Per Rune Larsen - A Lasting Legacy

For years the summer youth camps at Tuscarora Inn & Conference Center have been a central part of our ministry. During the summer months, relationships with Christ are created, grown, and renewed. It’s no surprise that many of our life-long guests, volunteers, and supporters start their journeys during Junior Week or Teen Week. God speaks to so many in this camp setting, away from the distractions of everyday life.   

Per Rune Larsen was a remarkable young man who attended Junior Week and Teen Week in the early part of his life. These programs made such an impact on him that he chose to come back and serve as a counselor and as a teen on summer staff.

His was a life full of faith and passion for Christ and he always felt driven to share the gospel with others. But his life was cut short following a battle with cancer. Because of the impression his life and ministry made on the friends and family around him his legacy has continued to live on. People have continued to provide financial support to Tuscarora and volunteer in key leadership roles years later. Those closest to him have also made a tremendous impact in his memory by establishing the Per Rune Larsen Scholarship Fund.

Even those among us who may not have known Per Rune Larsen can support the vision of this effort.  Each year, the Per Rune Larsen Scholarship Fund makes Junior Week and Teen Week possible for children who would not otherwise have the financial ability to come to Tuscarora by covering a portion of the costs. With this legacy, his service within Junior Week and Teen Week continues.

Tuscarora is aware that every year the need for this financial support grows – but so does the impact of the fund. In 2010, $5,000 was given out in camper scholarship, and this has grown to $17,000 this past year. God has been so faithful to allow Tuscarora to never deny a child a scholarship when they need it, but each year the fund is nearly depleted. Faithful donors have always helped us to meet the need and allowed us to minister to as many children as possible.

Over 500 children experienced Junior Week and Teen Week this past summer. They experienced fun and friendship in a Christ-centered gospel filled week. The experience at Junior Week and Teen Week can be life-changing and these programs are at the heart of the ministry Tuscarora provides. Each year we know that God brings those children who need most to hear His voice onto our grounds.

Looking ahead, we know next year there will be an even greater need for scholarship money for children to come to camp. We also know that God will meet their needs through the support of the Tuscarora friends and family.

We ask you, the Tuscarora family, to help us close the summer by supporting the Per Rune Larson Scholarship Fund. Help us to head into the fall knowing with full confidence that each child who needs it will have means to experience Tuscarora.

If you are a parent whose child experienced one of our camp programs this summer, an adult who sees how their life has been changed by the Junior Week or Teen Week ministries, or someone who wants to honor the memory of Per Rune Larsen and the impact he made on your life please consider making a gift to the Scholarship Fund by visiting our website.