During the early years of Club 13's existence, it was very involved with the Boys Hotel located on Armour Blvd. Every summer the Boys Hotel sponsored Camp BoHoCa, a camp open to all deserving and needy boys in Kansas City. This camp closed in 1923. Mr. Robert Gees, then Club 13 President, felt there was a continuing need for a place that could provide camp experiences for those in need and he and his wife personally saw to it that those needs were addressed.

They found an ideal location for the camp-40 acres of virgin soil, heavily wooded, with a stream of clear water and a rocky canyon - about 4 miles east of Unity Farm on Colbern Road in southeast Jackson County, Missouri. They acquired this land and made it available to Club 13 for use as a Camp. In 1928, the Gees placed the land in a Trust and granted our Club exclusive use of it in perpetuity for activities in service to youth.

By the 1940s, sessions were being held for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts with disabilities. This user orientation has continued with today's summer sessions devoted to groups who serve the physically, emotionally, and mentally disabled youth of Greater Kansas City.

One of the unique features of the Camp that was added in the 1990's is the handicap-accessible swimming pool, one of only a few specially designed swimming pools for special-needs children that exist in the Midwest.

Today the Rotary Youth Camp serves almost 1,500 summer campers and 5,000 off-season campers from many area schools, religious groups and scouting organizations each year. During the summer the Camp provides all facilities, meals, and swimming instructors at no charge to the organizations.

All of this activity was budgeted at $215,000 in 2004. Club 13 membership dues and numerous fund raising activities by our members and many outside volunteers help raise the $215,000 needed to support our Camp and keep its usage free for the organizations that use it.

Club 13 members and other fund raising activities have allowed the Camp to begin its next phase of expansion. In September 2004, the Youth Camp broke ground on a new multi-purpose building to replace the one initially built eight years ago. The new building will be able to house camp events regardless of weather and will be able to seat over 240 children for meals comfortably, doubling the old buildings capacity. It is scheduled to be open sometime in Summer, 2005.

Location: 22310 E. Colbern Rd., Lee's Summit, MO, 64063
Telephone: (816) 524-0923