The mission of Camp Footprints is to create and develop life-giving programs for children and adolescents. The key to this process is to create an environment that embodies the following ideals: Love of neighbor; Dignity of all human beings; Formation of character; Service to others in need; and the Belief that all Human beings are created to love and to be loved unconditionally.

Who we are and what we have is given to us freely. Out of our gratitude comes a deeply rooted desire to give love to others without the expectation. We strive to be patient, kind, generous, modest, humble, courteous, compassionate, gentle, forgiving, good, sincere, committed, honest, hopeful, and supportive towards one another.

All humans beings are sacred and deserving of respect because we are created in the same image and likeness. We are worthy of dignity regardless of our position in life, whether we are rich or poor, whether we are privileged or oppressed, whether we are known or unknown, successful or unsuccessful, whether we are of a different race or from a different faith community. We place our emphasis on people over things. We honor "being" rather than "having".

One of our goals as we go through life is to form a "way of being", which defines how we interact with the world around us. Throughout life, we are faced with questions, opportunities, struggles, and difficult choices. With all the challenges that are put in front of us, we need solid moral values and clear principles to guide our actions. Our ability to do this comes from our formation of character, which is rooted in our patterns of integrity. Integrity is, first of all, saying who we are, and secondly, being who we say we are. As we continue to do this in life we build a pattern, or "way of being", which evolves into a lifestyle. The seeds of this evolution are grounded in our ability to surround ourselves with people who will keep us accountable on our journey.

The moral test of our society is how we treat our most vulnerable members. We are one human family and we have a fundamental responsibility to serve those in need. Our ability to respond reaches across national, racial, and economic boundaries. We need to answer the call to lay down our lives and serve those who are less privileged than us. In the process of serving others completely, we lose ourselves. By losing ourselves, we discover who we are destined to be.

While attending Bishop Amat High School in the late 1980's, four students began creating a vision for a summer camp that would serve children, all children. This camp would be inclusive of children with and without developmental disabilities. Three years later, at a time when television and news headlines were filled with negative images of teenagers and young adults, these four individuals came together to serve a greater good.

In the summer of 1992, their dream became a reality as Camp Footprints was founded. The first step was to build a core team of six people, all under the age of 23. Together this team of friends founded a non-profit organization, recruited over 100 counselors and campers, raised the entire budget and designed a weeklong experience that changed people's lives.

Today, Camp Footprints has served over 300 children and their families, 500 teenagers and young adults; most importantly, we are still changing lives.

Camp Founder	Miles Masatsugu
Camp Director	Mike Nguyen