Camp Courageous CEO steps down after 45 years with nonprofit for people with disabilities

MONTICELLO — After more than 45 years, the chief executive officer of Camp Courageous is stepping down to make way for new leadership.

Charlie Becker started as executive director in April 1980, the month before the Camp Courageous Perpetual Fund was started by volunteer Dr. Earl DeShaw. Using interest from the fund to help operating expenses, DeShaw, then 80, told the camp board he would devote his life to Camp Courageous and the Perpetual Fund.

But, as it turns out, he wouldn’t be the only one dedicating so much time to the camp for people with disabilities and their families.

During Becker’s time as CEO, the camp has grown from five buildings to 35 buildings; from 40 acres to 400 acres; and from a few hundred campers to nearly 10,000 a year.

Now, after dedicating most of his working life to Camp Courageous, Becker shift his entire attention on the foundation that supports the recreational and respite facilities in Monticello, where he has also served as CEO since 1980. The Perpetual Fund continues to be the primary funding source of Camp Courageous, which has always been run on donations without government support.

Campers pay a fee to attend Camp Courageous, which represents less than 10 percent of the cost to care for the camper. No campers are turned away for inability to pay.

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The board of directors for Camp Courageous is conducting a nationwide search for a new CEO and expects to have one hired by the end of this year. Those interested in applying can submit a resume and cover letter to HR@campcourageous.org. For more information, visit www.campcourageous.org.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Q: How did your journey start with Camp Courageous?

A: I was a teacher in southeastern Iowa (for three years) and had a desire to return to northeastern Iowa. I had student-taught in Monticello, and thought it was a nice community to raise a family.

I replied to a help-wanted ad I saw in the Des Moines Register. I had gone to a Y camp and leadership camp when I was young and as an American government teacher, I would use my free period to take those with disabilities to our local Y to learn to swim. In addition, I helped raise money to send these students to a camp in Des Moines.

Q: Which hats (positions) have you worn over the years?

A: Camp Courageous is a small and humble organization, so we all wear all the hats. In the early years, the staff was very small, so I helped to register campers on Sundays and also assisted with maintenance or facilities when it was needed.

Q: Forty-five years is an unusually long time for anyone to be with one organization, especially in today's world. What has compelled you to dedicate yourself to Camp Courageous and stick with it for so long?

A: Originally, I thought I would be in the position for two years, like the Peace Corps. But the relationships grew from the board, campers and staff to the volunteers.

We were at rock bottom, and we began to see light in the tunnel. I think a secret to Camp Courageous' success has been longevity in key positions from the board, staff and volunteers.

Jeanne Muellerleile, camp’s director of programs, was with camp nearly 40-years; Sharon Roller, the camp’s medical director, was with camp full-time for over 30 years; and the list goes on and on.

The philosophy has been recruiting the best, treat them the best, and hope they retire at camp. It is all about the people and Camp Courageous has been blessed with exceptional friends, board members, staff and volunteers.

Q: What are some of your proudest accomplishments in your time with Camp Courageous?

A: I have been very pleased with the growth of the camp.

The camp has grown from 211 campers served in a summer program in 1974 to nearly 10,000 campers in a year-round program today. It has grown from 40 acres to 400, five buildings to 35 buildings, and from a staff of 12 to 100. In addition, it has grown from a few hundred volunteers to thousands.

It gives me great joy when campers, along with their family and friends, say coming to Camp Courageous is the highlight of their loved one’s year.

Q: Over the decades, there has been a shift in the way society approaches and cares for folks with disabilities. How has the mentality and real-life application on caring for folks with disabilities changed, from your perspective?

A: One of the proudest perspectives I’ve seen change in the past 45 years has gone from separating individuals with disabilities to mainstreaming in our school systems. When I came in 1980, Camp Courageous was not accepted like it is today.

It humbles me that today, schools will travel for as much as an hour to have their proms at camp — or a wedding. The stigma has greatly lessened and that is huge.

Q: Most organizations evolve over time, and people with your tenure have the privilege of seeing and holding the institutional knowledge of that evolution. How has Camp Courageous adapted and evolved over the years to overcome challenges and changes?

A: COVID was a huge wake-up call for me. No matter how well we had every aspect of Camp Courageous down to a science, COVID turned it upside down, particularly with hiring staff — the key to camp’s success.

In 45 years I have seen just about everything, so nothing gets me too excited.

The beauty of the management of Camp Courageous is that it can turn on a dime. There isn’t a lot of hierarchy, just good people doing what is best for the campers.

Q: What has been your favorite part of the job and the mission you serve?

A: At the end of each weeklong session, there is an awards ceremony where every camper will receive an award for something that made them special. It is an activity parents/guardians are welcome to attend.

There are many tears in the audience as each camper receives their award. And the true joy felt at that time is so heartwarming.

Q: What prompted this transition to dedicate your time solely on the foundation?

A: The short answer is I am ready and camp is ready. It is beautiful to have this happen when I’m feeling 100 percent, mentally and physically. I am excited to help with the smooth transition.

Q: Tell us what this transition will look like as a new CEO takes over at Camp Courageous. Who will be affected, directly and indirectly?

A: As Camp Courageous transitions to new leadership, the first few months will be heavily focused on helping this person build strong relations with our staff, campers, families, volunteers and donors. It will be a gradual handoff of every aspect of camp to the new person and when the new person is ready, they take the reins, and I will step aside and give 100 percent attention to the foundation.

Q: What are your biggest hopes and dreams for this organization as new leadership takes the baton?

A: It is my hope and desire for Camp Courageous to touch more lives than ever before with it continuing to be the highlight of the year for those campers who attend.

I would like to see it continue to be 100 percent run on donations and with a huge volunteer influence. And continue to grow in all areas, facilities, staffing, volunteers, and programs.

Maybe camp’s travel program will bring the first camper to the moon!

Q: What will you miss most as you leave this position to focus solely on the foundation?

A: The day-to-day interaction with an exceptional board, staff, campers, volunteers and supporters.

The beauty of Camp Courageous is one can see it, one can feel it, one can be a part of the joy it brings to so many.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.