We went through the gospel, the Connecting with God booklet and the Bible. It was beautiful to see the Holy Spirit open his heart and eyes to his need for the Savior, the Lord Jesus. With tears in his eyes he prayed and trusted Christ. It was a divine Sunday afternoon! He and his family are now attending and involved in that church, and the dad is being mentored by the pastor. Also, Janey asked me to talk with her younger sister Abby. Janey and I met with her sister and a couple friends. We shared the gospel with them because they wanted to make sure had Jesus in their hearts. They also prayed to receive Christ.”

Foxworth learned about E91 Foundation through her adult Bible class at East 91st Street Christian Church. A member of the class knew about her ministry and the need to sustain funding. That person suggested she apply for a grant from E91 Foundation. After she initiated contact, she received a form via email, filled out the questions, and learned soon after that her grant request was accepted.

“I was encouraged to see God’s faithful provision to allow me the ability to partner with E91 Foundation in full-time Christian work,” Foxworth says. “I thank and praise the Lord for this privilege. All the board members were kind, caring, and truly have a heart for seeing the gospel of Christ expanded in people’s lives.”

Now that she has firsthand knowledge about the grant process with E91 Foundation, she encourages others to do the same.

“I highly recommend their mission and service for the Great Commission,” she says. “The foundation is resourcing the command given by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, to GO and make disciples! I feel united and likeminded with the people on the board. The members feel the same compassion for lost sheep as I do!”

Sheltering Wings, a domestic violence shelter just west of Indianapolis, realizes that helping victims of abuse escape isn’t enough. Volunteers also help families build safe, stable, and independent lives in a supportive and Christ-centered environment.

“We do this for both adults and children,” says Cassie Martin, executive director. “Many times, people don’t think about the effects of domestic abuse on children, but whether they witness abuse or experience it firsthand, it leaves a lasting impression.”

In 2016, E91 Foundation granted $5,000 to Sheltering Wings for its operating budget, since government sources reduced funding. Grants from organizations like E91 Foundation are increasingly important to Sheltering Wings.

“Because of E91 Foundation’s support, we were able to help 89 youngsters last year.” Martin says. “Sheltering Wings is overwhelmed with gratitude for the support. We can’t do this alone and E91’s gift makes our investment in children possible.”

About that, Martin explains, “Children who have lived in a home where domestic violence occurs face a long list of fears and problems. We were able to help diminish their fears, walk them through safety planning, and connect them with educational and emotional tools needed. They often can’t do anything about where they live or who they live with, but with your help staff at Sheltering Wings equips children to prepare for frightening situations, connect with trusted adults and learn how to break the cycle of abuse for future generations.”

Since 2002, Sheltering Wings has been changing and saving the lives of women and children, helping more than 16,000 people since inception. Besides providing safe housing for victims of domestic violence, Sheltering Wings helps women prepare to return to safe, abuse-free lives.

“We’ve helped women receive high school equivalency diplomas, find jobs, save for a home, work through anger and grief, create a safety plan, learn how to create and maintain a budget, become more effective parents, secure transportation, learn about Christ, and find hope and healing,” says Martin. “We’ve been a listening ear, a guide in the midst of troubling times, a shoulder to cry on, a safe place to vent, and their biggest cheerleaders.”

Sheltering Wings was formed in the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ. The purpose is to extend the love and compassion of Christ to women and their children in the desperate circumstances of domestic violence. Assistance is offered in the name of Christ to any victim of any background.

Stories from Sheltering Wings:

“When I grow up, I want to be a police officer. I want to help people who have been beaten and nail the bad guys who are committing crimes and being violent,” says a 13-year-old boy receiving support from Sheltering Wings. “My family is healing. I am less angry at my abusers, and my attitude is improving. I feel more safe and am a happier person since coming to live here.”

“Rachel” found herself at Sheltering Wings as a result of her mother calling the 24-hour crisis hotline. Rachel’s mother was at the end of her rope; she knew her daughter needed help and she had determined that Rachel could not live with her. The abusive relationship Rachel was in put everyone at risk, including herself and her children. So Rachel went to stay at Sheltering Wings. She arrived with a one-year-old daughter and was pregnant. She did not initially want to be there; she had addictions and was suicidal. However, through the Life Skills program, she was able to find employment. She learned about healthy relationships through support groups. She even saved up enough to move to a place of her own. She is now in school and is maintaining a 3.8 GPA. The future looks promising for Rachel.

Jesus House, an aftercare ministry of Jesus Inside Prison Ministry and the Indianapolis Pastors’ Gathering, gives men released from prison a place to live until they can find a job. This is a place of restoration and preparation for ex-offenders, who have turned to Christ.

According to Jesus House statistics, about 80 percent of all men who enter prison are released within four years after serving time for nonviolent offenses.

“We continue to be a prison aftercare program in which men come directly from prison to live for free until they have a job. The job is not the answer, the ‘renewing of their minds’ is. It’s a new way of living in their Christian faith,” says Dr. Dave Schlueter, who is involved with the ministry.

Schlueter tells the story of Eric, who stated three or four months in Jesus House, and then went on to college. Last winter, as an intern, Eric preached at the First Presbyterian Church of Palm Beach. “We have many successes and few failures,” he says.

In 2016, Jesus House received a $1,250 matching-fund grant to support the ministry in a zoning challenge.

“Jesus House was truly blessed by the Foundation with a grant that helped us pay off our building and improve our financial position,” says Schlueter.

Jesus Inside Prison Ministry (JIPM) was founded by Pastor William Bumphus, who has dedicated his life to turning people from crime to Christ and providing effective aftercare when they’re released from prison. In addition, the Lord has placed a burden in the heart of Bumphus to help prisoners make successful transitions from prison life to productive lives in the general society. As a result, Jesus House came into existence and began accepting recently released prisoners during 1998.