Tim Tebow will open a camp for children on a 3,000-acre site in the Poconos

BEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The lakefront log cabin is a retiree’s dream, but Tim Tebow doesn’t plan to spend the rest of his days reminiscing about old touchdown runs on the picturesque front porch there.

Sports were something Tebow, 35, loved and excelled at, but faith was always his calling and his charitable foundation is about to tackle its biggest service project yet. In coming years, this cabin and a slice of the 3,000 acres it sits on in the Pocono Mountains of Luzerne County, will become Rising Light Ridge, a camp where, according to its website, “individuals of all backgrounds and abilities can grow together physically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Tebow, a Heisman Trophy winner at University of Florida who played for Philadelphia Eagles in the 2015 preseason, was in the Poconos for a ground-breaking ceremony last month.

“My heart, and the heart of my foundation, is to be able to bring faith, hope, and love to the world’s most vulnerable people,” Tebow said in a statement to The Inquirer “People who are in crisis, those who have been thrown away, those who need someone to fight for them. On this piece of land — a land that we truly feel has been set apart — we have a vision to do just that.”

The Tim Tebow Foundation, based out of Jacksonville, Fla., was not looking to purchase land in Pennsylvania, or even to start a camp, when it was approached by the owners, William and Jeannie Haas several years ago. The Haas family cofounded the Philadelphia chemical giant Rohm and Haas over a century ago and accumulated vast tracts of land in Pennsylvania in the decades that followed. Thousands of acres had already been sold to conservancies before they contacted Tebow.

The Tim Tebow Foundation purchased the property, 107 miles north of Philadelphia, in 2016 and, according to the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, paid $5.15 million for 1,751 acres and $1 apiece for two additional parcels. The foundation told The Inquirer the money used to purchase the property was donated by William and Jeannie Haas, making the 3,000 acres a gift.

“Their intent was that this property be used to serve and glorify God,” said Matt Anderson, president and CEO of Rising Light Ridge.

The Haas family had volunteered alongside the Tim Tebow Foundation in Haiti. When asked why the family decided to gift so much land, William Haas, in an email to The Inquirer, said “knowing that the land will be used to bless and enrich the lives of so many people is an answer to prayer.”

On a recent weekday morning in October, Anderson drove an SUV up the gravel roads, into what will soon be the heart of Rising Light Ridge. Creeks that cut through the property were swollen and running fast, thanks to remnants of Hurricane Ian. Site plans call for new, fully-accessible camper cabins, a welcome center, an arts and worship center, a respite lodge and cabins for parents, and a large, year-round equine center.

“There’s just something about being around a horse,” Anderson said. “They’re very empathetic animals.”

Rising Light Ridge, when completed, will cover just 110 acres of the property but most of the land will be open for hiking and horseback riding for campers.

“We’re disturbing as few trees as possible, so they can experience this,” Anderson said.

The Tim Tebow Foundation estimates that Rising Light Ridge will employ 50 to 60 people, full time, on a year-round basis. An additional 150 people could be employed there, seasonally.

“I haven’t been there yet, but I think Tim Tebow has a very good reputation for working with communities,” said Luzerne County council member Tim McGinley. “If his name is attached to it, I’m sure it’s a good thing.”

Tebow won two national championships at Florida and played three seasons in the NFL. He also spent four seasons in the minor leagues with the New York Mets. He founded the Tim Tebow Foundation in 2010, after he was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

Rising Light Ridge began hosting campers this summer, with tents and portable showers, and will continue programs during construction over the next couple of years. While the camp isn’t exclusive to children with disabilities — or Christians — Rising Light Ridge’s goal is to make every activity, whether it’s kayaking, hiking, or even rock climbing, fully accessible to everyone. The camp has several “Joëlettes,” a one-wheeled, all-terrain hiking vehicle made in France that can basically go anywhere.

“It doesn’t matter what your ability is. It doesn’t matter what your background is. Here, we’ve got kids with typical backgrounds, typical abilities hanging out, climbing a waterfall with a kid with Down syndrome or a kid with autism,” Anderson said, “We’re trying to take down those barriers, that fear of the unknown.”

Steve Biondo, president of the Tim Tebow Foundation, said Rising Light Ridge’s respite centers will give parents of children with disabilities a rare chance to take a break or explore the Poconos.

“They are on the front lines of care, 365 days a year,” he said. “They deserve to be loved on, too.”

The cabin, which the Haas family used for gatherings, is staying, of course. So far, it’s been used mostly for staff meetings but Anderson said it’s also a nice place to sit and stare at nature with a cup of coffee.