Camp for Pastoral Gatherings and Cultural Preservation
Lend a hand for faith and community.
Your gift helps restore and sustain Camp Oliver as a sacred place for pastoral retreats, faith formation, and cultural gatherings. Together, we’re building a legacy of community, connection, and spiritual renewal for generations to come.
What Happens After You Donate
- You’ll get a confirmation receipt (for tax records and company match)
- If your employer offers matching gifts, please consider submitting a request — your match can help grow our fund and make an even greater impact. We will provide any documentation needed to support your match request.
- We’ll acknowledge your gift (unless you opt for anonymity).
- You’ll receive periodic updates on progress, impact reports, and financial transparency.
- Major donors are invited to site visits, donor briefings, and special events.
Our Story and Vision
The Vietnamese Catholic Community of San Diego has successfully acquired a 20-acre property known as Camp Oliver in Descanso, California. Secured for $1.5 million, this land represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a permanent site, ensuring a legacy of faith, unity, and culture for future generations. Camp Oliver is intended to serve as a retreat and activity center, providing a dedicated space for prayer, community gatherings, youth training, and cultural preservation.
We now seek the generous support of community members and benefactors to finance the purchase, restoration, and swift development of the camp.
Join Us in Answering God’s Call
By supporting this project, you are helping build a home for God and a lasting sanctuary for our community, planting seeds of hope, faith, and love that will touch generations to come.
Vision and Mission
We aim to establish a permanent faith-based community retreat and activity center that will serve as a spiritual, cultural, and social home for generations to come. Our mission is to:
- Provide a safe, sacred environment for retreats, youth camps, and family gatherings.
- Preserve and promote Vietnamese Catholic traditions and culture.
- Create a sustainable community resource that strengthens faith, unity, and leadership among parishioners.
Why This Camp is Essential
This camp serves a crucial role in fostering:
- Spiritual Enrichment: Providing a dedicated space for spiritual retreats, faith development, and the observance of traditional celebrations like Marian Day and Vietnamese Martyrs Day.
- Community Strengthening: Establishing a vibrant hub for youth programs, summer camps, family gatherings, picnics, and festivals, thereby forging robust connections among families.
- Enduring Legacy: Securing a community-owned property that will be preserved for future generations, serving as a cornerstone of faith and culture.
Fundraising Goal:
$2,000,000
over 2 years
The Critical Challenge and the Two-Year Solution
To bring our vision to life, we have secured multiple personal loans at approximately 5% interest, which must be repaid within 2–3 years, along with about $750,000 in financing at 10.5% interest, structured as a 2-year balloon loan with 24-year amortization. Our strategy is to repay all loans within two years through a combination of fundraising, donations, and immediate revenue generation.
Your immediate support is crucial to make this possible.
Financial Overview
From Vision to Reality
Our path to sustainability relies on rapid development and activating multiple income streams. The sooner renovations are complete, the faster rental income begins, allowing more money to flow directly into debt repayment instead of interest.
Development Strategy
Phase I: Immediate Renovations (6–12 months)
Phase I will make Camp Oliver safe, functional, and ready to generate revenue by repairing housing, restoring utilities, and ensuring reliable water, power, and sanitation so two homes, cabins, and core systems can support tenants and retreats. Every dollar you give creates real, lasting impact, turning aging buildings into safe, welcoming spaces, restoring essential facilities, and driving the tangible improvements needed to revitalize Camp Oliver as a thriving center for faith and community.
Residential (3 Beds / 1 Bath)
$1,500 – Upgrade three bedrooms from carpet to vinyl flooring
$500 – Modernize lighting throughout the home
$400 – Replace floor molding and repaint worn areas
$350 – Replace a kitchen window / add two closet sliding doors / install three room doors
$330 – Repaint the home exterior (walls + rims)
$300 – Provide 5 gallons of touch-up paint
$150 – Provide a new toilet
$100 – Re-sand and repaint kitchen cabinets
Office Building
$5,600 – Replace 16 office windows
$1,500 – Replace all room carpets with vinyl
$900 – 15-gallon indoor touch-up repaint
$700 – Upgrade to modern lighting
$300 – Repaint exterior (10 gallons) / repaint trim (5 gallons) / replace two toilets
$200 – Replace damaged exterior wood panels
Owl House
$2,800 – Replace all 8 windows
$2,500 – Replace room flooring with vinyl
$1,000 – Install modern baseboard molding
$600 – Upgrade to modern lighting
$350 – Provide a new toilet
Gathering Building (Building 7)
$900 – Shiny wood-color indoor finish OR replace six toilets
$600 – Repaint interior with 10 gallons
$300 – Repaint exterior OR upgrade to modern lighting
$200 – Repaint kitchen cabinets
Cabins 1 & 2
$5,600 – Replace all cabin windows
$2,000 – Replace shared hand-washing lavabo
$1,500 – Replace bathroom tiles
$1,200 – Replace all cabin toilets OR replace 24 mattress covers
$900 – Repaint exterior OR apply shiny wood-tone finish
$600 – Repaint cabin interior
$500 – Upgrade lighting
$150 – Replace wooden ceiling
Cabin 3
$2,800 – Replace all windows
$300 – Repaint exterior OR replace damaged plywood
$350 – Install new staircase OR upgrade lighting
Cabin 4
$2,800 – Replace all windows
$300 – Repaint exterior OR replace damaged plywood OR modernize lighting
Cabin 5
$2,800 – Replace all windows
$300 – Repaint exterior OR replace damaged plywood OR modernize lighting
Cabin 6
$2,800 – Replace all windows
$300 – Repaint exterior OR replace plywood OR install new staircase OR upgrade lighting
Shared Bathrooms
$900 – Replace all 6 toilets
$800 – Upgrade lighting
$300 – Install new showers
$200 – Repaint outdoor doors
$150 – Repaint interior
Other Sitewide Needs
$22,000 – Replace the main water-filtration system
$15,000 – Re-plaster the pool OR demo and fill it
$4,250 – Rent 5 large trash containers
$4,000 – Provide meals for workers and volunteers
$800 – Replace outdoor lights / install solar lights
$500 – Garden hand tools / trash bags / gloves / cleaning supplies / outlets & switches
$375 – Provide 5 gallons of compound material
$200 – Metal gate wire OR “No Trespassing” signage
Phase II: Activate income streams (12-24 months)
Once the major renovations are complete, and the camp is fully operational, we will activate various income streams:
- Retreats and Camps: Offer parish and diocesan retreats, youth camps, and family gatherings.
- External Rentals: Host events such as weddings, school programs, and cultural festivals.
- Long-Term Rentals: Provide residential rental opportunities.
Continued Development Efforts: Focus on improving cabin accommodations, upgrading public spaces, and completing additional build-outs.
Phase III: Extension & Legacy Building (2 years+)
The site begins generating income, the plan is to reinvest in incremental improvements and expansions to boost usage, improve guest experience, and maximize revenue. Each expansion will be budgeted with projected incremental income and increased operating cost.
Vision in Motion: Our Timeline
Call to Action
Our path to sustainability relies on rapid development and activating multiple income streams. The sooner renovations are complete, the faster rental income begins, allowing more money to flow directly into debt repayment instead of interest.
This Camp Oliver project is more than just a piece of land—it is a historic milestone for the Vietnamese Catholic Community of San Diego. Your support secures crucial long-term benefits to the community