A word from the Director
Choosing a camp for your child is a big responsibility. A child will spend more hours in a few weeks at camp than in nine months of school! Today, more than ever before, our children spend more and more time in front of the TV, the computer or playing video games.
Many of them never have the opportunity to just “go play in the woods,” or look for frogs or arrowheads on a creek hike, or sit around a campfire with friends at night telling stories before snuggling into their sleeping bags, falling asleep under the stars.
Many years ago, Walt Whitman said, “Now I see the secret of making the best persons: it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth.” And he was right! Especially today — in the high-tech, over-scheduled, reduced physical activity lifestyle of our children. Recently, a young boy, when asked why he didn’t like to play outdoors, replied that it was because there were no electrical outlets outside! Do we need to say much more??!!
Summertime — like youth — goes by fast! Don't let your child miss out of all the wonders, memories and friendships a camp experience provides.
— Mike Nickels, director
Camp Palawoper Staff
We take exceptional pride in the young men and women on our staff. Most of them have been campers with us when they were younger and many have special training and certifications in Red Cross water safety and life saving, first aid, CPR, wilderness medicine, first responder as well as Outward Bound and National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) course work. We also participate in a counselor exchange arrangement that lets us enrich our program with staff from other countries. A three-to-one camper-counselor ratio ensures plenty of personal attention.
Leadership Training Program
Campers who are turning 15 years of age may want to participate in our counselor-in-training program (CIT). A love of the outdoors and camping activities, along with a genuine interest in helping others and developing leadership potential is what our CIT program is all about. Being a camp counselor is hard work and long hours, but the rewards are worth it!