Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald staff
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part article on CrossWoods Adventure Camp, a Christian camping facility owned by the Kaufers, a Catholic family from Ellsworth.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of CrossWoods Camp, which was started in 1995 by Arthur Hancock.
His extended family from the Nashville area had purchased the former Boy Scout camp for use as a private recreational getaway. Expressing his desire to provide a Christian camp experience for youths, Hancock was offered start-up money and one year to make a “go” of it by his father.
Camp started with Hancock cold-calling families to round up campers and providing a rustic summer camp experience. The people kept coming back.
Fast forward
With strong guidance of the Holy Spirit and “many things falling into place,” the Kaufer family officially took ownership on May 31, 2019, Feast of the Visitation of Mary. They added Adventure Camp to the CrossWoods name and became an LLC.
After a successful 2019 camp season, they felt confident about continued growth.
“God’s sustained it for this many years,” the family agreed, as Kayla recalled. “What’s the worst thing that could happen?”
No one could have foreseen the Covid-19 pandemic, which left them with a total of 30 masked campers over the course of the summer. Making more family sacrifices to pay the mortgage, the Kaufers stayed the course and have been blessed with growing numbers and a fuller calendar of events.
Any profit goes right back into the camp for maintenance and improvements, but achieving nonprofit status in February of this year helped stabilize their financial footing and provide longer-term security with stronger fundraising capabilities, she explained. This move were prompted by priests, other mentors and various individuals who pledged to donate if CrossWoods became a nonprofit.
“We want the camp to be sustainable,” Kaufer said, admitting to the personal and family financial commitment they have made repeatedly over these seven seasons.
Since the family took ownership, Steve Kaufer’s flower and seed business has seen increasing success, but they want the camp to run itself: “We believe in the mission and want to see it continue.”
They are grateful for their partnerships with both the dioceses of La Crosse and Superior. For 2026, six weeks are already booked – four for La Crosse’s adventure camps and two weeks of Superior’s Extreme Faith Camp.
Groups have also come from Minnesota for youth camps, and they host other private gatherings. Family camps and programming are another offering. A group of eight to 10 families have come for four years from the Ashland area for a week of flexible and age-appropriate activities for Catholic families to enjoy downtime and nature together with devotions and testimonies throughout their stay.
While the Kaufers are happy with their current lodging capacities, they are open to adding groups to their calendar for 2026.
“We can really tailor to whatever the group’s needs are,” Kayla said.
As CrossWoods 30th year comes to a close, the Kaufers are hoping to open a new chapter over the next three years – building a dedicated chapel onsite.
Cheryl credits Chris Hurtubise of the Diocese of Superior with planting the idea’s seed a number of years ago. They were beginning to fundraise when the State of Wisconsin changed its safety laws and a total of $100,000 was needed to bring the course up to regulation standards.
The anniversary has been an opportunity to pivot back to the chapel project. Since launching the Chapel Initiative last fall, more than $25,000 has been raised towards the $250,000 goal.
For years, staff members have transitioned the main gathering space, adjacent to the kitchen and dining room, for Mass. There is a space downstairs that works for smaller gatherings like morning and night prayer and Eucharistic adoration, but Braedon said there is “a lot of set-up and tear-down that happens every day.”
Kayla affirmed, “It would be lovely to have a space that’s just dedicated to Jesus being here for the summer.”
The initial plans were drawn by a camp chaplain, sketched out on a napkin. It includes sleeping quarters for visiting priests and a worship space with confessionals and a sacristy.
It seems that once again, things were falling into place. When two Catholic hospitals in the Eau Claire area shut down in the summer of 2024. CrossWoods received pews, stained glass windows and doors, a marble altar, needed liturgical items for Mass, relics and a piano.
“We have the things to put in the chapel, now we just need to build the building,” Kayla stated.
God seems to even have a hand in that. Chatting with another couple at an event in the Twin Cities, Steve and Cheryl discovered they were also Catholic, also had four daughters and just happened to own a lumber company.
“You take the risk to share about yourself,” Cheryl said, “and you find out how many faithful people there are out there.” This experience has motivated her to be even braver and bolder about living and sharing her faith.
Individuals and groups like the Knights of Columbus have given funds so far; the largest gifts were one-time donations of $1,500 and $5,000.
“They are giving because they believe in what the camp is doing,” Cheryl said, “… we need people to keep doing that.”
As a family, the Kaufers continue to be all in. At the same time, Cheryl acknowledged they have their own backgrounds uniquely suited to the mission of CrossWoods Adventure Camp, but they need others to continue to discover and share their own talents and treasure.
“Seeing people use their gifts” bolsters her hope for the present and future of the camp. She’s been told multiple times that this atmosphere of family and mutual commitment “is what’s very different about CrossWoods. We want to keep bringing more people into that mix and invite them to share their gifts.”
On their website, the Kaufer family invites people to be part of their mission, “and most importantly, the mission requires prayers.” In addition to prayers, they “graciously ask” for financial support.
Learn more about CrossWoods Adventure Camp, Inc. online at crosswoods.camp.
Mother and daughter directors of CrossWoods Adventure Camp, Kayla Hoecherl and Cheryl Kaufer, stand before the future chapel site. Their current three-year fundraising project, the chapel will be the first building coming to the 200-plus acre Catholic camp facility, which has been run by the family since 2019. (Submitted photo)
