Something About Camp Friends – Notes from Camp – March, 2019

Hi Folks,

In this post you’ll find:

IT OCCURS TO ME:

There are varying times over the course of the year when we get to see the splendor of camp friendships on full display.  Obviously, the most intensive time when camp friends are together, sharing experiences and growing their relationships is during the summer.  Does that make our day every day at camp?  Yes.  Yes it does.

In some respects, though, it is even more rewarding when we see those incredibly strong connections blow past the boundaries of the summer and our little slice of paradise in Wisconsin, and continue into the “off-season,” spanning miles and miles of distance between home towns. 

Camp people often will travel to visit with each other.  That’s true of campers, of staff, and even holds true for camp alumni.  We get photos throughout the year of folks visiting their camp friends around the country (and around the world!), and we think that’s the greatest.  This past weekend we joined a group of current camp staff and alums to celebrate the 30th birthday of  Assistant Director, SAM “PICKLES” KAHN, in Las Vegas.  Folks came in from Chicago, New York, Florida, California and Arizona to celebrate together.  It’s a conservative estimate to say that 85% of the conversations centered on shared camp experiences all weekend long.

Ever wonder what it is about camp friendships that make them so strong and lasting?  We ALWAYS pay attention to that, and we think we have some clues.  

  • WE LIVE TOGETHER!
    • At camp, the last people you see before you close your eyes to sleep, and the first people you see when you wake up are your cabin mates.
    • Camp friends, especially cabin mates, see each other at their best and sometimes at their worst. 
    • There’s nothing to hide in a relationship this close.  You see your friend as he really is, and he sees you as your most genuine self.  That’s how a trusting friendship grows.
  • CAMP IS A COMMUNITY PURPOSEFULLY BUILT FOR FRIENDSHIP:
    • Kids and counselors at camp are mindful of connecting with others.  It’s why we’re there!
    • “Friending” is a skill…that has NOTHING to do with clicking a button on a screen!  
      • Like any skill, some kids are already highly capable, and others are still learning.  Our counselors appreciate the opportunity to help those kids grow.
  • LIVING AT CAMP INVOLVES SOME COMMON SACRIFICE:
    • The Ritz Carlton it is not.  Camp is very comfortable and even a little cozy, but it is not fancy or luxurious.  And it involves a certain reduction in privacy as well.
    • Camp is on a schedule that is the same for everyone.  We ALL eat together…every day!  Social scientists have long recognized the value of regularly shared meals for building family ties.  Camp is the ultimate validation of that. 
    • We clean together, deal with inclement weather together, overcome bumps and hurdles together.
    • We celebrate our triumphs together.  

Clearly, this is not rocket science.  Rather, it is just plain evidence that – given the chance to truly get to know someone, the opportunity to discover a friendship on a level waaaay beyond those in other surroundings is so much greater.  There is a Destiny that Makes us Brothers…..

YO PARENTS:

It is spring time in the land, and that means it’s time to get started on all the fun pre-camp paperwork!  Yay!

Some of you have already gotten to it, and that’s great.  If that’s not you, please don’t panic.  There is still plenty of time to get everything taken care of.

Here’s the best part: ALL OF THE INFO YOU NEED, AND MOST OF THE QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ARE ANSWERED IN YOUR PARENT HANDBOOK!  It’s long.  There’s a lot of info.  But it is highly organized and you can just look up the info you need as you need it!

  • PLEASE download your Parent Handbook from your Keylog page or by clicking here.  Stick it on your refrigerator.  You’ll be glad you did.
  • PLEASE read through it.  Not all at once, but it is important enough that you should be familiar with all the info in there.
  • PLEASE call or email us if you have any questions at all.

CAMPDOC.COM

CampDoc is our medical records partner.  You should have received an email from CampDoc with login instructions.  Please let us know right away if you have not yet received login info from CampDoc.  Once logged in, you can complete all of your camper’s medical information.  This includes:

    • HEALTH PROFILE:  Many of you have already completed your Health Profile forms, which is great.
      • If you’re unsure of what sections you have not yet completed, you can login to CampDoc.com, click on your “Health Profile” tab, and check the status of your info.
      • If you have areas that are incomplete, your profile may look like this:

    • If you see a   for a section of the Health Profile, this means you need to confirm the info is still accurate (if your son was a camper last summer).
    • If you see a   for a section of the Health Profile, this means you need to complete that section.
  • Once you have completed sections in the Health Profile, it will look like this:
  • The  indicates that section of the Health Profile  is complete.  Once you have them all completed, pat yourself on the back!  Job well done!!
  • HEALTH INSURANCE CARD: You must provide a copy of the front and back of your health insurance card for the policy that covers your camper.  This can be uploaded directly to your CampDoc account.  IF YOUR SON IS A RETURNING CAMPER AND YOUR INSURANCE IS UNCHANGED FROM LAST SUMMER YOU DO NOT NEED TO UPLOAD A NEW COPY.
  • IMAGED DOCUMENTS: There are 2 documents that you must fill out and upload to your CampDoc account.  This includes:
  • Annual Physician Update: A one-page PDF document that your doctor must fill out EACH summer.  This is the doctor’s verification that your son is healthy enough to attend camp, and it is a requirement by the ACA and the state of Wisconsin.  You can download the blank form from your CampDoc page OR from your Parent Keylog page on our website.
  • Insurance and Consent Form: A three-page PDF document that we will use in the event your camper must see a doctor in town while he is with us.  Having this done ahead of any such required visit greatly improves our ability to have campers seen by a doctor in a timely way, regardless of which medical facility near us we may choose.  You can download the blank form from your CampDoc page OR from your Parent Keylog page on our website.

“I DON’T KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD!” Yes, it can be daunting, but honestly, it’s not that hard.  If you can scan a copy of your insurance card, or the forms that need to be uploaded, then it’s easy.  Just follow the instructions on the CampDoc page.  If you do not have a scanner, you can take a clear photo of the card or form, and upload that photo to your page.  Please look at the photo you are going to upload to make sure all of the information is legible.  If all else fails (including asking any teenager you know for help), please send us the originals, and we will upload them to your CampDoc account for you.  Thanks.

CAMPER MEDS: 

ALL medications your son may take at camp, prescription or otherwise, you will mail directly to camp in their original bottles with the prescription, and we will dispense it to your son on the schedule you select.  It is important that you make sure your dispensing instructions are clear on your son’s Health Profile, and they match any instructions on the bottle with the medications.

There are important dates by which we must receive your son’s medications.  IF YOU ARE LATE MAILING YOUR MEDICATIONS TO CAMP, FEES UP TO $100  WILL BE APPLIED.  The table below lists these important dates.  Please take a look, and again, this information is in your Parent Handbook.

Date by Which Medication MUST Arrive at Camp 1st Session 2nd Session
10 Days Before Session Begins – NO FEE June 7, 2019 July 4, 2019
5 -9 Days Before Session Begins – $50 FEE June 8 – 12, 2019 July 4 – 9, 2019
4 Days or Less Before Session Begins – $100 FEE June 13, 2019 or Later July 10, 2019 or Later

ARE THERE ANY EXCEPTIONS?  If your son experiences a last-minute injury or illness requiring a medication to be prescribed beyond our designated deadline, we will, of course, manage the medication for him.  If a late doctor appointment results in a prescription change or addition, we will manage that as well.  In either event, we will add a Medication Handling Fee of $25.

OTHER INFO & FORMS:

CAMPER PROFILE FORM: This is a form you fill out and submit from your Parent Keylog page on our website.  This is good stuff for us to know about your son to help us get ready for him. Also your 2nd (and last) opportunity to make cabin mate requests. THIS FORM IS NOT REQUIRED FOR CITs. Parents, please be sure to read through this form each year….it retains any input you entered from prior years, but we really need you to keep us current.  Thanks!

TRANSPORTATION TO & FROM CAMP: On your Keylog page you will complete and submit the Travel Form to confirm your son’s method of traveling to and from camp. Please submit this to us no later than May 15th. If you have already sent that in, please do not submit a new form unless there has been a change in your son’s travel plans.

Please also remember our policy regarding changes in bus travel, “Withdrawal from bus travel within 1 week of travel days will still incur full bus fares. Additions to bus travel after the start of the camp season cannot be guaranteed a seat on the bus.”

*Register for Flights to/from Camp: This link on your Keylog page  takes you right to the Sojourn Travel website where you can see all the information regarding flights, Unaccompanied Minor arrangements, baggage concerns, etc.  IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY BOOKED YOUR SON’S FLIGHTS TO CAMP, YOU ARE BEHIND SCHEDULE!  The later it gets, the higher the fares will be.  If you are booking your son’s travel independent of our travel agent, that’s okay, but we must know about it.  And our travel agent will not be able to assist in the event a schedule change or flight interruption occurs.

ORDER TIMBERWEAR ONLINE: Use the Everything Summer Camp website to buy most everything your son will need, as well as camp logo’d items. The ONLY REQUIREMENT we have for logo’d items is a standard camp laundry bag.  If you’d like your son to have his clothing and gear in time for camp, PLEASE PLACE YOUR ORDER BY MAY 1ST!

VISITING WEEKEND RSVP: A form you fill out and submit online.  If you have a full season camper, or CIT, and you plan to join us for our Visiting Weekend, please let us know as soon as you can.  If you have first session-four week campers and you plan to join us for some or all of Visiting Weekend, please also complete that form.

TRIP NEWS:  

We want to remind all of our experienced tripper kids that we are signing up for our pre-registration available trips.  As of today we have had a few guys sign up for the Isle Royale, the Quetico, and the Apostle Islands Sea Kayak trips. We still have plenty of space on all of them, so we encourage you go talk it over and let us know if your son wants to go.  As a reminder, these pre-registration trips are for returning campers who are of adequate age and experience level for the trip.  If you have any questions, please let us know.  GET OUT THERE THIS SUMMER!!

BRAVO TO OUR MARCH BIRTHDAY BOYS & GIRLS!

Etienne LaFlamme – 03/01, Nick Pearlstone – 03/03, Dillon Berlin – 03/04, Jack Robinowitz – 03/04, Ryan Lee – 03/05, Dillon Aronoff – 03/06, Javy Vallejo-McCann – 03/06, Charlie Carroll – 03/07, Andrea Champutiz – 03/09, Jonah Bartlett – 03/11, Max Kohl – 03/11, Jonah Gerstein – 03/12, Joey Ettinger – 03/13, Adam Klein – 03/16, Michael Dattilo – 03/19, Dustin Greenwood – 03/20, Brian Strain – 03/22, Frankie DePodesta – 03/23, Tyler Mann – 03/23, Jonah Zivin – 03/23, Andres Canchon – 03/24, Solomon Greene – 03/24, Max Boron – 03/26, Ivy Molls – 03/26, Joe Berns – 03/28, Leo Weiss – 03/29.

We will write again soon with info on more great campers and staff who will be with us this summer!  Stay tuned!!

Benches up,

Mike, Leslie & Dustin