About Us
Confronting Abuse - Changing Lives
The Purpose of RFK
The PURPOSE of the RFK, Inc. organization is:
Mobilize the faith community to confront child abuse
Our MISSION is to:
Create life-changing moments for children of abuse
The VISION of the organization is:
Every abused, abandoned and/or neglected child, age 6 –12, experiences a life-changing camp experience.
Royal Family KIDS Values:
Treat People Royally, Make Moments Matter, Keep Moving Forward
Our History
In 1985, a pastor saw a need to provide hope to local foster children in Costa Mesa, California. The result — a week-long summer camp was held in the mountains. The goal — to create moments that matter for 37 foster children ages 6-12.
From 1990 to 2008, the organization steadily grew, serving more and more children each year and equipping more leaders from churches around the world to be able to serve children in foster care. Royal Family KIDS was well on its way to realize that its ultimate mission — to serve every foster child, ages 6-12 — could be possible.
More than at any point in the organization’s history, our volunteers have provided wraparound services to foster families and children in need-- from providing shoes, backpacks, to being a friend and mentor or even providing temporary shelter for a child. While our main office has always acknowledged this work, trends around the needs of these children and families have come to the surface and extreme gaps in fulfilling these needs remain-- providing an incredible opportunity for our organization to step in more wholly.
Royal Family KIDS Camp will always remain the cherished and premier program, alongside yearlong mentoring, however in order to address the systemic issues surrounding child welfare, the organization had to evolve.
As of November 2020, Royal Family KIDS, officially became For The Children. This change has allowed expansion into advocacy, awareness, fostering and adoption, volunteer engagement and more. Our staff and volunteers will continue to serve foster children through our RFK Camps and Mentoring but are encouraged and eager to place additional focus on the systemic issues facing our children around the globe.
We the people of Royal Family KIDS, Inc., believe in God’s Word that develops within us an obedience and trust in our Creator. We believe in His sovereignty and firmly accept the task, which now lies before us to reach out to the children of abuse and neglect of America. Our commitment to this group of children represents a new endeavor that the Church will undertake. With the assistance of our Lord, we will provide a warm and friendly atmosphere for each child. We will create life-changing moments and extend loving hands to these children. We will model the Counselor Code of Conduct adapted from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 which says: ‘Hear, O Lord: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your campers, and shall TALK of them when you SIT in your cabin, and when you HIKE by the way and when you LIE down, and when you RISE. And you shall bind them, as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the door posts of your house (cabin) and on your gates.’(As interpreted by Wayne Tesch founder of RFKC)
Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Mark Twain
Royal Family Heals by giving
H - Hope
E - Encouragement
A - Awareness
L - Love
S - Sincerity
Through loving volunteers giving Gods time to Gods children ages 6-12 for 1 week at year!
As a foster parent, they're the real heros: providing an abandoned or abused child with a safe home and security. But they may need a break. And a foster child's life and outlook can be enhanced by happy memories which can aid in the healing of the scars of abuse and provide a foundation for future happiness.
There's a camp "grandma and grandpa" who share hugs and stories and listen to children - and in many ways, they fill a vital role for children who may not have grandparents or may never see them. There's a camp theme which emphasizes to foster children how they are loved, important and cared for.
Our local camp has served the community for 17years and the RFK, Inc. has served 35+ years.
Volunteers are always a need, as well as funds. The cost for the week of camp is about $500 per child and sponsored by the community as a mission from our local community.
A volunteer must be at least 16 years old and be attending church regularly as well as pass an extensive background check. They also must attend a mandatory 12 hour training set for the weekend of June 2-3 at Rivers of Life in Grove, OK.