In September, the Santiam Canyon fire consumed over 180,000 acres overnight, destroying hundreds of homes in hours.  Miraculously, Camp Taloali was spared.  Our board felt compelled to give back to our neighbors and friends, and has since opened our facilities to the displaced families at no cost. We now find the need to improve our infrastructure in order to continue providing lodging in the off season.  

Our primary need is for metal shower stalls that can be easily sanitized for COVID-19.  Other ongoing needs we have include replacing or fixing older equipment (cabin heaters, light fixtures, and other fixtures) and road repairs throughout camp.  

Your donations help us keep the camp open, safe, and functional for our canyon neighbors.  We currently have 22 guests living in our cabins, and other families setting up RVs for dry camping.  

One town east of us suffered widespread damage, and will take an estimated 3 to 4 months to repair.  Many of the residents that had homes livable have been forced by their insurance to move back home, but they have  no water system as the municipal water treatment facility burnt down.  

Camp Taloali has allowed the survivors to use our showers until their water system is rebuilt and deemed safe.  We are also opening the camp to groups and organizations that can use the camp as a base and staging area for the recovery efforts.  

We are not receiving any funding to help, and are serving as a bridge between shelter options and stable housing. Camp Taloali is a non-profit camp, owned and operated by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community.  

It was founded in 1973, and is located just east of Stayton, in Oregon.  We hold a summer camp program for Deaf and Hard of Hearing children, and also partner with NAD (National Association of the Deaf) who holds a 5-week Youth Leadership Camp for high school students from across the US and internationally.  Many of these leaders have gone on to become pillars of their communities.  

Our facilities are normally available during the off season for event rentals, large and small. Please consider supporting Camp Taloali as we house our neighbors through this difficult time of rebuild. Thank you! Posted 11/27/2020