LEEDS, Washington County — With a vision to bring joy to others, Ben “Coach” Lott converted his Leeds property into a homemade theme park and campground. Now, 16 years later, it’s at risk of being sold and shut down.

Lott Ranch, located at 411 Buckeye Reef Road in Leeds, has zip lines, a climbing wall, a museum, a wooden castle, an archery range and treehouses. Lott, a retired man in his late 70s who lives on the property, has never asked visitors to pay an admission price for the park; and other than a few donations left by a few visitors, nearly everything has been funded by Lott’s savings account.

“Over the years, I’ve used all my savings to put into the place,” he said. “If I keep going at the rate, I’m going ... I won’t be able to keep myself going for more than a couple of years from now.”

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A GoFundMe campaign* was started for Lott by some of his close friends in St. George to help him cover some of the expenses of running the camp. In six days, it’s raised nearly $3,000 out of a $315,000 goal.

Managing the GoFundMe campaign has since been passed on to Lott’s children, but the campaign organizers wrote on the campaign explanation about how they are “desperately trying” to help Lott out of his financial troubles, “as he would do the same, if not much more, for us.”

To read the full story, visit St. George News.

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*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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