First of all, we hope that everyone reading this is keeping safe and following all the guidelines put in place to help prevent the spread of this virus. Only exercise once a day and if you’ve been lucky enough to get your hands on an N95 Respirator then make sure you use it whenever you go out, and keep 6 feet apart at all times! Well done to all of you who have been following the guidelines, as you are helping others stay safe as well as yourself. A big well done to any of you who have got involved in some form of coronavirus fundraising too, as no doubt there will be people struggling from this epidemic.

Anyway, I’m writing to you from the American Camp Association’s Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In addition to the amazing networking opportunities and several wonderful camp educational sessions yesterday, I attended a very informative session on COVID-19 (coronavirus) and how it may affect the summer camp community. It was a positive session, and certainly timely, as I had intended to send out communication to all families this week on this topic.

Everyone’s newsfeed is full of news regarding the COVID-19 virus. There’s so much uncertainty out there regarding daily life, work, travel, school, and maybe even camp. We know that you’re naturally going to be concerned about what the coming months hold.

As we gear up for another amazing summer – our 99th summer! – we want you to know that we’re closely monitoring trusted resources regarding COVID-19, this includes a list of which states are reopened. As always, our first concern is the health and safety of our Alleghany camp community. We are, and will continue to be, in communication with our local health authorities and will monitor state and federal recommendations along with following the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) updates.

In our winter office, our Administrative Team is busy reviewing the current health and safety practices we have in place for camp and, with me, will update them accordingly as we learn more. Camp is still months away, and we’re planning on another great summer.

Experience and Expertise

Because camp happens in a close community, summer camps have always taken great care to develop and maintain medical practices that address the possibility of a variety of communicable diseases, both common and rare.

While the coronavirus currently poses no immediate concern for summer camps, we have long had communicable disease plans in place that will be revised in cooperation with public health authorities as additional COVID-19 guidance is provided.

Alleghany will work closely with our camp medical staff, the ACA’s standards for best practices, and our local public health department to maintain effective protocols for the identification and appropriate treatment of any illnesses that may occur at camp, including COVID-19. We will continue to keep you updated as new information becomes available.

We’ll also continue our required pre-camp and arrival day health screening procedures that we implement each session, and we will update these health and wellness screening policies and procedures to reflect the current best practices recommended by the American Camp Association and public health authorities.

Trip Insurance

We’ve received the question about trip insurance offered through CampMinder and will be sending an email to everyone with instructions on how to purchase that if you haven’t already.

Payment Deadline Extension

Additionally, we’ve extended our payment due date to May 1, 2020, rather than April 1, this year, to allow for more time to see how things develop over the coming weeks and months.

Continued Communication

Rest assured we’ll keep you informed as we prepare for the summer. The 2020 summer might see us taking extra precautions, when necessary, to ensure the health and well being of our camp population.

We often feel that the mountains of West Virginia are the best place to be in times of crisis in our busy cities and suburban worlds. We still feel this way and will be sure to provide the safest place for your daughter this summer. The well being of our Alleghany community remains our top priority. We’re very thankful for the trust our camp families put in us each summer.

Please do not hesitate to reach out anytime with questions, thoughts or concerns. We’re looking forward to another wonderful summer at camp!

Warmly,
Elizabeth Shreckhise
Director, Camp Alleghany for Girls
campalleganyforgirls.com