Giving Back: The Dedication of Koze Family Hall at Camp Fowler

At Kay Builders, we talk a lot about how much we love the Lehigh Valley. As a third-generation Lehigh Valley homebuilder, we’ve been building homes here for a long time (since 1961!). One thing that has remained true throughout all those years is that we care deeply about our local community. So we give back to the communities we serve as much as we possibly can.

Our owner and President Rick Koze supports a number of local charitable causes and is especially focused on helping young people in need. So Kay Builders is proud to support Valley Youth House in their mission to help youth who are experiencing difficult circumstances including homelessness. Through Valley Youth House, these kids find a place to belong and discover how to live their lives to their full potential.

At Valley Youth House’s 43-acre Camp Fowler in Orefield, kids can explore their passions through adventure-based, transformative experiences that foster healing and personal development. They take a break from cell phones, connect with nature, and maybe even get their hands a little dirty. Programs are designed to help kids develop self-esteem and build positive values.

On May 5, 2025, the Koze family and Kay Builders’ employees were on-hand for the dedication of Koze Family Hall at Camp Fowler in appreciation of Rick Koze and the Koze family for their efforts to transform Camp Fowler over the past 6 years.

Rebuilding Camp Fowler’s Sleeping Cabins

When Valley Youth House bought the camp 20 years ago, it was in rough shape. Over the years, improvements were made but they still needed to renovate the sleeping cabins.

The cabins were very basic, with metal cots and no heat, air conditioning, or water. Even worse, the cabins were starting to fall apart - one cabin even had a hole in its floor. Then, in 2019, Valley Youth House was introduced to Rick Koze.

Leveraging his years of construction experience, Rick Koze brought  together a team of architects, engineers, and skilled tradesmen. These local companies, all trade partners of Kay Builders, came together because of their friendship and relationship with Rick Koze. They donated materials, time, effort, and skills to make this project possible.

Under Rick’s leadership, the Camp Fowler Cabin Construction Campaign brought about a $2.3 million transformation of all seven sleeping cabins with modern, ADA-accessible amenities.

The new cabins provide a safe, welcoming space for children from all walks of life. They offer lots of natural light, beautiful pine tongue & groove construction, modern bunk beds, heat, air conditioning, and plumbing. Each cabin has its own restrooms and showers, so kids don’t have to walk outside to the central shower house in the middle of the night.

Now Open at Camp Fowler: The Carter Family Center

Once the cabins were complete, focus turned to building a new recreation center at the camp. The recreation center was needed to provide a space for kids to do valuable activities inside, especially when the weather was poor or during the winter months.

With a generous gift from the Carter family, the project was on. So Valley Youth House contacted Rick Koze and brought the team together again.

Earlier this spring, Kay Builders celebrated the opening of the Carter Family Center, a $2.7 million state-of-the-art indoor recreation and education facility that provides year-round opportunities for recreation, learning, and community connection for young people across the region.

The facility includes a STEM lab with modern technology for kids to learn, and an Arts Studio that’s designed to allow children to express themselves in different ways. The building also features expansive decking, dramatic center fireplace with cathedral ceiling, and lots of space for indoor activities.

The Carter Family Center is designed to meet the needs of campers for generations to come. As a result of all these improvements, attendance at the camp has skyrocketed. Where they once had 300 kids attend in a year, last year they had over 4,000!

The Dedication of Koze Family Hall

In appreciation of all the efforts of Rick Koze, the Koze family, and Kay Builders, the Koze Family Hall at Camp Fowler was dedicated as a powerful symbol, showing what’s possible when a community comes together to support its youth.

“Rick’s leadership, vision, and generosity have reshaped Camp Fowler into a premier destination for youth development,” said Tom Harrington, President & Executive Director of Valley Youth House. “From rebuilding our sleeping cabins to helping make year-round programming possible with his support of the state-of-the-art Carter Family Center, Rick and the entire Koze family have given thousands of young people a safe place to learn, grow, and just be kids.”

Kay Builders Is Proud to Support our Lehigh Valley Community

At Kay Builders, supporting our local Lehigh Valley communities has always been at the forefront of our values. We want to build communities of people who care and support one another. So we are happy to support Valley Youth House’s efforts to help children in our community, and we are proud to be a part of their mission to give this generation a brighter and more promising future.  

For more information about Kay Builders’ Communities in the area, contact us today at (484) 353-6100 or fill out our online form.