HELPING YOUR FAMILY GET READY FOR CAMP (1 OF 4)

We can't wait to see you and your camper at Glisson in just a few weeks! Until then, this is the first of four emails designed to share the key info needed to "Blaze the Trail" for a safe, smooth, and successful camp experience. Each email covers pre-arrival topics categorized chronologically: “Between Now & Camp”, “Check-In Day”, “During Camp”, and “Check-Out Day”.

Whether this will be your first or 14th summer as a camper parent, please read each email carefully for updated info. Three items we’d like to call particular attention to at the start are:

1) FINAL PAYMENT: Friendly reminder that final payment for all camp sessions was due by 11:59 pm on May 1st. See “Final Payment” paragraph below for more details.

2) CHECK-IN & CHECK-OUT: While future emails in this series will cover “Check-In Day” and “Check-Out Day” in-depth, we understand many families need to know check-in and check-out times as soon as possible in order to make plans. We’ve now finalized those times and posted them on our updated Check-In & Check-Out Page.

3) MEDICATION PROCESS: As Glisson has grown in size and the percentage of campers who take daily medications keeps rising, administering camper medications has become increasingly complex over time. In response, we have shifted to what is becoming an industry best practice – medication “blister packs” – as a way to streamline our process and help minimize the potential for medication errors. The next email in this series – “Check-In Day” – will cover this item in more detail. In the meantime, if your camper takes any daily/scheduled medications/supplements, please review our Medications Page to determine if your camper’s medications will require blister packs. If so, we highly recommend determining what pharmacy you’ll use for blister packing sooner than later, as turn-around times can vary widely from 2-3 days to requiring up to 3-weeks notice.

BETWEEN NOW AND CAMP

FINAL PAYMENT DUE

Please note that the full balance for all camp sessions was due by 11:59 pm on May 1st. Camper families with an outstanding balance as of April 30th were sent a reminder via our registration system to the email address on-file. As a reminder, if the full balance is unpaid past May 1st, camp reserves the right to cancel the registration and open it to campers on a waiting list. If you haven't made your final payment – or if you aren’t sure whether or not you have a balance – please Log In To Your Account as soon as possible to check and/or pay your balance.

CAMP STORE DEPOSITS

Camp store deposits can also be made at any time prior to the week your camper is scheduled to arrive at camp (log in to Your Account --> Find the registration listing for your camper → click Store Card). Remember that all living groups will have time to visit the camp store together. Store items include souvenir t-shirts, hats, stuffed animals, water bottles, snacks, and similar items. Nut-free snacks sold in the store may include: Goldfish, applesauce pouches, Nutri-Grain bars, Cheez-Its, fruit snacks, Lay's Brand Chips, Pringles, Rice Krispy Treats, Oreos, and Chips Ahoy cookies. Though not required, a store card amount of $30-35 is typical. Log In To Your Account today to take care of store deposits and/or payment.

CABINMATE PAIRING REQUESTS (OPTIONAL)

The ability to request a cabinmate sometimes makes the difference between having the courage to come to camp and staying home. Campers who attend without a cabinmate tell us they get to know other campers faster and they make new friends with whom they stay in touch year after year. But for those who want a cabinmate, that's great too! For reasons covered in the Cabinmate Pairing Policy item of our FAQs, we are highly intentional about allowing mutually agreed upon cabinmate pairs, but not “triangles” or “quadrangles” that inadvertently hinder the formation of Christian community in the Living Group. Please ensure any cabinmate pairing requests follow these criteria:

• a camper can only be paired with one (1) other camper;
• the request must be mutual (“A” requests “B”, “B” accepts “A”);
• the request must be sent and accepted through our online registration system;
• both campers must be registered for the same program, session, and age group;
• both campers must be in the same grade or no more than one grade apart.

Cabinmate pairing requests can be checked/requested/accepted by Logging In To Your Account. Living Groups are made up of up to 12 campers from two different cabins. We do not take requests for Living Group assignments and cannot guarantee Living Group assignments. 

HOMESICKNESS

Homesickness and Child-sickness are two very different challenges camper families face from time to time. We're all familiar with homesickness, though it is a challenge that we see less often at camp these days. Help campers avoid it by focusing on the activities your camper is most excited about, sending a favorite stuffed animal, and expressing your confidence in your camper's ability to make it through the week. DO NOT tell your child to "just try it" and promise to come and get your camper if they don't like it. That is a virtual guarantee of homesickness. Remember your camper will feel all the confidence about camp that you "cue" them to have.

CHILD-SICKNESS

Child-sickness is felt by parents at the prospect of being away from their camper for a week. You may be a parent who feels a great deal of fear for your camper's safety and your anxiety may manifest itself in ways that make the camp week difficult for both you and your child to enjoy. Remind yourself of the wonderful gifts of independence and self-sufficiency the camp experience is growing in your child. Refrain from telling your camper they can call home or, worse, sneaking them a cell phone against the rules. It undercuts your camper's perception of your confidence in their ability to succeed at camp and our ability to care for your child. Consider planning ahead to send (one-way) mail and/or emails to your camper during the week, which many parents find to be a practical way to feel connected while their child is away (and campers love getting mail!). Next week's email will detail options for mailing and emailing your camper.

STAFF TRAINING AND HIRING

Our Year-Round Staff and Summer Team are busy preparing for an incredible summer with your campers! Glisson counselors began applying this fall and went through an interview process with our directors as well as multiple background checks and references, ensuring they are the best-of-the-best before they ever meet your children. Our Sparrowwood team has already had a weekend of general training; our Outpost team has completed Wilderness First Aid certification; and our Crew members are busy going through American Red Cross lifeguard training courses. Before your campers arrive, all of our Summer Team will have gone through extensive training over the course of a couple of weeks. They are so excited to be a part of this ministry and to care for your children!

CAMP DIRECTORS

Rachel, Audrey, Stephanie, and Russell are dedicated to designing camp ministry experiences for your camper that are safe, fun, and faith-forming. Together they represent decades of experience leading high quality camp ministry programs. Rachel (Village Program Director), Audrey (Outpost & Sparrowwood Program Director), and Stephanie (Director of Glisson Summer Camp) work year-round to make each summer the best yet as they plan improvements, coordinate logistics, and hire and train over 140 summer staff. As Executive Director of NGCRM, Russell helps to guide and support all aspects of the family of ministries to which Glisson belongs (also including Grow and ELI).

CLOSING

You made it to the end! Thanks so much for reading. We hope you've found this first email to be helpful. Upcoming emails will focus on 1) "Check-in Day", 2) "During Camp", and 3) "Check-Out Day". If you have any Questions, call the office (706-864-6181) or reply to this email (summer@glisson.org). We can't wait to see what God has in store for the coming summer of faith-forming fun. Thanks for being a part of this ministry. We look forward to seeing you and your camper at Glisson soon!

Grace and Peace,

The Glisson Team

We know how to have fun – our passion is forming faith in the process. 

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