Anchored in purpose and adaptive in practice.
“Anchored in purpose and adaptive in practice.”
That has become our motto at the H. E. Butt Foundation as we navigate changes in the camping industry after the Fourth of July flood along the Guadalupe River—new legislation, new expectations, new layers of managing risk.
Our Foundation has embraced these changes. Texas has an opportunity to learn and improve the way in which we all provide safe camping experiences. Our commitment to this process honors the people, including campers, who died in the floods last year.
Being anchored in purpose reminds us to remain focused on our mission to cultivate wholeness for our campers and guests. Our values continue to be informed by our Christian faith as we create spaces where people can find relationships, growth, challenge, and beauty in the Frio River Canyon.
Camp will always be an important part of the H. E. Butt Foundation because it invites kids and all of us into moments where we don’t have total control. Campers discover confidence when they overcome challenges. They build resilience when faced with difficulty. They build community during Cabin Time when they risk being open with each other.
In a camp environment with rugged terrain and wild animals, we can’t eliminate every risk. Instead, we steward risk wisely in service of people and institutions.
If being anchored is about clarity, being adaptive is about humility and flexibility. The way we’ve always done things is not always the way we should do things going forward. Programs that worked in 1954 are probably not effective in 2026. That’s okay. God calls us to be learners, so we always seek to reflect, adjust, and grow.
For the last year, we have been reviewing all aspects of hospitality in the Canyon. There are new protocols and new layers of accountability. Our training is even more rigorous. We are adapting our programs so they continue to serve people today.
Adaptation is how purpose survives over time.
I think about counselors standing at the edge of Blue Hole with a group of campers. There’s always a moment where you can see it in the kids’ faces. A mix of excitement and uncertainty. They’re asking: “Is this safe?” “Can I do this?” “Do I trust you?”
And what do great counselors do? They don’t say, “There’s no risk here.” And they don’t say, “Good luck, you’re on your own.” They say, “We’re here with you. We’ve thought this through. Why don’t we jump together?”
That’s who we are all called to be—for our campers, for their families, for our neighbors, for our communities.
Anchored in purpose, adaptive in practice,
David Rogers
