About
Camp Aranzazu offers activities such as sailing, kayaking, fishing, archery, bird watching, arts and crafts, and a Challenge Course. Campers also take part in nature education, use a bird blind and boardwalks, and gather around a firepit. The program includes storytimes, music sessions, and arts and crafts through virtual camping activities.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
Camp Aranzazu states that it is built for belonging and is inclusive of campers of all ages and abilities, and it hosts groups of campers with disabilities, medical diagnoses, or other unique challenges. Its mission statement is that Camp Aranzazu cultivates belonging for campers of all ages and abilities by creating accessible, empowering, and intentional camp experiences in a coastal environment. The camp is accredited by the American Camp Association, operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and is recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
Camp Aranzazu has 100 acres of accessible grounds and buildings to explore, including 28 acres on Copano Bay that are reached by a 600-foot bridge, and it offers bayfront programs such as sailing on the bay, fishing from a pier, and using a floating dock. Facilities include a nature education building, bird blind, boardwalks, a firepit, a Party Pool, a Dining Hall, and an Administration Building. Holly’s Trolley was added in 2023 to transport campers to bayfront activities. The camp reports that 32,500 campers and their support staff have been served at Camp Aranzazu, it works with approximately 50 partner organizations each year, it has 14 full-time staff members, and $7 million has been raised for the Camp Aranzazu Resiliency Fund.
Camp Aranzazu’s history includes its founding as a fully accredited camp and 501(c)(3) in 2006 after Tom and Holly Forney purchased the first 20 acres of coastal land in 1997, with trial camping groups beginning in 2002. The Challenge Course and Archery Range were added in 2007, and the camp became a Certified Wildlife Habitat in 2011. In 2016, a new Dining Hall, Administration Building, and Party Pool were added. The camp was directly in the path of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and nearly every building required some repair or replacement and nearly 25% of live oaks on the grounds were lost, with campers returning in early 2018. The Unlimited Horizons Capital Campaign was completed in 2018, making the fully developed bayfront property and programs available. In 2020, all in-person camping sessions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual camping activities, including arts and crafts, were produced in a series called “May The Good Times Never End.” In 2023, Holly’s Trolley was added, and in 2024 the camp hosted its first national camp, The Amputee Coalition’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp. From 2023 to 2026, Camp Aranzazu is operating under a strategic plan, and 2026 will mark 20 years of serving campers.
The leadership team includes a Board of Directors, an Advisory Board, and camp staff. The Board of Directors includes members such as Fields Alexander, Partner at Beck Redden, L.L.P.; Mary Margaret Ara, M.D., Entrepreneur and Managing Partner of Sahara Investments; and Traci McLester Arellano, Chair and Executive Director | Government Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co., along with other professionals from fields such as healthcare, education, construction, finance, and business. The Advisory Board includes community volunteers, business and financial consultants, community leaders, executives, and professionals from organizations such as Hazel Smyth Jewelry, First State Bank, Vinson & Elkins, and Rock City Church Corpus Christi. Camp staff includes Program Supervisor Hannah Heide, CTRS, a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and Taylor Maanao is listed as a Challenge Course Trainer.
Camp Aranzazu serves campers and their support staff from more than 55 counties in Texas and hosts groups of campers with disabilities, medical diagnoses, or other unique challenges in partnership with about 50 organizations each year. It hosted The Amputee Coalition’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp in 2024. During Hurricane Harvey recovery, neighbors and the camp community helped clean up, rebuild, and prepare to host campers again. Media coverage notes that Islander interns gained career experiences and increased wages through a THECB grant in connection with Camp Aranzazu.
Testimonials from partner organizations and professionals describe their experiences with the camp. Angela Moss, MDA Camp Director for Central and South Texas, states that her campers have neuromuscular disorders that require constant attention, care, and special accommodations, and that Camp Aranzazu’s staff listen to the campers’ needs and make the week “magical,” with campers calling their time there “the Best Week of the Year.” Board member Denise Hazen says that kids at Camp Aranzazu “just want to be typical and enjoy life” and that “camp changes these kids, and the benefits last far beyond their time at camp.” Nurse Nathan Smith, BSN, RN, from Driscoll Children’s Hospital says that he sees some of these kids at their “worst” in the hospital, but at camp he sees them at their “absolute best,” with “no IVs, no needles, no hospital beds… only time with friends, fresh air, and the challenge and triumph of new experiences,” and he describes a feeling of belonging and an “overwhelming sense of healing” for campers and for himself.
Last updated February 2, 2026.
• Ages: 0–18 years old
Camp Aranzazu states that it is built for belonging and is inclusive of campers of all ages and abilities, and it hosts groups of campers with disabilities, medical diagnoses, or other unique challenges. Its mission statement is that Camp Aranzazu cultivates belonging for campers of all ages and abilities by creating accessible, empowering, and intentional camp experiences in a coastal environment. The camp is accredited by the American Camp Association, operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and is recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.
Camp Aranzazu has 100 acres of accessible grounds and buildings to explore, including 28 acres on Copano Bay that are reached by a 600-foot bridge, and it offers bayfront programs such as sailing on the bay, fishing from a pier, and using a floating dock. Facilities include a nature education building, bird blind, boardwalks, a firepit, a Party Pool, a Dining Hall, and an Administration Building. Holly’s Trolley was added in 2023 to transport campers to bayfront activities. The camp reports that 32,500 campers and their support staff have been served at Camp Aranzazu, it works with approximately 50 partner organizations each year, it has 14 full-time staff members, and $7 million has been raised for the Camp Aranzazu Resiliency Fund.
Camp Aranzazu’s history includes its founding as a fully accredited camp and 501(c)(3) in 2006 after Tom and Holly Forney purchased the first 20 acres of coastal land in 1997, with trial camping groups beginning in 2002. The Challenge Course and Archery Range were added in 2007, and the camp became a Certified Wildlife Habitat in 2011. In 2016, a new Dining Hall, Administration Building, and Party Pool were added. The camp was directly in the path of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, and nearly every building required some repair or replacement and nearly 25% of live oaks on the grounds were lost, with campers returning in early 2018. The Unlimited Horizons Capital Campaign was completed in 2018, making the fully developed bayfront property and programs available. In 2020, all in-person camping sessions were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and virtual camping activities, including arts and crafts, were produced in a series called “May The Good Times Never End.” In 2023, Holly’s Trolley was added, and in 2024 the camp hosted its first national camp, The Amputee Coalition’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp. From 2023 to 2026, Camp Aranzazu is operating under a strategic plan, and 2026 will mark 20 years of serving campers.
The leadership team includes a Board of Directors, an Advisory Board, and camp staff. The Board of Directors includes members such as Fields Alexander, Partner at Beck Redden, L.L.P.; Mary Margaret Ara, M.D., Entrepreneur and Managing Partner of Sahara Investments; and Traci McLester Arellano, Chair and Executive Director | Government Banking at JPMorgan Chase & Co., along with other professionals from fields such as healthcare, education, construction, finance, and business. The Advisory Board includes community volunteers, business and financial consultants, community leaders, executives, and professionals from organizations such as Hazel Smyth Jewelry, First State Bank, Vinson & Elkins, and Rock City Church Corpus Christi. Camp staff includes Program Supervisor Hannah Heide, CTRS, a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist, and Taylor Maanao is listed as a Challenge Course Trainer.
Camp Aranzazu serves campers and their support staff from more than 55 counties in Texas and hosts groups of campers with disabilities, medical diagnoses, or other unique challenges in partnership with about 50 organizations each year. It hosted The Amputee Coalition’s Paddy Rossbach Youth Camp in 2024. During Hurricane Harvey recovery, neighbors and the camp community helped clean up, rebuild, and prepare to host campers again. Media coverage notes that Islander interns gained career experiences and increased wages through a THECB grant in connection with Camp Aranzazu.
Testimonials from partner organizations and professionals describe their experiences with the camp. Angela Moss, MDA Camp Director for Central and South Texas, states that her campers have neuromuscular disorders that require constant attention, care, and special accommodations, and that Camp Aranzazu’s staff listen to the campers’ needs and make the week “magical,” with campers calling their time there “the Best Week of the Year.” Board member Denise Hazen says that kids at Camp Aranzazu “just want to be typical and enjoy life” and that “camp changes these kids, and the benefits last far beyond their time at camp.” Nurse Nathan Smith, BSN, RN, from Driscoll Children’s Hospital says that he sees some of these kids at their “worst” in the hospital, but at camp he sees them at their “absolute best,” with “no IVs, no needles, no hospital beds… only time with friends, fresh air, and the challenge and triumph of new experiences,” and he describes a feeling of belonging and an “overwhelming sense of healing” for campers and for himself.
Last updated February 2, 2026.
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