Four weeks from right now, we’ll be at Camp! Four Weeks!
Costume Event
Big news! As the What to Expect sheet hinted at, we’re doing a costume event for the first time in 7 years! We’re excited to officially announce that the theme is – wait for it – Superheroes! Pack your favorite superhero costume, or be creative and make up your own. Teams with the most costumed characters will get bonus points in the Big Game the night of the event. And, believe me, this one is going to be a LOT of fun, using both your mental and physical super powers to save the multiverse!
With that, one little guideline: Be smart in picking a costume. Campers, pretend you’re sitting in a job interview when you’re 20 and have to explain a photo of you dressed as this superhero. Use good sense and good taste – this is going to be a lot of fun, but we do reserve the right to ask you to change back to normal clothes. Seriously, in 2011, Jon had to have a conversation with a Camper who didn’t know any better and had dressed in blackface for the Historical Character Showdown. Things like that are way across the line, and we took care of it. We’ll do that this year if we have to, though we hope all of you will make good (and funny!) decisions for your costumes!
Ask your parent or group leader for advice if you’re not sure about your idea. And yes, adults, you can bring a costume too!
Online Forms
Group Leaders: If you haven’t already submitted photos or scans of your release forms (and other forms if you need them), log into your ACTIVE account and get on it! Seriously, it will make your first 30 minutes at Camp so, so, SO much easier. Imagine getting out of the van after a long drive, standing in line for as little time as possible, and getting into your cabin for a quick rest before lunch on Monday at Camp. If you uploaded your forms last year, you know what I’m talking about. It’ll take a little time to do; but that’s a little time in your nice, air conditioned office, sipping tea or coffee, listening to new jams on Spotify, and not standing in line in the Georgia heat!
Waitlist Update
We have only been able to pull a few kids off of the waitlist because there have been an unusually small number of cancellations so far. We’re also having to give priority to adult volunteers whose groups didn’t have enough leaders. We’re going to bring every Camper we possibly can, but we also want all of our Campers to be safe. Part of that is sticking to our policies about the number of adults in cabins, on teams, and helping on Clear Team. We have been doing the cabin assignments early so we know exactly where we can fit any additional Campers. (If you want the super detailed version of what that entails, email us!)
We also know that being in limbo on the waitlist is tough for those that need to make other plans. So, here’s the deal: If you or your Camper is on the waitlist and you want to be taken off so that you can make alternate plans, email us and let us know. We’ll cry a little inside, but we’ll put the Camper’s name on a list for a special pre-Early Bird period for 2019!
If you want to stay on and don’t mind getting a call as late as the Friday before Camp, then you don’t need to do anything! We’ll take people as spots open up, so you can keep your place in line. Again, anyone still on the waitlist after Camp will be given pre-Early Bird access to register for Camp Vineyard 2019 as well.
Volunteer Training
Hey, adults coming to Camp, if you’re new or it’s been 2 years, you received your link to the MinsitrySafe training last week. Don’t wait until the last minute, get it done! In the meantime, watch our videos in Counselor World and download the Volunteer Manual from the link in your registration email to get ready! We’ll be making phone calls to the new leaders soon. It’s just a short interview to be sure we have you in the right job at Camp – after all, we want you to have as much fun as the Campers do!
That’s it for now. We’re hard at work at Camp HQ, putting the finishing touches on our celebration of the 10th anniversary of Camp! As always, if you have questions, contact us. See you in 4 weeks!