About Our Chapter
Mission
Through a five-day summer camp, Royal Family KIDS Camp of Austin fosters resiliency, self-esteem, hope and positive memories for area foster children who have experienced relational trauma. Our curriculum and activities use Trust-Based Relational Intervention so that campers experience life-giving activities all week.
Vision
We cannot all foster or adopt, but we can all help change a life! Royal Family KIDS of Austin promotes physical, emotional, and spiritual healing for child victims of neglect, abuse, and abandonment through a fun-filled five-day camp in a safe environment.
Our staff and volunteers are motivated by the example Christ set to share a common goal of caring for those Jesus referred to as “The least of these.”
Value
Our five-day camp creates a space where children entering or already in the child welfare system can learn to develop healthy relationships, build trust, and begin healing.
Austin’s Royal Family KIDS Camp History
Austin’s Royal Family KIDS Camp began in 1994, when the Church of Glad Tidings in Austin joined with the soon-to-become international Royal Family KIDS Camp organization. Jeanie and Calvin Estepp served as Camp Directors for Camp #19 for more than twenty years.
In 2018, Debbie Watson and Netra VonHeeder stepped into the role as Co-Directors of our Austin camp. Even through the challenges that Covid put in our way, we still managed to provide a fun camp experience each year for our Austin-area foster kids, with a “Camp-in-a-Box” experience for every camper’s home in 2020 and a one-day camp in 2021. We were thrilled to bring back our normal five-day camp away from home in 2022 and we hope that our camp will continue serving area foster children for many, many more years.
Find a way to get involved with Royal Family KIDS Camp of Austin. Whether you support these foster kids with donations, with your time, or with your prayers - we appreciate every bit!
Everybody can do something!
Royal Family KIDS Camp of Austin 2019
What’s camp like for our campers? See for yourself! Activities vary from year to year, but here are some glimpses of a couple of our most recent week-long camps.
Check out our camp!
Royal Family KIDS Camp of Austin 2024
BY THE NUMBERS…
15,844
Foster Children
As of January 1, 2025, there were 15,844 foster children in Texas. Of those, 1,985 were living within the region served by our Royal Family KIDS Camp.
32 Years
of Austin RFK Camp
Our Austin camp was founded in 1994 and we held our first camp in 1995. Hundreds of volunteers have served - not only at camp but all year long.
1,528
Campers Served
Over the past 30 years we have served 1,493 campers at Royal Family KIDS Camp of Austin.
