Sally Lloyd-Jones, author of the widely acclaimed Jesus Storybook Bible, recently shared on her Instagram the story behind Baby Wren and the Great Gift (pictured above), a children’s book that’s a “joyful celebration of the unique and wonderful gifts each of us has been given.” The book was inspired by the wrens here in the Canyon. It’s dedicated to Jones’s father, her “friends at Laity Lodge, and the Canyon Wrens who fill the air with singing.”
Each year, the H. E. Butt Foundation welcomes new interns to work with Outdoor, Communications, and LLYC. In addition to daily work, interns engage in monthly day-long retreats, book studies, and biweekly mentorship and leadership development meetings under the direction of Karla Heath, all focused on helping these young professionals to grow vocationally, personally, and spiritually. The Foundation is proud to welcome Roscoe Bertsch (Outdoor), Steven Harrison (Comms), Hayden Hyde (Comms), Molly McIntire (LLYC), and Ethan Oliver (LLYC).
If you attended camps or retreats during the 1960s, ’70s, or ’80s, dust off those scrapbooks and send us scans* of your photos along with a short account of your time in the Canyon. Caption the photos with names if you’re able! We’re actively expanding our Archives and seeking to further preserve our history. Each Canyon visitor has a story worth telling, and we’d like to share as many as possible.
We are happy to accept high-resolution (300 DPI) scans saved as high-quality JPG or TIF files (or photographic prints, negatives, or slides, either gifted to the Foundation Archives or to be picked up in person the next time you come through Kerrville). Send photos, captions, or questions to the communications team at echoes@hebfdn.org.
In the Echo Valley kitchen, Wylie Shellhouse keeps menus and delivery schedules posted alongside church bulletins and an Orthodox icon printed on wood.
When Laity Lodge decided to relaunch Creativity Week after an 8-year hiatus, two truths guide the week: Everyone is creative, and everyone is welcome.
You can’t properly tell the story of outdoor education in the Canyon—or in the state of Texas—without talking about Irma Lewis, a P.E. teacher from Seguin.