Quick answers to common questions.

1. Where is RRMC located?

Reality Ranch is located in Graham County, in the tiny, historically rich town of Ft. Thomas, Arizona. Ft. Thomas is located approximately 45 minutes east of Globe, and 20 minutes west of Safford. The city of Safford is our closest “big” city, nestled at the base of the beautiful scenic Mount Graham, with a population of approximately 9,500 people. Safford has plenty of shopping, a full service hospital and lots of historical places to visit. You may want to take a look at Graham County’s web site at www.visitgrahamcounty.com in case you ever want to come by and visit. The people are so nice, you may never want to leave!

2. Are you a Co-Ed camp? What are your age requirements?

Reality Ranch serves young men exclusively, ages eleven (11) through fifteen (15). For some camp activities, recruits are separated in to groups, according to their age in order to encourage age appropriate interactions. At other times, the recruits enjoy interacting as a group, which helps promote tolerance and understanding for everyone.

3. Is Reality Ranch a “Boot Camp”?

There are so many types of programs that utilize the term “Boot Camp” in it, that we feel it necessary to clarify this term. We generally define a “Boot Camp” as a program that is operated with characteristics similar to a military style environment, usually with heavy emphasis on structure and maintaining self discipline. Under this definition, we would certainly consider our camp to be a “Boot Camp” in nature. However, if by using the term “Boot Camp” you are referring to some of the tough, rigid programs with poor safety records that were specifically designed to modify children’s behavior and whose clientel are primarily troubled youth sent to the program to “fix them” against their will, then our camp doesn’t even come close. Reality Ranch is a recreational summer camp with a military theme. There are hockey camps, band camps - even ballet camps…. Reality Ranch is a military camp.

4. I heard RRMC had a huge storm last summer. Is everything okay?

Yes, during our very first summer in Graham County, mother nature welcomed us with a huge freak storm that not only took down our tents, but took down quite a few trees, too! From what we have been told, the community has not seen a storm like this one in over 25 years. While certainly a bit of an inconvenience, the storm was a great excuse to get some new tents and plenty of extra firewood, too. Everything is back in good order now, and we appreciate all of the support we received from our Community, Friends and from our Ranch Families.

5. Wow! Were there any injuries?

Fortunately, injuries were very minimal, and the experience was more scary than anything else. Thanks to Cm. Denton and our quick thinking staff, we managed to get all of the recruits out of the tents and into camp headquarters before the majority of the storm passed over camp. Cm. Denton elected to take four children to our local hospital to get them checked out “just in case”, and all four children checked out fine; they were not seriously injured and finished the remainder of camp. Cm. Denton’s experience, background and training is what was ultimately responsible for the well being of our recruits during the storm. If you can dish it out, he can definitely take it!

6. The camp tents blew down in the storm, so…. does that mean that the tents were not strong enough to withstand the weather?

Apparently not. Then again, neither were many of the trees that were lost, that had been standing in the Fort Thomas area for many generations. When a hurricane comes along and destroys homes, do you blame the hurricane, or the home builder? Tents can be replaced easily; children cannot. What is most important is that everyone was safe and unharmed due to having solid emergency action plans in place, and fast thinking.

7. How does my child get to camp?

Usually, our recruits (whether arriving by plane or automobile) are received at Sky Harbor International Airport located in Phoenix, Arizona. Ranch parents who will be driving their recruit to Phoenix on the first day of camp are welcome and encouraged to meet our staff prior to dropping off their recruit. From the airport, our recruits will be transported via private bus to camp. Occasionally, we will have spring camps where travel arrangements may be different. Please contact us to verify prior to making your travel arrangements.

8. What types of children can come to camp?

Like most summer camps, RRMC serves a wide variety of youth from many different denominations and backgrounds. Some children attend camp to help get into better shape by learning how to eat healthy and stay active. Many Ranch Parents send their recruits to Reality Ranch to help motivate them and encourage them to make good choices, feel better about themselves and develop a greater appreciation for their home and family. Some recruits benefit from the interaction with positive male role models, while others just want to experience an adventurous summer, military style! We also specialize in recruits that have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD (whether the parent agrees with the diagnosis or not), as well as those recruits that seem to be lacking motivation or self discipline.

9. Where do recruits sleep and shower?

It’s back to basics here at the ranch, where recruits reside in military style tents, which are constructed to withstand harsh weather conditions (as long as the winds are not knocking over trees and power lines) while offering protection from the elements. Recruits are assigned an individual bunk and storage area for their personal belongings for the duration of their stay at camp. Top bunks have guard rails for the safety and protection of recruits. No pink fuzzy bathroom rugs here!

Our primitive showering facility allows for a realistic camping experience, while ensuring plenty of warm water and individual privacy for our recruits.

10. What types of meals are served at camp?

Our recruits enjoy nutritional but simple meals at camp, which resemble cafeteria food. We serve a variety of foods, from cereal to sandwiches, to burgers to pasta, all packed with the nutrients necessary to provide plenty of energy to our recruits of all shapes and sizes. While at camp, recruits may participate in the serving and clean up of camp meals, a talent that we hope they take back home with them.

11. What is a typical day at camp like?

We offer a wide array of educational activities and camp classes and our days are action packed from sun up to sun down! Recruits rise at 6:30AM, and conduct personal hygiene and make their beds before breakfast. Our core camp activities (such as flag raising and lowering, scripture reading, PT, formations, camp briefings, etc.) remain fairly routine, while our variable activities (classes, excursions, daily instruction, etc.) change from day to day. Click here to view a typical RRMC schedule, to get an idea of how our typical camp days run. Keep in mind that activities will vary by session, so if there is a particular activity that you would like for your recruit to participate in, please contact us to verify that it will be offered for the session you are enlisting in.

12. What happens when a child gets sick or hurt?

For minor health ailments, and cuts and scrapes, our recruits are evaluated and treated at the base camp, and temporarily placed in the sick bay if needed until they are ready to participate in group activities again. There is always a CPR/1st Aid certified staff member present with the recruits and an emergency transportation vehicle is available at all times. RRMC has a full time EMT available on location at the camp site who is trained and prepared to manage emergencies, and in the event of a serious injury, the recruit’s parents will be notified and the recruit will be taken into a local medical clinic or Mt. Graham Hospital is a full service medical treatment facility, located in the city of Safford, located approximately 20 minutes from camp.

13. Can my child attend camp if he takes prescription medication?

Yes! Medication is administered four times daily, with meals and at bed time. Vitamins, supplements and other over the counter remedies may not be brought to camp without a prescription. You may wish to consult with your child’s physician to adjust dosage times prior to camp if needed. Be sure to list any medications that your child is taking on your enlistment forms. There is an additional medication dispensing fee if this service is required.

14. Do you offer any type of counseling or therapy?

Reality Ranch is NOT a mental health facility, it is a recreational summer camp for children. While the friendly mentoring of our camp owners and camp staff has proven to be beneficial to our recruits, we do not staff any psychologists or therapists at RRMC. If you feel that counseling is necessary for your recruit, we recommend that you select a camp program that is able to provide these services to your child.

15. My child is Bi-Polar/ violent/ suicidal/ has run away from home, can he attend camp?

No, we do not recommend that your son attend RRMC, nor do we feel our program would be beneficial to these types of children. Any of the above conditions could interfere with a child’s natural ability to modify his own behavior and get the maximum benefit from our camp, as well as pose a safety risk to himself or our other camp attendees. Children who have “run away” from home have a tendency to do the same in nearly any situation that they are not comfortable with, and we encourage parents who have children with a tendency to leave home without permission to find an appropriate program that can accommodate these issues. Reality Ranch is a recreational camp, and is not a mental health or treatment facility.

16. Do you have any financial aid or scholarships available?

Unfortunately, we do not have any type of financial assistance available at this time. We do, however, accept most major credit cards for your financing convenience. This is a good option for Ranch Families that would prefer to finance their camp tuition. We are working on starting a scholarship fund for the future, and will post an announcement when funding is available. Check out our “Services” link for more information.

17. Do you accept private health insurance?

No, we do not have any contracts with any health insurance companies at this time.

18. Do you have any references or testimonials?

Sure! Go to “Our Friends” page, where you will find feedback from REAL Ranch parents who have sent their child to camp this past summer.

19. Do you provide any type of religious instruction?

We are a Christian (non-denominational) based camp and we allow our recruits to grow in that direction if they so desire. RRMC is glad to accept children from all religious denominations, and we conduct non-denominational scripture reading nightly. Recruits from other religious faiths will use their personal book of worship reflecting their religious affiliations during scripture time. The main goal behind our scripture time is to encourage self reflection, spirituality and education and tolerance of religion, not to influence beliefs. We encourage recruits to worship according to their family’s religious preferences while at camp.

20. Does my child need to be an Arizona resident to attend camp?

No, he doesn’t! We are proud to serve families from all over Arizona, the United States, and from all over the world. Click here to see how far some of our new recruits have traveled to get to our camp.

21. What makes RRMC different from other military camps?

We are not well versed in all of the components of other military summer camps, however, based on the feedback that we have received from some of our past recruits and Ranch Families, our program offers the variety and edge that provides our recruits with exposure to life skills, learning, emotional growth, educational classes and more. Additionally, please keep in mind that while Reality Ranch can be a great motivator for boys who need to make some minor self improvement, it is not a behavior modification program, and does not accept adjudiacated or troubled youth.

We are a family business, and we take tremendous pride in ensuring that our recruits are safe and cared for at camp. This past summer, while it was definitely one of our more challenging summers, it was one that makes us proud of who we are. All of the web site seals and logos in the world don’t prove that your camp is safe and well managed until the chips are actually down.

22. How can I find out more information?

Thanks for asking! We would love to answer any questions that you didn’t find answers to on our web site, or any other questions you may have about camp, or we can send you additional information by mail, if you prefer.

You can email us at base@campcommo.com.
You can request information for summer 2008 on the web.
You can call us at 1 (928) 485-0145 and we would be happy to speak with you. During our off season, please leave a message, and we will return your call as soon as possible.