live awake

ONAwa means “awake”

We have a dual mission here.

For the camp, we want to provide a life-changing outdoor experience for city kids that builds leadership, character, and teamwork, and connects kids across the distance of race, neighborhood, city, family income levels, and other isolating experiences.

For the retreat, we want to provide a beautiful and simple space that allows for a monastic revitalization by allowing people a break from all the technology and clutter of normal life. We envision this a space for retreats, weddings, and Airbnb-style visitors.

Why OnaWA?

why Our Name

There are sacred places whereby the space between heaven and earth is so thin that the Divine can be felt in the most profound way; they are called thin places.

Rarely are they found in the urban or suburban landscapes. More times than not they are hidden in the stillness of nature, among, the trees and streams and sky. It is in the stillness of the thin place that the awakenings are born; the place where the eyes of the heart are opened. What is essential is invisible to the human eye. When the heart is awakened, the essential is revealed. When the heart sees, life will be changed forever. In the stillness of nature Henry David Thoreau shared his thought, “To be awake is to be fully alive.” Christ tells his disciples to, “Stay awake”.

Onawa, which means awake, is the name we have chosen for this space.

Why Verbena, Alabama

Verbena is situated halfway in between Montgomery and Birmingham, and a few minutes off of Interstate 65. This makes the retreat side easily accessible for those looking for a retreat destination.

It’s also close to halfway between all three Common Ground locations, meaning it can serve Common Ground youth from Florence, Montgomery, and Troy for all their camp needs.

why a camp and a retreat

We envision this to be a multi-use space where each can help serve the other’s existence.

We want a camp to serve youth and give them impactful outdoor experiences that can change their lives, but opening the space invites others to benefit from such a purposeful location as well.

A destination venue for retreats and weddings helps provide income to pay for camp staff as well as minimizing costs for youth to attend. A great outdoor experience shouldn’t be behind a paywall.

According to a nationwide poll conducted by The Nature Conservancy, only about 10 percent of children spend time outdoors every day. Why? Kids say they aren’t interested, they lack access and are uncomfortable outside.

In the meantime, they’re growing more and more attached to life in cyberspace and further detached from the natural world. Camp provides kids the perfect opportunity to see what they’ve been missing in the great outdoors.

The camp experience is recognized by child development professionals as valuable in helping children mature socially, emotionally, intellectually, morally, and physically.

"The building blocks of self-esteem are belonging, learning, and contributing. Camps offer unique opportunities for children to succeed in these three vital areas and even beyond home and school."

Michael Popkin, Ph.D., family therapist and founder of Active Parenting

"The biggest plus of camp is that camps help young people discover and explore their talents, interests, and values. Most schools don't satisfy all these needs. Kids who have had these kinds of (camp) experiences end up being healthier and have less problems which concern us all."

Peter Scales, Ph.D., noted author/educator, and Senior Fellow, The Search Institute