Who We Are
A legacy built on service, faith, and opportunity
Our History
It was the vision of Barbara Swerden that gave Opportunity Camp its beginning in 1969. While working within Contra Costa County Social Services, she recognized both a need and an opportunity, resources existed to create something meaningful for kids who otherwise would never experience camp.
​
Acting quickly, she partnered with Victor Rodriguez of the San Leandro Church of Christ to lead the first session in 1970. What started as one camp became the foundation for more than five decades of impact.
​
Through leaders like Ernest Hillman, Boyce McLain, Ed Walters, and current director Ken Cheda, the mission has stayed consistent: provide a safe, encouraging, and life-shaping experience for kids who need it most.
​
Today, Opportunity Camp has served over 7,500 children, with many returning years later as volunteers, continuing a cycle of impact that has lasted generations.
Many campers return years later to serve the same program that shaped them.
Our People
Opportunity Camp is entirely volunteer-driven. Each year, more than 130 people step away from their normal lives, taking time off work, traveling from across the country, and choosing to be present for one purpose: to serve these kids.
​
Our staff comes from all over. Some arrive through youth groups or church communities. Others come through friends of friends, past connections, or simply hearing about the mission and wanting to be part of it. There is no single path to getting here, and that is what makes it unique.
​
Volunteers range across all ages, backgrounds, and professions. Some are students, some are working professionals, some are returning year after year, and some are experiencing camp for the very first time. What connects them is not where they come from, but why they show up.
​
Many were once campers themselves, returning to give back what was once given to them. Others step into camp with no prior connection at all, but leave just as invested in its impact.
That mix of new energy and long-standing commitment creates something rare. It builds an environment that is consistent, genuine, and deeply relational, where every camper is seen, supported, and given the chance to belong.