BBF 100: Marking Nearly a Century of Support for Camp Crosley
On the shores of Lake Little Tippecanoe, surrounded by hundreds of acres of woodlands, wetlands, and open water, Camp Crosley has been helping young people discover adventure, independence, and belonging for more than a century.
A plaque over the fireplace in Camp Crosley’s historic dining hall reads, “May the warmth of a glowing fire be reflected in the hearts of boys who, like Crosley Ball, live for others.”
Each summer, more than 2,600 campers from across the Midwest arrive ready to swim, paddle, climb, and explore. For some, it is their first time away from home. For others, Camp Crosley is a family tradition stretching back generations. Days are spent on the water, around campfires, on wooded trails, and with newfound friends. By week's end, campers leave with more confidence, stronger relationships, and memories that last a lifetime.
For Ball Brothers Foundation, Camp Crosley is also a place of deep family connection and one of the foundation’s earliest grantees.
While the YMCA of Muncie had been camping on borrowed land in this area of northern Indiana for years, it wasn’t until 1921 that Camp Crosley found a permanent home at Lake Little Tippecanoe through a gift from Edmund B. and Bertha C. Ball. Edmund and Bertha gave the gift as a memorial to their young son, Clinton Crosley “Crosley” Ball, who died at the age of four. From its earliest days, the camp was recognized as one of the best in the state for its facilities and programming.
Just a few years later, Edmund’s estate would establish Ball Brothers Foundation in 1926 and his wife Bertha would serve as the vice chair of the BBF board. This further strengthened the ties between the family, the foundation, and the camp that bore their son’s name.
In 1927—just one year after the foundation was established—BBF made one of its earliest grants to help the camp purchase adjacent farmland for Camp Crosley. Additional grants throughout the following decades helped grow the camp’s footprint and secure its future along the shores of Lake Little Tippecanoe. What began as early support for a promising youth camp has now grown into nearly a century of support totaling well over $3 million.
Over the decades, Camp Crosley has evolved alongside the communities it serves. Originally founded as a camp for boys from the Muncie YMCA, the camp would later open its programs to a broader range of young people, drawing campers from across Indiana and the Midwest. Throughout the years, the camp has remained rooted in the values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility.
BBF's support has taken many forms over the years. Grants have helped strengthen facilities, expand opportunities for campers, and preserve the natural environment that makes the camp experience possible.
Today, Camp Crosley is more than a summer camp. Throughout the year, students, families, school groups, athletic teams, and community organizations gather for outdoor education, leadership development, retreats, and recreation. The camp provides a rare opportunity for young people to disconnect from screens, connect with nature, and discover their own potential.
Now in its own second century, significant improvements are underway at Camp Crosley. In 2024, BBF awarded a $250,000 grant to renovate the camp's Lakeside Cabins, improving comfort, accessibility, and year-round use. Most recently, Ball Brothers Foundation committed $500,000 toward a major capital campaign at camp, providing a lead gift toward a new $6 million matching grant awarded by Lilly Endowment. Funding will help modernize facilities, including Camp Crosley’s historic dining hall, and expand programming.
Nearly 100 years after BBF's first grant, the sounds of Camp Crosley remain much the same: laughter echoing across the lake, paddles cutting through the water, songs around a campfire, and young people discovering what they are capable of becoming. While the facilities continue to evolve, the camp's purpose—and BBF's commitment to helping it thrive—endures.
Ball Brothers Foundation’s board of directors and staff spent two days/nights at Camp Crosley in 2024 as part of a board retreat, experiencing camp first-hand and creating new memories in a place near and dear to the Ball family.
BBF & Camp Crosley Stories Through the Years
Earlier this month, Ball Brothers Foundation’s board of directors, associate directors, and staff gathered together for a retreat at Camp Crosley along the shores of Little Tippy (James Lake) in North Webster, Indiana. Established over 100 years ago, Camp Crosley has been near and dear to the Ball family for generations and is a long-time grantee of the foundation.