June 24, 2020

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”  Romans 12:12

Dear Parents,

As you have probably heard, Governor Cooper has just issued an Executive Order (147) mandating the wearing of face coverings in public places.  The order addresses camps specifically as follows:

 In Child Care Facilities, Day Camps, and Overnight Camps. Child care facilities, day camps, and overnight camps must have workers, all other adults, and children eleven (11) years or older on site wear Face Coverings when they are or may be within six (6) feet of another person.

If you have a child 11 years old or older coming to camp this summer, please include a face covering for them as a part of your packing. You may wish to pack one for each day or at least a couple of coverings in case one gets lost or dirty.  Our staff will be wearing masks when appropriate and any visitors will be asked to wear masks while on site.  We will be seeking guidance regarding wearing them in and around the water, and during mealtime.  We will continue to do our best to keep folks at appropriate distances so that covering use is minimal, but we are finding that camp is not conducive to being apart.

We hope that you will speak positively with your child about the need to wear a covering.  I believe that by now, most children are used to seeing people wearing coverings, so we hope that they will not be uncomfortable with doing so, or for those under 11, being around staff and others who are required to wear coverings.  For children under 11, the decision to wear or not wear a mask while at camp is at your discretion and we will make certain that no issues are made over who is or isn’t wearing one.

We also ask that you wear face coverings during check in and pick up.

We will continue our other steps for prevention – taking daily temperatures, extra cleaning, disposables whenever possible/practical…

This is certainly not the way we would like for summer to occur for our campers, but we still believe that we can offer your child a safe, and meaningful experience here at camp.   We have already served over 400 campers this summer, and we are so thankful that kids are getting a chance to be kids and spend a little time in this amazing place and we hope, to grow in their faith.  We have heard from many parents already how much their child’s time at camp has meant to them after months of isolation.  As one parent told me: “it was good for her soul.”

We know that sometimes God uses the challenges in our lives to teach us and to draw us closer to Him.   We are trusting that the God who loves us will keep us in His care.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  As always, if you decide to not have your child attend this summer, we will refund your fees without penalty, or be happy to hold it for next summer.

Hope to see you soon!

Tom Hussmann

Executive Director