When The Flood Waters Receded..A letter from the Hawkins Family
Dear Vista Family,
We’re writing today for two reasons. First, we want to be transparent about how the generous donations we’ve received—through GoFundMe, tuition donations, and mailed contributions—are being used to rebuild camp.
Second, we want to answer a question so many of you have asked: “What else do you need?”
That second part is harder to talk about. It’s difficult to ask for help—and even harder to receive it. But what has become abundantly clear in the wake of this disaster is that we simply can’t do this alone. Getting camp back to what it was—what it should be—will take the continued support of this amazing community.
Where We’ve Been
The first weeks after the flood were purely cleanup. Debris was everywhere—the blob was tangled in a tree by the golf course, war canoes ended up on porches, and our Sierra Vista Waterfront sign floated four miles downstream. Volunteers poured in, helping restore camp piece by piece.
Our riverfront suffered greatly, filling with gravel that we’ve been removing daily at great cost. Many of our cypress and pecan trees are gone. Buildings across camp took damage—Riverview, the RV Gym, and our store have been gutted; the White House and our offices were nearly total losses. Three water wells are gone. Equipment, archives, and memories from over 100 years were swept away.
Where We Are Now
Thanks to donated materials, volunteer labor, and the work of Stream Realty, Imel Construction, Bennett Land Services, and countless others, walls are going back up and the river will one day be back to its previous glory. Canoes and paddles have been salvaged, electrical work completed, and new cedar siding is bringing life back to our store. Johnnie and Kathy’s home, The Lookout, and other staff spaces are drying out and being rebuilt.
Financially, we’ve refunded over half of our yearly income to families and paid our counselors in full. We are pouring every resource—both donated and our own—into cleanup, which still costs about $8,000–$10,000 a day, all while covering our normal operating costs and keeping our full-time staff paid.
The Road Ahead
We are fully committed to running Vista in Summer 2026, but it will take every bit of effort and support to get there. We still need to:
- Finish rebuilding 9 buildings that flooded.
- Replace lost air conditioners, appliances, fixtures, phone systems, computer systems, and more.
- Resupply activity gear across camp.
- Complete construction already underway and continue river restoration.
- Rebuild waterfronts.
- Reclaim 3 lost water wells.
- Rebuilding lost ropes courses
The road ahead will be long and cost millions. Insurance did not cover any of our losses because they were flood-related. We are so used to being the ones helping that it’s been tough to ask for help, but we quickly realized it’s the only way forward. We’ve applied for every grant available, but so far, that hasn’t gotten us far.
If you’ve already helped, I can’t say “thank you” enough. For those still asking….yes, we do still need financial help. Please feel free to reach out with any questions.
The Hunt Preservation Society has generously offered to process any and all donations for those wanting a tax write-off. Please make sure to earmark the money for Vista Camps and let us know when you have done this so we can communicate with them:
We also still have the GoFundMe created by some incredible camp alumni:
And, as many of you have already done, you can always drop a check in the mail.
Vista Camps 175 Rio Vista Rd Ingram, TX 78025
The love you’ve shown us so far has been overwhelming, and it’s what keeps us going through the long days. We don’t know exactly how every piece will come together, but we do know this: with your support, Vista will rise again—stronger than ever.
Thank you for standing with us.
God Bless,
Justin & Diane Hawkins
