Dear Camp WA WA Families and Friends,
This past weekend the Smith Park Board of Directors made the heartbreaking decision to cancel our in-person camp programs for the 2020 summer at Camp WA WA Segowea.
The Smith Park Board is a dedicated group of volunteers, all of whom have either attended, worked and volunteered at, or sent their children to Camp WA WA in the past. This decision was made after serious consideration of our mission as a resident camp, and our responsibility to our families and staff during this unique moment.
It was clear that the risk COVID-19 presents to our campers, our staff, and our camper’s families back home made it impossible at this time to proceed with our summer as planned.
If at any point during the coming months a path for offering gatherings at Camp WA WA emerges, we will make every effort to proceed with new programs and opportunities at Camp.
You may be surprised that this decision was made now, and not later this month or at the June board meeting. We have been closely following this health crisis for the past three months and have spent weeks considering how Camp WA WA could adjust and still offer for our families what we all love so much about summer.
However, upon reviewing the recommendations by our staff, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), summer camp professionals and health officials, we knew that suspending camp for this summer was the difficult decision that needed to be made and we did not want to prolong communicating that to our families.
We believe strongly that all of our families and staff deserve proper time to receive this news, and to make alternative plans for this summer if they are available. Also, by sharing this news now, we are able to focus on concrete ways that we can connect with campers moving forward. And we are able to prepare for 2021 to be a tremendous summer return at Camp WA WA.
We hope that our campers will get support at home to process their emotions about this decision. Every summer at camp is unique and every summer is valuable. We know how much our campers wanted to have this summer at camp and that this news, especially after weeks of stay-at-home orders, is extremely hard to hear.
We also recognize that given the global scale of this pandemic, families are facing many different challenges right now and our thoughts go out to all of you.
Below are some resources to support parents and campers at this time, as well as an update on the financial implications of this decision. Nella, our camp nurse and health care consultant is also available to support families with this news and her email is: nellastoltz3@gmail.com.
We look forward to pouring our hearts into finding new ways to connect now, and being back at camp in 2021!
Please keep in touch, and be well.
With Love,
Lily Mercogliano Easton
Camp Director, Camp WA WA Segowea
On behalf of the Smith Park Board of Directors
Resources for Camp Families:
Financial Information:
Tuition payments, including the registration deposit, for 2020 can be applied as credits towards 2021 camper registrations. 2021 registration will open a week early for currently enrolled campers and 2021 tuition will be offered at the 2020 rate.
Tuition payments, in full or any portion, can be donated to Camp WA WA Segowea, a 501 © 3 non-profit camp, to help offset the expenses already invested in the 2020 summer. Donations of any size will be greatly appreciated.
Refunds of 2020 tuition, including the deposit, are also available and will take up to three weeks to process on campdoc.com. *Please note that we will be working this week on updating camper accounts in campdoc.com. This will take a bit of time as we make sure that each family’s tuition payments are handled correctly and that any credits for 2021 are properly noted. We appreciate your patience and will be in touch more specifically about this in the coming days.
Resources for talking about this decision with your campers:
The Union for Reform Judaism has put together what we think is a fantastic resource for camper families in regards to sharing this news with different aged campers, you can view their resource here: https://urjyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/MESH-Resources-for-Families-Responding-to-Covid-19.pdf
Lily, our Camp Director and other leadership staff will hold the following opportunities to connect this week:
Monday, May 4: Town Hall, 7 PM (zoom): Join Lily for questions and answers about this decision, information about new ways we are working on staying connected this summer, and probably at least a song or two.
Wednesday, May 6: Teen Lunch, 12:30 PM (zoom- link will be sent to Teen Camp & CIT/LIT registered campers). Join teen leadership for time dedicated just for teens to connect, and inform ways we can move forward that are meaningful for our older campers.
Saturday, May 9th: Coffee with the Director, 9 AM (zoom): Parents and alumni are encouraged to join Lily for questions and answers about camp’s plans for the summer, and information on how to best help Camp WA WA and our camper communities during this difficult time.
Lily Mercogliano Easton is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84793649645?pwd=d2Z6YWZFcC9qTVJneDI4MFNOSzdMZz09
Meeting ID: 847 9364 9645
Password: 6vjuQ2
2020 Camp WA WA at Home
Our staff team has begun crafting online activities to support camper engagement and connection over the summer. Though nothing can replace actually being at camp this summer, we are excited to find new ways to strengthen our community now. We hope you will hang in there with us as we try this out! Camp WA WA at Home will be a set of free programs, held online, and open to any youth ages 7 - 14. We will also have an online leadership program, free of cost, this summer for the CITs and LITs that had already registered for our leadership program this summer. New registration will be required for Camp WA WA at Home and information will be forthcoming this month.
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