In November 2025, 15 grantees of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust spent a week together in the North Carolina mountains, so they could step away, connect, and heal from the grind. At the Trust, we have come to understand the impact of these unprecedented times on nonprofit and grassroots leaders. They’re stretched thin dealing with funding cuts and federal policy changes that threaten to upend an array of services and supports communities rely on for their health and well-being.
We created Camp Kate for grantees to pause and reflect.
In order to respond to what we were hearing from community leaders and to create intentional space for wellness, the Trust launched Camp Kate. This restorative retreat provided grantees a space to pause, take a break, and rejuvenate in these challenging times. Participants were nonprofit and grassroots community leaders, and the majority were leaders of color.
Day by day, Camp Kate participants joined together in restorative activities and workshops like “Visioning Joyful and Nourishing Leaders,” “Communal Care to Reduce Burnout,” and even “Improv Comedy.” A gourmet chef prepared meals of fresh, local food, and all activities were optional. The schedule for every day included a two-hour rest period, plus opportunities throughout the week to commune with nature and get a massage. Each participant was paired with an accountability partner to support one another through the journey.
Participants responded with enthusiasm, inspiration, and gratitude.
“A lot of times we are talking about very serious issues, and it felt good for all of us just to relax and forget about those issues for a moment. Just being willing to step back and not feeling the pressures of being a leader was amazing.”
Arleatha Patterson
Community Engagement Director
Partnership for Prosperity
“This cohort of people and this week has really been profound and transformative.”
Kate Daley
Health Justice Campaigner
Down Home North Carolina
We learned that rest is a tool for justice.
The camp was created by Madison Allen and Shenell Thompson, senior program officers at the Trust, with support from the full staff. At the Trust staff retreat last year, we determined that it was important to provide grantees with the chance to rejuvenate so they have the energy and will to continue with their essential work.
“Rest should not be considered a reward for grassroots leaders—it is essential to sustaining justice over time. In moments when policies and power structures are designed to exhaust us, choosing rest becomes an act of resistance that protects people and movements.”
Madison Allen
Senior Program Officer, Health Improvement
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
“We know that the ‘grind culture’ that plagues many BIPOC leaders is rooted in slavery, as a means of protection. This continues today by the internalized need to ‘work twice as hard’ as white counterparts. We created Camp Kate to allow us to disentangle from this pattern that negatively impacts our health and well-being.”
Shenell Thompson
Senior Program Officer, Local Impact
Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust
The Trust program officers attended only two days of the full week-long retreat, in order to give grantees space and grace to rest without any pressure to report back. Camp Kate was led by Paige Polk, a renowned local facilitator, skilled in running wellness experiences.
“It was an honor to facilitate at Camp Kate. Witnessing the community rest and joy that unfolded was a reminder to integrate nourishment into our lives as we live them.”
Paige Polk
Camp Kate Facilitator
Paige Polk International
“This experience reminded me that taking time to breathe, reflect, and connect is not selfish, it is essential.”
Amber Bellamy
Executive Director, CC Dream Center
Columbus County
Participants reported they were better equipped to manage stress.
An anonymous survey we sent out showed that participants left better equipped to manage stress and with a feeling of overall wellness. While the comments in the survey are confidential, what participants reported at camp back up this finding!
“Camp Kate provided me with space for reflection on my capacity, my leadership, and the role that I have with my community. I think that it has really changed the way that I think about my work, and changed the way that I think about myself.”
Lariza Garzon
Director of NC Operations
Hispanic Federation
“We laughed, we shed a few tears. Folks were vulnerable. I think that’s what made it so great.”
Randolph Keaton
Executive Director
Men and Women United for Youth and Families
What’s next for Camp Kate?
The Trust team is reviewing what was learned from the inaugural retreat and designing Camp Kate 2026. We will share more information about this exciting opportunity for grantees to rest and reflect later this year.