> FAQ's for campers

FAQ's for campers

Why can't my camper come for more than one session?

Though we know many campers would love to attend more than one session per summer, we simply don’t have the resources available to make that happen.  Our first priority is always on ensuring that we can provide as many campers with the possibility of attending camp for a week.  This means limiting each camper to one session (with the exception of new campers who can attend new camper camp and a full session).

Why does BC Easter Seals not have adult camps?

Our mandate is to serve BC’s Children with Disabilities, thus we currently provide camping experiences for children.  

Why can't check in be faster?

Every camper who comes to camp needs to be seen by our health care team.  Regardless of their medical needs, it is a lot of responsibility for our staff to assume care of 48 children.  Even if your camper does not require a lot of medical attention while they are at camp, we need to be sure that everyone has been through the check in process.
We have thought about having staggered check in times for families (where each family would be assigned a specific time to arrive). There are a few reasons why we have not implemented a process like this. 
  1. Driving times and distances – many families drive from long distances and planning to arrive within a specific time frame is not feasible.  
  2. Every camper takes a different amount of time to check in making scheduling check in appointments very challenging. 
We have done a few things in the past couple years to help ease the process:
  1. More health care team members – Shawnigan and Squamish have been partnered with UVic Nursing for the past couple of years which has allowed us to have a health care team of at least 4 people (compared to only 2 in the years before 2006).  In 2010 we will be having the same program at Camp Winfield!  
  2. Check in numbers assigned upon arrival – just like the deli counter we now give out numbers to families as they arrive to ensure they are seen in the order they arrive.  Therefore, you don’t physically have to wait in line to see the health care team.  Occasionally we have multiple colours of numbers and each colour corresponds to the health care team member that is looking after that buddy group.  This way, the health care team members get to meet the campers that they specifically will be working with.  At times, however, it means that someone who arrives after you may get through check in before you do. 
  3. Pre-check station – we have started having all families stop at the pre-check table to ensure that their forms are all in order before getting in to see the health care team.
  4. More popsicles – we know it gets hot and for most families drop off is a routine process that occasionally takes longer than you would like.  Thanks for being patient and empathetic towards our staff and other campers who are all doing their best to make this a smooth experience for everyone involved. 

Why do we have to print and fill out a 14 page application form every year?

While we appreciate that it is a lot of work to fill out the full application every year, we also know that we need to have the most up to date and accurate information about your camper as possible.  There are often little changes in contact information, medical information etc and therefore we require a new application each time.  

How come we never received a photo journal of our camper or we did and it didn't work?

This is a fairly new system for us, and obviously still has some kinks.  We will continue to work on them for next year.

How can my camper stay in touch with the friends they have made?  Is there a facebook page?

We do have a facebook page, where we invite all campers and staff to become fans of BC Easter Seals Camps.  This can help campers stay in touch with their friends.
We are also developing a BC Easter Seals Camp Alumni website that all staff and campers can log into and reconnect through telling stories, finding out about upcoming events and see some pictures.  We will let you know when this is ready.

My camper lost some belongings at camp.  How come staff don't ensure they keep track of everything?

Every week we have up to 100 people on site (including campers, personal support workers, staff, volunteers, guests etc).  That is a lot of stuff to take care of.  Our staff absolutely try to take great care of camper belongings (especially special equipment).  Unfortunately, sometimes items get lost.  If this is the case, please contact us immediately and we will try and keep an eye open for it.  You are then welcome to come and pick it up from camp or our head office in Vancouver.
To help ensure belongings are not lost there are few things families can do:
  1. Label everything with first and last names, not just initials
  2. Fill out the property list that is sent in the confirmation email
  3. Check the lost and found area closely before you leave on pick up day
  4. Don’t send stuff to camp that campers will be really upset about losing or getting dirty if you can avoid it.  Leave favourite t-shirts etc at home. 

Why can't my camper bring their laptop, cell phone or Ipod to camp?

Because it is camp!  We can not take responsibility for valuable electronics at camp.  Campers should not have cell phones at camp – it is unfair for others and distracts from the program and camping environment.
In some circumstances we allow campers to bring their ipods to help them sleep or calm down.  In most cases they leave them in the coordinators office and we discuss with the camper and family the times that it will be used ahead of time. 

Why is camp so awesome?

There is a really simple formula that we use for making camp the best place on earth.  The most important ingredient is THE CAMPERS!!!  They are the ones who inspire everything that is awesome about camp.  The next most important component is the staff and volunteers.  Their enthusiasm, genuine love for camp and campers, and creativity meld together to help create that camp magic.  And of course, we need to add in the beautiful camp facilities!