President's Letter to Membership

Who We Are

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Our Youth Leadership Core Values 

Integrity, Achievement, Responsibility, and Courage

These are the core principles that will guide the future development of our Youth Leadership Training Initiatives. They will help us to convey the “Spirit” of Old Kia Kima by letting others know that this small set of general guiding principles is OKKPA’s essential and enduring tenets for Youth Leadership – a key part of the rich Legacy we want to share and utilize the Camp to pass along to the Youth of Tomorrow.

 Our Core Purpose (This defines the enduring character of our organization and drives our aspirations).

WHAT:  Restore the Camp and Preserve the “Spirit” of Old Kia Kima for the Youth Of Tomorrow

WHY:  We want future generations to experience the Spirit of Old Kia Kima, to learn the values of Integrity, Achievement, Responsibility, and Courage, and to utilize the Camp to pass this along to future generations” just like we did - This will be our legacy.

HOW:   By continuing to support and maintain the high principles of Scouting as we knew them to be at Old Kia Kima; and by advancing those principles in service to others through organized programs of community involvement, Youth Leadership Training and camp activities that will span the new millennium and continue our legacy in perpetuity.

 These Core Values and statement of Core Purpose work together to give direction, substance, and clarity to our Vision, Mission, and Goals, which are repeated below. Together, they will provide a guide to OKKPA decisions as we pursue a restored and fully functioning Old Kia Kima!

Our Vision:

Old Kia Kima is that special place where the land and the river inspire us to become something more, preserving the legacy of our past and shaping the lives of future generations.

Our Mission:

Preserve the place, honor the vision of all who have shared in the spirit of the South Fork waters, and provide an environment where elders may pass on knowledge and experience, enriching and shaping the lives of young people today.

 Our Goals: 

Create an awareness of Old Kia Kima, its past, present and future.   Acquire the Old Kia Kima campgrounds and restore original structures where feasible. Implement leadership, fellowship and community service programs. Preserve and maintain Old Kia Kima.

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Origins

Old camp Kia Kima traces its history back to 1916, just six short years after William D. Boyce brought Boy Scouting to this country on Feb. 8, 1910. The main campsite was situated on a bluff overlooking a pristine riverfront on the South Fork of the Spring River, in Sharp County, Arkansas. The name chosen for the Scout camp was Kia Kima, and could hardly have been more fitting. Kia Kima, in the Chickasaw Indian native language, means "Nest of the Eagles".

Old Kia Kima operated (excluding war years) as a BSA summer camp for 47 years, closing in 1963.  For the next 31 years, the camp was in a state of abandonment and ruin until 1996 when OKKPA, Inc. was formed to begin the restoration.

The former camp is concentrated in a small corner of the property, fronting on the South Fork of the Spring River, and consists of 16 native stone and wood lodges as well as a number of other buildings, including a stone and timber central lodge. Boyce and George Billingsley purchased the original 43 acres that was the core of Old Kia Kima and donated it to OKKPA. Since then, the camp buildings have undergone extensive restoration after having been unoccupied and not maintained for over 35 years. Although many projects remain, with Restoration near completion, Old Kia Kima was reopened by OKKPA for Boy Scout Camping in the Spring of 2002.

The Old Kia Kima Preservation Association (OKKPA) is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit youth leadership and service organization formed to restore the former summer camp, and in so doing, establish links to existing Boy Scout programs, local civic organizations, and national youth service organizations. OKKPA is committed to the purpose of providing leadership guidance and assistance in establishing or supporting leadership training and service programs that  enrich the lives of young people.

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 Board of Directors                                   

Officer History                            Board Room

2010 – 2012

President: Rick Schmid:  Active member of Rivercliff Lutheran Church, Dunwoody, Georgia.  Eagle Scout. Lutheran Pro Deo et Patria Award. Vigil Member of Order of the Arrow. Wood Badge. Currently Pack Committee Chairman, Pack 8750, Dunwoody, GA.  Director - Strategic Alliance Accounts, Firs Data Corporation.  Reside in Roswell, Georgia.  Recipient of the Old Kia Kima Excellence in Leadership Award.

Vice-President: Jimmy Bottrell:  Eagle Scout, Vigil member Order of the Arrow, God and country, Ordained Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Author of church camp curriculums, developer of resources for youth ministry, program administrator for church camps, Senior Minister, Belton Christian Church, Belton, Missouri..

Treasurer:  Alan Meierhoefer: Camper and Staff Member at Kamp Kia Kima. BS Rhodes College, MBA Western Carolina University and PhD Mississippi State University.  Retired from Ahlstrom Specialty Paper Corporation and currently a technology consultant for specialty chemical, fiber and paper companies. Active in Rotary Club and All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Frederick, Maryland.

Recording Secretary: Mike Kinkade:  Eagle Scout. KKSR staff 4 years, mid 70's.  Lived in Nashville, Ark since 1980.  10 yr. volunteer with Caddo Area BSA Council (Texarkana, AR-TX area).   Married to Deb, 3 grown children.  Dean of Facilities and Planning Cossatot Community College, University of Arkansas.  1980 BS degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology Memphis State University, 2001 MS degree in Business Texas A&M.
 

Corresponding Secretary: Pat Moody:  Volunteer with Girl Scouts Heart of the South council.  Currently serving on the Community Advisory Board and Property Committee.  Past President of the Board of Directors, Senior Troop Committees.  Volunteer with the National Kidney Foundation.  President of the Tennessee Assoc. of Craft Artists (TACA).

Immediate Past President 2006 - 2010: Rick Phillips: Married to Janet Wilson Phillips (22 yrs) -- father of 3, grandfather of 3 -- CBHS & Memphis State -- Century donor Lifeblood of Greater Memphis -- Chairman Arlington United Methodist Church BOD, Sitting member of Town of Arlington Planning Commission,  Industrial Development Commission, and Depot Square (historic) Commission.. Recipient of the Old Kia Kima Excellence in Leadership Award..

Board Member History

2008 – 2011

Boyd Billingsley: Eagle scout, Sr. Vice President Harris McHaney Realtors, BSBA University of Arkansas, Navy SEAL. Co- founder of Fellowship Bible Church Northwest Arkansas. Former Vice President Cooper Communities Inc.  Recipient of the Old Kia Kima Excellence in Leadership Award. 

2009 – 2012

Dennis Cain:  Eagle Scout.  Vigil Member Order of the Arrow, KKSR Staff Member 1969-1974, 1976, 1978-1979, 1986, 1988, District Award of Merit, Silver Beaver, Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 240, Lead Teacher in the Division of Exceptional Children in the Memphis City Schools.

George Clarke: Eagle Scout.  Vigil Member Order of the Arrow.  St. George Award.  Woodbadge.  40 consecutive years attendance (1967-2006) at Kia Kima (KKSR) as camper, staff member (1972-1980), adult leader.  Past Scoutmaster/current Assistant Scoutmaster - Troop 34, Chickasaw Council, Memphis TN.  Senior Account Executive for Regions Insurance, Memphis, TN.  Chapter member St. Mary's Cathedral (Episcopal), Memphis, TN.  Board Member-DuBose Conference Center, Monteagle, TN.  Insurance Chairman Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. 

Mark Follis:  Eagle Scout.  Order of the Arrow. BS and MS - Univ. of Tennessee in agriculture and economics. Prior to earning PhD in Agroforestry from the Univ. of Florida lived and worked around the world for International Harvester Export Company. Currently own and operate a tree care company in Memphis oriented toward preservation.

Mark Kruger:  Camper and staff member 1961-1965. Former troop committee member and merit badge counselor troop 122.  Two trips leading scouts in the northern boundary waters in Canada.  Assistant Principal Rogers High School.  B.S.B.A Education Univ. of Arkansas, M.Ed. University of Arkansas.  Rogers, City Council 18 years, 6 years treasurer United Way, 6 years member Foundation Board Adult Development Center of Benton County, Member founding committee Northwest Arkansas Community College, member Rogers Visitors and Convention Bureau, Married, wife--Anne 31 yrs.

2010 – 2013

Mike Bowman: Eagle Scout; Vigil Member Order of the Arrow; God and Country Award; KKSR Staff 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970; BS University of Tennessee at Martin; MS Arkansas State University; Retired high school English teacher (33 years).

Rob Driesel:  Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, Certified Senior Advisor, Masters in Business, Owner of Diamond D Group, Several State and National Endorsement in Senior Insurance Market, Lions Club member and current President, Mason, Troop Committee Chari of Troop 639, Cubmaster of Pack 639, Volunteer Camp Ranger at OKK, proud husband of a very talented wife in Special Education and proud father of 3 beautiful and busy children.

Sid Hurt: Eagle Scout; Order of the Arrow; KKSR Staff 1975, 1985; National Camp School for Project COPE Inspectors; Troop 240 Committee Chairman; Senior Technical Analyst for Baxter Healthcare; Memphis State University

Buddy Keltner: OKK camper and staffer 1948-1956, OA Vigil, Eagle Scout, among the earliest founders of OKKPA and OKK Volunteer Ranger.  Former Scoutmaster, Charter founder of Slick Rock and Whispering Pines outpost camps.  Professional career includes glasswork artistic and structural designs for innumerable hospitals, high-rise buildings, even bridge structural integrity.  Tennessee state archery champion.

Honorary Directors

Click on the name for a biography

Miss Julia Hall  (1910 - 2003)  Girl Scout Camp Kiwani camper, staff and Director (1924-1933) and YWCA Miramichee Camp Director (1939-1970).

Mrs. Winnie "Sunny" Carson (1916 - 2007) Girl Scout Camp Kiwani camper, staff, and Director (1927-1959)

Mr. Stillman Ralph Young  (1924 - 2006) Scout Master Troop 35 Memphis, Tennessee (1947-1949); Professional Scout Executive Chickasaw Council (1951-1991), Camp Director of Old Kia Kima 1954-1956 and 1958-1963; and Camp Director of Kia Kima Scout Reservation (1964-1973).

Mrs. Boyce Woollard Billingsley:  A beloved patron of Old Kia Kima and a childhood-to-adulthood summer-time (1940-1980’s) resident of the Hardy and Cherokee Village, Arkansas, where she had been a camper and staff member of  the YWCA Miramichee girls camp.

Frederick T. Carney (1916 - 2010)-- Scouter, Sailor, Lawyer. Spent a lifetime in Scouting, with 78 years as a registered BSA member.

Mr. Bill Dixon  Camper, staff member and longtime supporter of Old Kia Kima.

Mr. Bobby Harriss  Pilot for Christ, Sunday School teacher, guardian of Old Kia Kima

Mr. Bobby Williams  Beloved builder and keeper of Old Kia Kima.

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