WA WA Segowea News

Looking Ahead to 2021

Submit a quick 2021 survey response today! 

Hello Camp WA WA Friends and Families,

I hope this finds you well! 

With holidays ahead, and the pandemic causing so many changes and concerns, I know there is a lot on our families’ minds. 

Here at Camp, we are planning for a safe and rejuvenating summer on Harmon Pond! Registration will open January 1, 2021, our typical registration start, and in this email I am including some key information for our families. 

First, our dates are below. These six weeks have been set aside for a combination of youth overnight camping and family/adult camping programs. As you read on, you will have an opportunity to also contribute to a survey to help guide us as we learn more and prepare a safe return to camp. 

Summer 2021 Dates:

• Overnight Camp Session 1: July 4 – 17
• Overnight Camp Session 2: July 18 – 31
• Family/Adult Camping 1: August 1 – 7
• Family/Adult Camping 2: August 8 – 14

We have continued to learn a lot about what we can do to make camp safe and are excited to think ahead to when we can be outside again at camp. 

We know from camps that were able to successfully open overnight camping last summer in other states, that key adaptations are available to us to operate during this pandemic. 

• Outdoors as much as possible: We already typically spend all day outside- so that part is easy! And all of our buildings are extremely well ventilated by natural air. 
• Single Entry Sessions: Sessions for overnight camping will be two weeks, with no visitors day, so that campers can enter at the same time and remain “bubbled” for the entire camp session. Likewise, staff will be able to “bubble” at camp for the entire summer. 
• Camper Cabin Cohorts: Limited to 6 campers and a counselor, these cabin groups can enjoy every aspect of camp and take advantage of the many options our facility presents! 
• Testing Protocol: Catch infections prior to coming to camp, and isolate cases of COVID-19 to prevent spread. 

There are, of course, other things we don’t know yet. By nature, recommendations change as experts learn more. We are still researching best practice when it comes to more specific protocols (Like, how will campers be tested for COVID-19? Or, will we eat in our dining hall?).

However, our commitment to providing safe programs that uphold our mission to continue overnight camping at our beautiful camp will remain the guiding focus for us, as it has over the past 8 months. 

Making registration as accessible as possible for next summer is also important to us. 

2021 registration will include the following:

• $50 deposit, fully refundable if Camp WA WA makes any program changes. 
• All tuition payments are refundable if Camp WA WA makes any program changes. 
• December 15 early registration for any families with 2020 credits (I will contact you directly with a form to complete this registration).
• Continuation of our Camp WA WA Campership scholarship program. 

Lastly, we are collecting feedback from parents about possible alternative programming should we need to pivot again to different programs due to safety concerns. We hope you will participate- it is just four short questions found HERE. 

We will send home camp calendars in a few weeks, along with a few more emails to assist with registration. And you will continue to hear more specifics about our 2021 program as spring approaches. Please don’t ever hesitate to be in touch if you’d like to discuss any aspect of the summer for your family. 

All the best,
Lily Mercogliano Easton 
Camp Director
Camp WA WA Segowea
lily@smithpark.org
www.smithpark.org

P.S. Your campers will likely enjoy this Wally Video! 

2020 Annual Campaign

We need camp and camp needs us! Alumni and friends from across the country are asked to submit the Smith Park of New York Annual Campaign to close the budget gap caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 

DONATE today!