Camp Korey, a non-profit that operates free camps for children with serious illnesses, has sold its farm to the foundation created by the founders of Carnation Milk.

The foundation then granted Camp Korey a 30-year lease on the 818-acre farm for a nominal fee, freeing up money for the non-profit to expand its programs to more people.

The Elbridge and Debra Stuart Family Foundation said it completed the sale of the Carnation Farm on Wednesday for an undisclosed sum.

CAMP KOREY

Camp Korey in Carnation was created as a refuge for children struggling with serious illnesses.

The camp was started in 2005 by Tim and Donna Rose, who lost their teenage son Korey to cancer. They were inspired by actor Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps, places where children fighting cancer and other life threatening illnesses could go for recreation.

Tim Rose, a senior vice president at Costco, knew about those camps through his relationship with Newman's Own food products. Paul Newman visited Carnation in 2007 to announce the sale of the farm to Camp Korey.

Owning the farm had become a financial burden for the camp, said Camp Korey spokeswoman Eva Conner. Nestle acquired the property in 1985 when it purchased the Carnation Company, and sold it to Camp Korey in 2008 for about $20 million, Conner said. That value included eventual interest over the life of the mortgage. The non-profit had about $5.7 million in revenue in 2008, and almost 60 percent of its expenses were going toward costs related to purchasing the farm.

Elbridge (Bridge) Stuart III, the great-grandson of Carnation Founder E.A. Stuart, said the farm has been a part of the family's history for a century.

"Re-acquiring it lets us support the good work of Camp Korey and preserve a part of King County and Washington State history while honoring our connection to the property," he said in a statement. "It is all of us working together for a single purpose."

Stuart and Ann Stuart Lucas, the granddaughter of E.A. Stuart, are on Camp Korey's board of directors.

Without a mortgage obligation, Conner said, the camp can use its resources to expand its capacity. It's holding seven week-long camp sessions this year, along with weekends and other recreation programs for children ages 7 through 16 dealing with cancer, epilepsy, Crohn's and colitis, heart disease and other conditions. The camp is supported by donations and is free for families and children.