Unlike any other business industry, there is no other time in the year when they can make that up.” “They only have seven to 10 weeks every year to make 99% of their revenue. “They will be taking a huge financial hit whether they decided to do family camp or whether they decided to do traditional camp,” Boyer said. Some 60% of camps are staying in business by operating “family retreats” in which families come to camp together and move through activities as a unit, she said. Of the 100 camps Boyer represents, only 35% are running their traditional camp programs this summer. (Those counties packed with camps are Buncombe, Transylvania, Henderson and Haywood, which are home to more than 75 camps and have an economic impact of some $365M a year, Boyer said.) Youth Camp Association, an organization of about 100 camps that advocates on behalf of the camp industry. In fact, one four-county region in western North Carolina is so filled with camps that it’s known as “the Silicon Valley of camps,” says Sandi Boyer, executive director of the N.C. “The kids are having a lot of fun, and that’s all that matters.”Ĭamps switch to family mode: North Carolina is known nationally for the volume and quality of its summer camps. “We’re doing the best we can with our masks,” Hutchings says. The camp requires lifeguards and counselors to wear masks. Lifeguard Haley Hutchings of Atlanta supervises the much-less-crowded-than-usual swimming pool at Camp Thunderbird. “I would actually bet it’s more fun for them this year than any other year, because they’re so excited to be out.” “From a kid’s perspective, they’re getting to do something different than they’ve gotten to do for three months,” Conroy said. And for campers for whom summer camp is a yearly ritual, it’s one routine that can stay the same in a life that’s been altered in most other ways. Needed more than ever? For camp directors and many parents, there’s a feeling that camp this year is more essential than ever because it gives kids a break from the heaviness of life during the pandemic. One camper was sent home early because after he arrived at camp, it was discovered that he had come into contact with someone who had coronavirus before leaving for camp, said Kimberly Conroy, Camp Thunderbird’s executive director.Īll of the new procedures and safety changes had to be communicated to anxious parents who worried about their children contracting coronavirus while away at camp and bringing it home to their families. Through the first three weeks of camp, there have been no cases of Covid-19 reported. Camp Thunderbird is partnering with Atrium Health to staff its medical center, and any camper or staffer with a temperature above 99.4 degrees is sent to the medical center for evaluation. Procedures needed to be put in place to deal with potential Covid-19 infections. Almost every aspect of summer camp, from how cabins would be arranged, to dining facilities, equipment sanitation and camper drop-off and pick-up had to be considered, and in most cases, modified. The dining hall is closed, and all food is taken to-go.Īll counselors and staff, including lifeguards, are wearing masks.Ĭovid-19 hit at a rough time for camp directors. This year, they can’t.)Īll campers and staff undergo temperature checks twice daily. (Usually, individual campers can pick their daily activities and separate from their cabin mates during the day. Last year, the camp hosted about 3,700 camper weeks, but the number is lower this year both because of reduced capacity and a drop in demand.Įntire cabins are having to choose activities together and not mix with campers in other cabins. The camp is seeing a drop of about a third of the number of “camper weeks” they typically see. What does that look like for camps? For starters, here are some of the changes at Camp Thunderbird: And it’s causing hand-wringing for parents, who perhaps need a break from their children even more this year than ever before. Īrrows thwack into targets on a weekday morning and kids squeal during their turns on “the blob,” a large inflatable that propels campers into the air - and then into the cold lake water - when somebody lands on it after jumping from a tower above.īut much is different about overnight camp here and in camps across North Carolina this summer - yet another example of how Covid-19 has upended long-held traditions and forced programs to quickly rethink almost everything about how they operate. At first glance, it looks and sounds like a pretty typical summer at Camp Thunderbird, a large day and overnight camp on the banks of Lake Wylie run by the YMCA of Greater Charlotte.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |