Dear Campers, Parents, Staff, and the CGL Community:
I am sad to announce that Camp Granite Lake is cancelling all of our regular summer sessions this year, and starting to focus on innovative fall camps and Summer 2021.
This is a hard decision for the business, for our small year-round staff, and for me and my family. And it’s an easy decision when it comes to protecting yours.
When families send their child to live with us at Camp Granite Lake, they are trusting me and and the leadership team to build a community that takes responsibility for everyone’s emotional and physical safety, through experiences that are the opposite of social distancing.
No matter what changes in the next two months, this global pandemic has made it impossible for us to run our typical camp programs safely and appropriately this summer.
Campers: We will be a little lost without you! We miss you already, and we are sad we can’t be together, for now. But, we’ve saved a spot for you in 2021, and are counting down the days! We wrote you a letter, see the tab below.
Camp Parents: Thank you for your trust, and we are so disappointed that we can’t move forward with our typical summer. Please read the letter below and find a link to our full refund strategy.
Staff: You are the heartbeat of camp, and we miss you, and are sad for you, too. Please read more in your letter, below.
Friends, Family, and Peers in camp: thank you for your understanding, support, and appreciation of what we do, how we do it, and why.
If you want more details, have questions, or just need to talk through it, please email me, as always.
I hope you stay healthy and safe,
Sincerely,
Director Tommy
P.S. If you’d like to send a message of support, we welcome them, thank you.
Dear CGL Campers,
We know you are sad about this news, and we are sad, too.
There is a word we use here at camp, and that word is ‘intentional’. Intentional means ‘to do something on purpose’. Almost everything we do at camp, from making your beds before you arrive, to choosing your counselors and cabin, to picking Friday Night Campfire themes, is done intentionally.
It means we spend a ton of time, all year long, to make sure that when you arrive at camp you feel at home, make friends, and have a ton of fun.
And the decision to cancel camp for this year is intentional because we want to be extra careful with your health and safety right now, just like your school.
The world is just piling on, right? You can’t play sports, go to restaurants, or just hang out! And now, CAMP.
Whether this summer was going to be your first year or tenth year as a camper, we know you were excited. We were, too. We have been planning since September for your arrival, and will start planning NOW for 2021 so we can give you an awesome experience. Your water bottle and seat in the amphitheater for opening campfire will be waiting for you.
And while screen time isn’t our thing, we hope you’ll join us online a little bit this summer for Skits, Hopper Talks, Embers, Morning Meetups, Keylogs, and much more!
Even though we can't be at camp, we are here for you. If you would like, please fill out this form, and we can collect all of your excitement for the next time you are at camp, and anything funny that’s happened to you during this weird time!
Sincerely,
Tommy, Tom, Krista, and Abbie
Dear Camp Parents:
Like you need something else right now, right? We are so sorry that camp can’t run.
If you haven’t watched our cancellation announcement video, please do.
Choosing an overnight camp is a big decision, and we are grateful that you chose and trusted us this year.
At the conclusion of each summer, we begin to work on every special moment of the next camp season, from when you and your camper step foot onto camp and meet the counselors, to the final wave good-bye.
And for weeks, we have been working on this decision. We considered every aspect of individual health, community health, childcare licensing, government regulation, and risk to the business. In the end, it was a straightforward decision. No matter what changes in the next two months, this global pandemic has made it impossible for us to run our typical camp programs safely and appropriately this summer.
We value transparency greatly here, and, we are also trying our best at a new value - brevity! If you have any questions, or would like more information on how we got here, please reach out to Tommy, he is ready to share with you everything you want.
We live for camp. The campers, the smiles, and the authentic connections fuel us all year. And we live for next summer, and can’t wait to see you then!
We are proud of the choices that our refund policy provides. That said, we are really counting on a lot of families to leave their deposits with us for next year, and will honor those that would like their money back. Please read it here, and know that we will be asking for your preference later this week with an online form.
Tommy, Tom, Krista, and Abbie
Dear Staff,
We have spent the last eight weeks laser focused on how to manage COVID-19 in respect to camp. In the end it was a straightforward decision. No matter what changes in the next two months, this global pandemic has made it impossible for us to run our typical camp programs safely and appropriately this summer.
We want to apologize for the loss of your summer job.
For first year staff, we know this application and interview process doesn’t happen overnight - you worked really hard to get this job.
For returning staff, you have made a huge impact on the camp community in past summers, and we are so grateful and appreciative of the commitment you made to return to camp.
For everyone, we know that you took this job in a pre-COVID world, and had turned down other opportunities, all so you could make an impact on the campers at Camp Granite Lake.
The team here at camp counts down the days until staff training, and we could tell, with each phone call, e-mail and Zoom meeting, how excited you all were to come work at camp.
The good news is, you still can! We are hoping to run late summer and fall programs (as the public health situation allows) and WILL be back in Summer 2021. Our campers are going to need caring, compassionate, and empathetic role models like you more than ever!
Thank you for your commitment to us, and we will be in touch soon,
Tommy, Tom, Krista, and Abbie