Dear Parents,

It’s week two – how is everything going at home? Hopefully the weather in your area enables your kids to get plenty of recess time during those virtual classes.

I’d like to extend our gratitude to all of our camp parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and alumni who are working in the medical field, as well as those supporting these professionals on the front lines. We know it’s a tough go right now, and wish everyone the very best.  Remember what we have taught our campers for the past nine summers during Robin Hood Gives Back Day: THANK everyone for their service and be kind to others!

This is one of those situations that we just don’t have many answers just yet. But barring any unforeseen events, camp is ON! Just this week the Brass had an all hands Zoom meeting! Chuck struggled a bit but joined us late by speaker phone. We had several dogs interrupt the chat but it sure put a smile on our faces. Aren’t we lucky to have technology that lets us make video calls so we can stay connected with people outside our family units?

It feels as if we could all use camp now more than ever. There is a quote by Albert Camus being shared between camp leaders, “In the midst of winter, I found there was within me an invincible summer…” I’m hoping we are going to be able to help provide our campers with that very type of summer!

Please don’t hesitate to write to me at woody@camprobinhood.com or call anytime at (312) 404-1828. I’m at home self-isolating trying to help teach grade school subjects and limit all of our screen time.

Stay safe, healthy and positive that we’ll see each other soon!

Dear Parents,

I realize this is a challenging and trying time for all of us. How are you and your kids holding up? You’re all on my mind as I’m currently at home watching school lessons happen virtually. (Round of applause to all of the teachers out there checking in on their students and giving them at-home lessons!)

As I said in my last email, we are full steam ahead on planning summer 2020. We believe that camp will be the best place to be this summer. It might be a different kind of summer, but I am going to do everything possible to make sure we can all experience the magic in the trees!

I’ve received many calls from parents and they all keep telling me the same thing – all of the junior campers are saying they will walk to camp if they have to! Anyone else getting those comments from kids? I’d love to hear about them too. Only a few days out of school for some and our campers are already telling their parents they want to be in The Realm. And I’m here to tell you that camp will be there for your kids!

Love that all the kids have The Realm on their minds and they know camp is their safe place. My mom’s first experience at summer camp over 70 years ago was similar to this year. It was because of a polio outbreak on the East Coast. To protect young kids, parents sent their children to camps where they could be away from disease while being protected by caring staff and have fun with peers.  We have come full circle to today.

I know that the constant stream of news and changing guidelines are making it hard to plan for tomorrow, let alone 100 days from now. I am here for you and your kids always . If kids have questions about summer or get bummed about being stuck at home, send me a note and let’s schedule a video call for me to answer any of their questions! (I’d love to see their smiling faces these days too!) If you feel yourself getting anxious or overwhelmed, give me a call and we can chat about your concerns too. As parents we need to stick together. We can lift each other up and be there for each other now more than ever!

We may not be Scouts, but we are always prepared! I am working all day, every day, with our leadership team and I am confident that we will be in The Realm together this summer.

Wishing you and your families all the best,

Woody
312-404-1828

Dear Camp Family,

We know that Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been at the forefront of everyone’s mind. We too are closely monitoring the latest updates and developments and will continue to do so. The health and safety of our campers, families, and staff is always our top priority.

We will take into consideration all the information and guidance we receive from the CDC, as well as the American Camp Association. We will continue to partner with our local Health Department before, and throughout the summer on how best to manage this situation.

Robin Hood , as well as the camp industry as a whole, have successfully managed public health crises in the past. Most recently, we navigated the H1N1 flu outbreak in 2009. This current challenge is new and evolving, but our past experience will help us respond to and prepare for how this may impact our camp community. It is important to remember that our camp season is more than three months away, which allows us ample time to see how the situation develops.

We will keep you updated in the coming weeks and months with more specific measures we plan to take to ensure camp continues to be a healthy and positive experience for all. At the bottom of this email, we included links that are helpful resources for talking with your children about Coronavirus.

Summer camps were originally designed in the late 1800’s to get kids out of crowded cities so they could be safe from diseases. We are confident this summer will be no different and the fresh air will do us all some good! We are counting down the days until the buses pull in and looking forward to yet another fabulous summer in the Realm!!!

All my best,

Woody
312-404-1828

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