GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Summer Camp season is starting up again, and that’s a big deal considering many such camps totally canceled their seasons last year.
At The Brigade and Girls Scouts camps, COVID-19 can and will change the way they’ll look and function, though.
“A lot more extra cleaning, extra sanitizing; we have specific handwashing and hand sanitizing times on schedule for this summer,” said Girl Scouts camp manager Lisa Freeman. “We’re also doing drive-thru drop-offs, where parents where basically come in, drive into and drop off right at the side parking lot.”
The Brigade’s Camp Onaway, already on an island of its own, will now become an “island bubble.”
“We’re really gonna treat the Onaway like a bubble, so we’re gonna have negative tests for everybody that comes into the bubble; that comes onto the island for the week of camp,” David Weiss, development director for the Brigade said. “We’re gonna have daily screenings to make sure that everybody’s doing well and safe, then if there if there’s any COVID -suspect kids or campers, they’re gonna head home right away.”
Camp Onaway has been an annual tradition for many families for over a century.
The pandemic shut the campsite down last year, and now that it’s back, registration is through the roof.
“We think that there’s a large pent-up demand for kids to get out and enjoy a normal life in a summer camp setting,” said Weiss. “With us having to cancel last year, we had a lot of families that said, ‘As soon as you open, we’re back at it!’”
Girl Scouts camps, Camp Birch Trails and Camp Winnecomac, experienced the same. Those camps will be operating at 50% capacity, but their slots are already almost 100% filled.
“The parents that were ready, they were online to register right when our registration opened, and just went gangbusters!” Freeman said. “I sat and watched our numbers grow, and grow, and grow.”
At both camps, a negative COVID test is required.
Activities, like offsite field trips will not happen this year, and everything will be kept outdoors, as much as possible.
“We’re gonna try to do as much dining outdoors, as possible, just to keep everybody distanced and spaced,” said Weiss. “We do have a couple activities, like our chapel and our campfires, where the kids are a little bit closer together that they’re gonna be masked-up during those activities.”
Kids’ safety is always the top priority at these camps. But so is parent-comfortability. That’s why some, like the Girl Scouts, have changed their refund policy this year.
“Basically, our policy is, up until they arrive at camp. If they feel unsafe, or they have symptoms, or something happens, we will give a refund,” Freeman said. “We’re not interested in forcing people to feel like they need to send their campers sick to camp, because they’re worried about losing out on that money.”
Even with more guidelines in place and a bit more restrictions, camp leaders say they’ve been looking forward to the comeback.
For information on Camp Onaway registration, click here. If you’re interested in the Girl Scouts camps, more information can be found here.
Comments