Annual Report June 1, 2022 to October 31, 2023
Teton Valley Ranch Camp Education Foundation
Letter from Executive Director and Board Chair Jim Ligori EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Brooks Crenshaw Board President
With our 85th year in the rearview mirror and the impending winter weather about to descend on Jackson Hole, we are proud to share this annual report with our community. This season, TVRC hosted another successful camp program. We were at capacity with girls and approaching capacity with boys. Campers continued to hike and ride on the historic trails and followed TVRC tradition in Backpacks, Pack Trips, and Wyoming Adventures. We are already over 70% enrolled for the 2024 season with waitlists for some of the older Adventure Groups. We would love our community's help with filling out the remainder of our program. The business side of any large nonprofit organization is complex, and TVRC is no different. Over the last year, we have seen significant inflation costs in our consumable goods like food, fuel, and livestock. Further costs associated with property insurance and staffing have skyrocketed. The effects of inflation coupled with our remote location, our dedication to quality staff, and the demands of running a world class facility have started to stretch our financial resources. Although we make reasonable decisions when and where we can, TVRC will never compromise the integrity of our program, the safety of our campers and staff, or our commitment to our infrastructure. In that vein, our expenses have grown to where it has become challenging to keep up using simple tuition increases that remain sustainable for our families. In 2024, to cover the predicted costs of our program and administration, tuition should be closer to $9,000 per child. In other terms, we are constantly looking at about a $350,000 gap between tuition and expenses. We have been able to avoid drastic increases in tuition, thanks in part to our healthy endowment and contributions from many gracious members of our community. We are grateful for every check we receive, and there truly is no amount that is too small to have an impact. Even $20 buys water balloons for Final Rodeo! But relying on the generosity of our community is not a sustainable long term solution. It tides us over, helps us weather the storm (of the Lava Mountain Fire or Covid), but it is simply irresponsible to look the other way and keep operating as per usual. As we look towards the future, we realize there might be opportunities for challenging and thought provoking exercises to reimagine what TVRC might be. The choice to stay with the program we have or shift to other models. To ask and answer the question, “are we best serving our campers, staff, and families?” This is where we want to hear from you, our families and alumni. What do you want the vision of “Our Ranch” to be as we think about the future? We would love to hear from you on ways you think we could continue to ensure that TVRC remains a superior summer program. As you read through the rest of our annual report, please keep in mind what future campers, staff, and families might need. We cannot look forward to the future without also recognizing where we have been, and our challenging and historic past. Surviving 85 summers in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a feat in itself. Much of where TVRC is today is because of the thoughtfulness, care, and compassion of the folks that have come before us. We are truly standing on the shoulders of giants, but now it is our turn to take that first step and start crafting the next 85 years! Won’t you join us?
2023
Teton Valley Ranch Camp
Highlights “That summer I learned that TVRC is not an ordinary summer camp, but rather a place that pushes you out of your comfort zone to make you a more confident version of yourself.” – Charlotte (Trailblazer ‘23)
2022-2023 Board Brooks Crenshaw
Betsy Martindale
LT Thompson
Jimmy Bartz
Walter McLallen
Darin Wenger
David Patterson
Debbie Meade
Reyn Whitman
Daryl Peightal
Will Northrop
Advisory Members
Carla Hodulik
Britt Packouz
Dan Kunsman
Joe Ragland
President, Spartanburg, SC
Vice President, Jackson, WY
Treasurer, Houston, TX
Secretary, Jackson, WY
Bronxville, NY
Washington, DC
New York, NY
Nashville, TN
Denver, CO
Boise, ID
San Francisco, CA
Cincinnati, OH
Hickory, NC
Pewaukee, WI
Northampton, MA
Annie Egan, MD Jacksonville, FL
Kim Kryder Eliot, ME
Ernest May III Great Falls, VA
On July 11th, 2023, we commemorated both our Boys’ Final Rodeo and TVRC’s 1939 inception with our 85th Celebration. Not only did we rejoice with our current Boys’ Season families about our successful session, but we also welcomed many alumni, friends, and families to the ranch adding up to more than 430 attendees. We had as many as three generations of TVRC alumni present for the event. Current and past Board Members, Program Directors, and Camp Directors, many of whom have children currently serving on our staff or attending as campers, also joined in on the fun. We celebrated with Alumni Team Roping, live music, delicious food, auctions, and compelling stories of how TVRC has molded and enhanced the lives of so many. Thank you to all who attended, supported, contributed, and affirmed Teton Valley Ranch Camp’s legacy will continue for generations to come.
“A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.” While Teton Valley Ranch Camp has always designed its program to challenge its campers to grow in the spirit of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s coeval 1938 Fireside Chat quote, the ever-impulsive whims of the greater Yellowstone Ecosystem further encouraged our camp community to embrace resilience this year. One does not become hard as nails by staying inside, and what better opportunity to do so than by charging headfirst into a season filled with three times the average amount of weather? Our campers still trekked and rode across hundreds of miles of Wyoming wilderness, wrangled dozens of horses at dawn, slept in personally-made shelters, completed ceremonies, and more while enduring the nearly nine inches of rain and more than thirty thunderstorms that we encountered throughout the summer. Amidst the rain and lightning, our campers delved further into the essential elements of their Adventure Groups. Yearlings spent more time discovering Yellowstone, through day hikes and backpacking trips while also venturing out on inaugural trips to Grizzly Gulch, our brandnew on-camp Pack Trip site. Rough Riders immersed themselves in, and gained a deeper understanding of, the lands around them by getting out of camp on a wide variety of day and overnight trips. Top Hands took on the responsibility of leading the community in Chapel on Rodeo Days while also scouting new trip routes dependent on their specialty for future TVRC summers. Wranglers focused on developing Pack Trip skills: fastening panniers securely with diamond hitches, cooking large quantities of food over a fire, leading mules while riding, and more. Trailblazers contemplated their time at the Ranch in a structured, consistent manner to help them answer one of the most profound questions of the TVRC experience: “why was this experience special?” Underneath the inherent daily complexity and turbulent nature of the program pervaded a sense of tranquility and certainty, stemming from the outstanding attitudes of both our campers and staff alike. The success of the program, regardless of its presentation, plan, or structure, depends upon the enthusiasm and belief injected into it by the participants. The hundreds of hours spent throughout the offseason intentionally filling our community with people committed to our mission made for a fulfilling and enjoyable summer. People remain the most important ingredient for a successful summer at Teton Valley Ranch Camp. As we continue to welcome those with a passion for the purpose, mission, and values of TVRC, we will continue to make magical, defining experiences for our community for generations to come, regardless of what Wyoming throws at us.
From the Desk of the Program Director Summer 2023 Recap
The Mission of Teton Valley Ranch Camp is to provide inspiring western adventure in the Jackson Hole and Yellowstone area.
Every dollar you give to TVRC supports our mission to get kids outdoors so they can build grit and resilience and make memories and friendships to last a lifetime. Last year, your gifts bought 30 new saddles for our Barn Program which allowed us to retire some well-loved Pack Trip and Rough Ride saddles form the 1960s. Your gifts also supported the building of our new on-camp Pack Trip site, Grizzly Gulch, finishing our pasture fencing, laying a foundation for a new staff cabin, and providing scholarships for more kids to experience our wild valley and to learn what it means to be “Ready to Ride”. Seventy-six donors also gave to TVRC for the first time last year for a grand total of $40,747.68. Every dollar raised helps to fund the transformative experiences that TVRC is known for, and we are thankful for each and every donor that partners with us in making those experiences possible whether you are giving for the twentieth time or the first. For the 2023 camp season, we gave more scholarships than ever with a total of $81,050 being awarded to 19 campers. However, the demonstrated need from last year far outpaced our typical scholarship funding with the total ask amount totaling to $116,950. As we plan for the future, we are increasing our Annual Scholarship ask to $130,000 to help make it possible for more children to experience the spirit of western adventure and discover for themselves what it means to have the Strength to Lead and the Faith to Follow. Ultimately, your gifts to TVRC teach kids the crucial stuff of life: how to step outside of your comfort zone, how to persist in the face of adversity whether that be in the face of grueling switchbacks or another challenge closer to home, and how to be the leader the situation demands.
“I am a third-generation camper, and I have heard stories of TVRC for my entire life, but I never really knew what it really meant. But finally going to TVRC has really taught me what the TVRC experience really is. It gave me many opportunities that I would never have had in my life. It gave me chances to make friends and memories that I will have for a lifetime. It was filled with adventure and action, and it helped me get closer to the wilderness and like to be outside more.” – Colter (third-generation camper and scholarship recipient)
Statement of Activities
Year Ended October 31, 2022
Without donor restrictions
With donor restrictions
Total
SUPPORT AND REVENUE Public Support Camp tuition Contributions Camp store sales, net of $39,097 in costs Miscellaneous income Dividends, interest and capital gains, net of expense Net unrealized loss on investments Net assets released from restrictions
$ 1,876,596 466,228 22,721 48,280 158,869 (1,514,703) —
— — — — — — —
$ 1,876,596 466,228 22,721 48,280 158,869 (1,514,703) —
1,057,991
—
1,057,991
2,204,569 222,152 73,667
— — —
2,204,569 222,152 73,667
Total expenses
2,500,388
—
2,500,388
Change in net assets
(1,442,397)
—
(1,442,397)
Net assets, beginning of year, as restated
12,624,951
5,124,521
17,749,472
$ 11,182,554
$ 5,124,521
$ 16,307,075
Total support and revenue
EXPENSES Program Management and administration Fundraising
Net assets, end of year
See: https://www.tvrcamp.org/foundation/giving-to-tvrc/financial-statements for the Independent Accountant's Review Report, accompanying notes to financial statements, our most current 990, and the link to our GuideStar profile.
In Appreciation Teton Valley Ranch Camp Education Foundation gratefully acknowledges the following individuals, foundations, and corporations who made generous contributions between June 1, 2022 and October 31, 2023. The generosity of our donors ensures that the next generation of campers will continue to experience the wild wonder of western adventure and learn what it means to be Ready to Ride. $50,000+
$4,999 to $2,500
Anonymous
Robert Adams
Anonymous The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole
Jon Cohen and Nancy Donahoe
Joe Ragland The Claire and Steve Ryberg Family
$49,999 to $25,000
Michael and Samantha Jordan Kapil and Preeti Juneja
Susan and Kent Cadwalader
John Kean Jr. and Abby Kean
The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan Amy and Rob MacKethan
Charles and Jane Kusek
Alison Cormack
Alex and Jessica Macgregor
Brooks and Carolyn Crenshaw
Anonymous
George and Annie Egan
David and Kary Duncan
Mike and Dawn Fisher
Carla and John Hodulik
Ann and Clark F. MacKenzie
$24,999 to $10,000
David and Ameeta Jordan
Charles and Jolie Nelson
Dan and Isabel Kunsman Wrenn and Haley Landers
$999 to $500 Kirsten Aunapu and Scott Worsdell The Alexander and Sally Bracken Family Fund Alexander and Sally Bracken Marshall Cherry Katie Coleman
Ernest N. May III and Rachel May
The Community Foundation of Greater Memphis Robert and Molly Gooch
Brent and Laura McIntosh
Jimmy and Katie Clapp
Walter F. McLallen Sr.
Fredrick Aldrich Dick
Maureen and Russell Murfey
DC and Dave Eichelberger
Art and Elizabeth Murphy
Matt and Tori Eversmann
Scott and Heather Norby
John and Robin Fields
Lammot Copeland Jr. and Deborah
The Waring and Carmen Partridge Foundation Waring and Carmen Partridge
Patricia and Will Northrop
Jeffrey E. Fisher
Copeland
Daryl and Fred Peightal
Britt and Robyn Packouz
Ryan Foley
Christian and Kimberly Kryder
Margaretta Sacco
Joseph and Louise Parzick
T. Bondurant and Holis French
McCrea Foundation Phoebe and Gray Muzzy
The Paul and Edit Babson Foundation Olivia Sohns
Thomas and Julia Patterson
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort John and Karen Kemmerer
Christy and Donaldson Miele
Woody and Jennifer Taft
Marian Price
Ellie Kroeger
Bert Smith Oldsmobile Inc.
James and Leslie Walter
Tamah and Grant Proops
Jim and Cora Ligori
Henry E. & Consuelo S. Wenger Foundation, Inc. Consuelo Pierrepont Spittler
Rencourt Foundation Inc. Griffin Hurlbut
Wight and Betsy Martindale
The Reinhold Family Foundation George, Annie, and Grace Egan
Willinda McCrea
Catherine Bonwick and Bill Moore
EW Smith III and Margaret Smith Kelly and Nancy Stirn Alexander and Robin Stuart Kelly Storer Thomas
$2,499 to $1,000
Susan and Bob Peck
Anonymous
Mark Roberts
Cody Barber
David Robertson
Martha Berlin Brown
Black Tie Ski Rentals Scott Eastman
Erin and Patrick Sloane
Charles and Lael Chester
Todd and Daleet Spector
Louise and Robert Bland
The Catherine K. Clifford Fund Catherine Clifford and Aaron Bush
Sharon and Tom Teles
The Boeschenstein Family Foundation Bill and Jo Boeschenstein
Jim and Sara TenBroek
Jackie and John Fallenstein
Mason and Lynn Carter
The Feldman Weatherhead Charitable Fund Mary and Steven Feldman
The Chester Family Foundation Jim and Karen Chester
$9,999 to $5,000 The Becker Sisters’ Fund
H. Lawrence and Lela Thompson Henry and Mary Thompson TVRC-EF Board Patty Van Housen
Richard U. May Allan and Darina McKelvie Jeff and Rachel Moss Melissa and Scott Murfey Robert Nutting Mark and Olivia Osborne David B. and Patricia G. Penske John and Beth Phillips Doug Ross Brandon and Katrina Ryan Allison and Chris Spears
Warren and Linda Fleming
Elton Dixon Crenshaw Jr. and Ann Crenshaw
The Waldo Trust
Forever Victory Lap
Bonnie and John England*
Roderick and Margaret Wagner
Tim Gardiner
Peter and Shimae Fitzgibbons
Eddie and Grace Wall
Ellen Wilson Tambor and Richard Tambor
Maria and Worthy Johnson
Patti Fonatanini
WEN Foundation
Thai Me Up Restaurant
Fritz Maytag
Rick and Lynn Giesen
Darin and Lisa Wenger
Chris and Kelly Thompson
The Nelson Mead Fund Betsy and Nelson Mead Jennie Rosenthal John and Teresa Russell George Crossan Seybolt Jr. and Margaret Meyer Seybolt
Sullivan Family Charitable Fund John Sullivan
Tom and Tina Gilmore
Reyn Whitman
Anne and R.J. Grissinger
Wicks Chapin Inc. (Foley Family Foundation) Kim J. Foley III and Noel Foley
Anonymous
Kendrick R. Wilson IV
George Bull
Mark and Laura Yockey
Amy Cherry
Debbie and Martin Zingg
Cinkala Family Fund Susan and Dean Cinkala
David Harbaugh Shepard and Melissa Harris
T. Sandy and Romayne Thompson
John W. & Clara C. Higgins Foundation Heather Wilding
Nick and Whiteley Wheeler
Catherine and Tom Holland Phil and Laura Huffman
$499 to $250 Sara Scott Adamson
$249 to $1
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida Ben Egan Jeffrey and Cristina Craigmile George and Lee Cummins Carrie Davis and Agustin Gomez-Lael Chris Deming Steve and Katherine Elms Anne Fung and Jeffrery Sternberg Patrick Garvey Give’r Bubba Albrecht The Glenmede Trust Company Kristin Klein Spindel, Shawn Spindel, and Megan Klein Kowalchik John and Valerie Goettler Merrill Chester Gregg Patricia and Orren Grushkin Buck and Allison Holmes Jennifer Huffman
Javi Huta
Norm Thomas
Nathan and Sara Aldinger
Fisher Isbell
Libby Thompson
Jason Anderson
Allan Johnson III
Jane Tune
Anonymous
Kristin and Peter Karpen
Audrey Tunney
Paul Armstrong
Jennifer and Patrick Keenan
Polly and Wayne Turner
Jack Koehler and Kristen Simpson
Carter Vance
Susan and William Bardel
MADE
Wes Vanden Brink
Cindy and Jimmy Bartz
Kathleen Marshall
Jan and Martha Van Nierop
Joan Bose
Craig N. Martin
Holly Hancock Von Guilleaume
Clement Banwell
Dan and Tenley Bowen
Barbara Milanese
Terry Von Guilleaume
Wyatt and Isabel Bradford
Becket Monaghan
John H. Wenner
Michelle and Robert Bradway
Sara Morris
Karen Wernicke
Amanda Brennan
Lauren Morrissey
Anson Brown
Marjorie Mountain
Graham Brown
Peter W. Moyer
Mary P. Brown
New West Knife Works
Robert and Caroline Butler
Network for Good
Joe Cameruca
Olivia Nielsen
In Memory Hazen S. Capron Lammot “Chip” Copeland III Catherine England Laurie Giesen Jen Johnson
Karen Casey
Paige Nielsen
Carly and Ned Chanatry
Robin Nielsen
William Chester
Becca Miller Mahon
Irving V. Clarke
Robert McCary
Quinn and Kim Kryder
Cornelius and Catherine Colley
Deirdre O’Mara
Grace Wall
Leslie Davidson
Margot O’Mara
Brooks and Carolyn Crenshaw
Peter and Darian Dragge
Francis J. Palamara
The Proops Kids
Herbert Dunmeyer
Gretchen Pitcairn
Lindsay Spears, Camper 2015-2018
EcoTour Adventures, LLC
Anne-Marie and Edmund Resor
Jack Davis
Samantha Strawbridge Eddy
William Ripley
Emalia and Davis Eichelberger
Grace Egan
Charles Rogers Jr. and Lee Rogers
TVRC Staff
Christian and Zoe Farris
Thomas G. Safford
Reyn Whitman
Fine Dining Restaurant Group
Kathleen Sauer
Abby and Cameron Wilding
Jo Ellen Flynn
Harvey Schmidt
Anna Mahon
The Parker Foundation Doug and Alicia Parker
Petria Fossel
Katharine D. Schutt
Dede and Meica O’Mara
Linda Frick
Christine and Fred Seely
John M. Reynolds
Gerry Gafford
Evelyn Silverstein
Sandy and Mark Robbins
Jill and Mark Garvin
Monty Singer
Saverin Giving Fund Laura Mabon Saverin
Ruth and Gary Wayne Glass
Matthew Sloan
Sadie Hanscom
Stephanie J. Smart
Keith Sproule
Leslye and David Hardie
David and Katrina Stainton
Liz Storer and Luther Propst
Deirdre Harris
Robert Strawbridge
Patty and Rob Thompson
Ashley and Diana Heather
Lynn and Stephan Syz
Uncle Larry’s Fund LT and Lela Thompson
Heidi Hughes-Linehan and James Linehan
Teton Toys
Abigail Inkster Mike Kelly Peter and Louise Kenyon Carlisle Knight Malcolm Kostuchenko Roland R. MacKenzie Maxwell Maurer Debbie Meade Wayne and Helene Moore Thomas and Denise Ochsenschlager Peter and Terri Ogden Pawel and Joanna Okenczyc Chris Ooten Kathy and Mark Oppenhuizen
Amy Kircher Wright
Catherine Nix
In Honor
Rachel and Robin Thebault
* We are honored to recognize donors who are no longer with us, but have made a permanent impact through their years of generosity. Our staff and board are the true behind-the-scenes heroes. The TV brand represents staff members and board members who donated this fiscal year. Teton Valley Ranch Camp Education Foundation strives to provide accurate recognition of donors. If you feel that there has been an error or omission, please contact our office at 307-733-6122 so that we may correct our records.
“At camp, I have learned the power of empathy, compassion, and brotherhood.” “You have to try to be better each day, it doesn’t matter where anyone else is, it only matters the steps you’re taking.” – Oak (Trailblazer ‘22)
“I came back and fell in love with the backcountry and the understanding that life isn’t meant to be comfortable, but it should never be rushed.” – Sophia (Trailblazer ‘23)