Camp Jack Hazard Celebrates One Year in New Modesto Offices

/

Historic summer camp organization marks anniversary of move to storefront office

MODESTO, CA — Camp Jack Hazard is celebrating one year since opening its downtown office and museum space at 1414 L Street, marking a new chapter for the century-old nonprofit organization.

The move, completed in February 2025, brought the foundation's operations to the heart of downtown Modesto, directly across from Graceada Park and the historic Mancini Bowl. The storefront location at the corner of L Street and Needham has provided unprecedented visibility and community access for the organization, which has operated summer camps in the Sierra Nevada Mountains since 1924.

"We're excited to be part of the downtown business community," said foundation leadership at the time of the move. The location has proven ideal, with neighbors including the Queen Bean Coffee House and easy access to park facilities.

The downtown space houses both administrative offices and the Camp Jack Hazard Museum, where visitors can explore a century of camp history through photographs, memorabilia, and artifacts. The foundation has also developed murals and window displays celebrating the camp's legacy and its mission of providing outdoor experiences for young people.

The move represents a strategic shift for the organization, creating year-round community presence and engagement opportunities beyond the traditional summer camp season. The accessible location allows alumni, donors, and prospective camper families to connect with the organization throughout the year.

Camp Jack Hazard continues to serve youth ages 6-16 at its mountain location near Sonora Pass, with a strong commitment to scholarship accessibility for families throughout the Central Valley and beyond.


video credit: Modesto Chamber of Commerce
https://youtu.be/MoIMWUGuOkk?si=2bbMIxQn9TINLwAG

Camp Jack Hazard 100th Year Benefit Concert feat. The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit→

/

In celebration of Camp Jack Hazard’s 100th anniversary of serving the community and its youth, we are celebrating with great music and a great community. We will be serving up a great night of celebration with our friends and local artists and one of our favorite groups, The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit!!

The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit has been delighting its fans with good timin’ music for 20 years. Bringing together influences from traditional country and bluegrass, as well as folk, rock, roots and rockabilly, they are a full embodiment and true definition of Americana music. Originating out of Oakdale, California, their loyal fan base has grown from the Central Valley, to greater California, to across the country and abroad. “The Good Luck Thrift Store Outfit’s songs will in one moment evoke the mood of a rough-hewn length of mountain driftwood dropping carelessly between the high country boulders of the headwaters, then in the next moment careening recklessly the through the chancy rapids just around the bend, and then meandering among the tall, slow canyons of the foothills on its way to the delta calm and the sea beyond.” – heckabad.com

The Outfit is fronted by singers Willy Tea Taylor and Chris Doud, lauded songwriters in their own respective rights. The band also features the talents of Aaron Burtch (formerly of Grandaddy) on drums, Taylor Webster on bass, Matt Cordano on pedal steel, banjo and electric guitar, and Ben Reisdorf on guitar and mandolin. “Willy Tea Taylor is a father, brother, and son. His remarkable ability to write subjects in a simple yet profound way makes his songs a great place to lose yourself.” – Blackwing Music. “Doud is the one that brings the meat and potatoes to the Thrift Store’s sound. Together, Willy Tea and Chris Doud touch on all of the colors of the songwriting spectrum, and compile a list of songs on that sends you reeling through the wild range of human emotions.” -Saving Country Music..

Saturday, November 9th, 2024. Doors at 6; show at 7 p.m. at the State Theater, Modesto
Tickets: $55, $45, $30 at https://thestate.org/events/the-camp-jack-hazard-100-year-celebration-112024/
VIP tickets available and to reach out jackandbuenafoundation@gmail.com

This #GivingTuesday, Give the Gift of Camp Magic...

/

During this upcoming holiday season, we have the opportunity to take time out of our busy lives to gather, reflect, and give thanks.  For folks who have been fortunate enough to experience a summer (or every summer of their youth) at Camp Jack Hazard, it is very likely that some of their fondest memories took place in a secluded spot off Highway 108 amidst towering fir trees and jagged mountain peaks. 

Camp remains one of the few places in the world where true magic exists.  Unlike other childhood experiences that seemed to have lost their mystique over time, camp’s magic never faded. In contrast, it actually seemed to grow as people returned year after year to climb mountain peaks, sing campfire songs, and form lifelong friendships. When people inevitably grew too old to return, the camp spirit forever remained a part of them. It continues to connect everyone who has ever slept under the stars, heard the roar of a camp chant in the dining hall, or shed a tear as they stood in a candlelit circle with their fellow campers during closing campfire.  Camp will forever remain our sugar mountain.

For many children, Camp Jack Hazard was the highlight of their summer.  For others, camp was one of the highlights of their life.  This was especially true for children with less than ideal living situations, as well as those from loving households who simply could not afford to take regular family vacations.  Many former campers reported that the opportunity to escape everyday life and spend their summers in the mountains forever transformed them (and in some cases, actually saved their lives). Camp was a place where their background did not matter, where they were welcomed into the camp family with open arms, and where they were taught the value of human relationships. They were encouraged to reflect on their experiences, set meaningful personal challenges, and stretch the limits of their mind, body, and spirit.  Camp taught them to act with intention and to respect themselves, others, and their surroundings when making big (and little) decisions.  These life-changing opportunities were often only possible because of the generous donations of camp alumni and other stakeholders, who were committed to ensuring that every child had the opportunity to experience camp’s magic. This holiday season, you have the opportunity to give this gift. 

On November 29th, 2016, the Jack & Buena Foundation is participating in #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is a global day of giving back to our favorite and most important non-profits and charities! It is important for us to remember during these months of thankfulness and generosity to remember and celebrate the organizations that have helped shape our lives. We invite you to give this November 29th to share the gift of Camp Jack Hazard and ensure that we have the funds needed to send EVERY kid that wants to have the magical experience of camp. Remember your donation will change a very special child's summer and maybe even their life!

How can you give?

You can give at the following web address via PayPal: http://jackandbuenafoundation.herokuapp.com/

You can mail a donation to us at:
P.O. Box 3290 Modesto, CA 95353

You can also visit us in person and drop off your donation at our new office:

1050 North Carpenter St, Suite E2
Modesto, California, 95351

#GivingTuesday #campjackhazard
 

 

5th Annual Camp Jack Hazard Benefit Concert

/

The Jack and Buena Foundation, in their second year of partnership with iHeart Media and B93, is excited to announce our Spring Fling, featuring Daughtry, with special guest Daya. Opening the evening’s performance is the Valley’s own, Josh Rosenblum. For the fifth year in a row, The Jack and Buena Foundation is hosting this fundraising event to provide fun, safe adventures for kids age 6 to 16 at Camp Jack Hazard, located in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Buy Tickets!

Event info:

5th Annual Camp Jack Hazard Benefit Concert and Spring Fling featuring Daughtry with special guests Daya and Josh Rosenblum

Gallo Center for the Arts

Friday, March 25th at 7p.m.

General admission tickets are $35 and $70

VIP Ticket plus Reception at 5:30 p.m. is $125

Daughtry

In the course of only five years, Chris Daughtry, a finalist on the fifth season of American Idol, has had more than his share of career highlights. The singer, songwriter, and musician from North Carolina has released back-to-back No. 1 albums: the 4x-platinum DAUGHTRY (which became the fastest-selling rock debut in Soundscan history) and 2009’s platinum Leave This Town. DAUGHTRY has scored four No. 1 Top 40 hits (“It’s Not Over,” “Home,” “Feels Like Tonight,” and “No Surprise”), earned four Grammy Award nominations (including “Best Rock Album” for DAUGHTRY), won four American Music Awards, and brought their electrifying live show to all corners of the world. A greatest hits album, It’s Not Over…The Hits So Far, was released on February 12, 2016, with singles from their studio albums and two new songs. On January 29, 2016, “Torches” was released as the lead single.

Daya

Daya [pronunciation “dey-uh”] drives pop music down a different path. This Certified Platinum Artist has been smashing the charts with her debut song “Hide Away”. Perhaps it’s a result of her classical piano training, the fact that her multi-ethnicity has been the catalyst for family visits across the globe, or her natural cleverness that’s as striking as her dynamic vocal range. It could just be due to the fact that this 16 year old singer and songwriter has always known what she wanted to do.

Josh Rosenblum

Josh Rosenblum is a singer-songwriter that hails from Modesto, CA. Josh has been playing music all over the state for almost 10 years, both solo and accompanied by his band, ‘Josh Rosenblum Band’. Josh and his band have received multiple awards for their songwriting and musicianship including winning the ‘Next Big Thing’ tour in San Francisco, the first ‘Valley’s Got Talent’ band category, and two Modesto Area Music Awards for ‘Best Pop/Rock’ in 2012 and 2015. Josh recently completed and released a full length album with his band that is currently available through his website, but will soon be available in every online market; iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc.

Listen to Camp Jack Hazard's Executive Director on the Valley View!

/

Listen to Executive Director, Jason Poisson, speak on the Valley View which played on 6 iHeart Radio Stations throughout the Central Valley. IHeart Media and Camp Jack Hazard are partners working together to help raise awareness about the Camp Jack Hazard program and all the great activities it provides to the Central Valley and beyond. 

http://powertalk1360.iheart.com/onair/valley-view-55100/camp-hazard-14387537/