Mission
We exist to equip inner city
youth for the challenges of life.
Our Goal
Base Camp exists to equip inner-city youth with the knowledge and skills necessary to make positive life choices and discover career paths through a caring community of businesses, churches and volunteers.
Structure
Providing the youth of inner-city Grand Rapids
a safe and structured place to learn and grow.
Structure
Serving the youth means having a structure that is able to change. Our safe environment is also adaptable in order to meet the needs of who we serve.
History
Base camp was founded in 1992 and has been helping
our community for no charge since day one.
History
Our name has changed in the past, but our mission and purpose remain the same. We will continue serve our community into the future.
Impact
Helping hundreds of inner-city youth by providing
a foundation of hope and encouragement.
Impact
This far reaching and long lasting impact is shown through our high graduation rates and the values that we teach.
Kelly Ellis
Executive Director
Kelly, an alumni of Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and has been with Base Camp Urban Outreach since 1992.
She excelled in the education program at Cornerstone as an English major with a minor in Spanish. Her instruction included Christian education and extensive literacy classes.
She has 30 years of urban ministry experience that includes program development, Bible teaching, volunteer recruitment and facilities management.
In addition, Kelly has served as the director of children's ministries at Tallmadge Community Church, in Grand Rapids, and Solomon's Porch Church in Jenison.
Her deep passion to minister to the needs of urban youth has earned her the love of hundreds of kids and the respect of area schools.
Kelly@basecampgr.org
Brooklyn Keenan
Program Director
Brooklyn graduated from Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2022 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree as well as minor in Spanish. She has served at Base Camp since 2018 as a volunteer, work study student, and intern, before becoming Program Director in 2022.
She spent her college years familiarizing herself with local organizations that specialize in serving the Hispanic community, giving her a deeper understanding of the culture, needs, and experiences that the kids at Base Camp often relate to.
Brooklyn spent her final semester at Cornerstone as an intern with Kids Alive International in Guatemala. She worked with a multidisciplinary team of trained professionals, including social workers and psychologists, to serve girls who have experienced significant abuse. She lived in a transitional independent living home for young women and learned to engage with them in their culture and language, along with supporting their needs through intentional and holistic interventions.
Her valued experiences make Brooklyn excited to work with the kids and families at Base Camp, using the foundational knowledge and skills she has gained and continues to improve as a social worker.