Check in begins at 2:00 P.M. and lasts until 4:00 P.M. When you drive up to camp, you will be directed to circle around the lodge and requested to park off the meadow road. Our three-step method allows a family to be greeted by many members of our camp family and we hope you'll feel welcome!
The dining hall and lower level of the main lodge are ready for check in no earlier than 2:00 P.M. Please proceed through the following three steps before you unload. There are over 200 campers to check in, so we appreciate your patience!
Luggage “drop off points” are conveniently located in an effort to save the backs and lungs of the parents! The “Event Staff” collects and delivers the luggage to the cabins later in the afternoon.
Step 1: All Parents stop here to pick up a Check-Out Release Form. These are arranged in alphabetical order for you to locate your-self. Complete this form and turn it in at Step 3. If there is not a form with your camper’s name on it, the office has not received full payment, the Health Form or a signature, etc. There is an office person on duty to help you.
Step 2: Parents and campers are heralded by a welcoming song from 60 of the 90 staff lead-ers who give a “campy” howdy to all and officially open up the check-in for the next two steps – the nurse’s station and housing! The Geneva Glen RN looks over the Health Forms, answers your specific questions and medical nconcerns and records all medications to be safely stored under control at the Health Center. One of our four camp doctors (pediatricians) is also at this station to provide health screening and take special instructions about your camper’s needs. Our medical team at Step 2 usually includes a staff EMT or First Responder.
Step 3: Housing! This is the most fun and the most anticipated! Campers meet their counselors and they are assigned to their living groups in accordance with age and grade level. WE TRY to accommodate requests for buddies to be bunked together; however, we will not put more than two friends in the same living group. Parents and campers are escorted to the cabin and the counselor will help haul the luggage up to the cabin or dorm.
Sportswear Sales
Geneva Glen’s boutique offers “camp friendly” fashions which are high quality and an excellent value! Above-cost proceeds go toward Geneva Glen Scholarships and all of our sportswear sales representatives are members of our Board, as well as volunteers.
Alumni Association
If you are a Geneva Glen alum, please stop by the Alumni Association table to introduce yourself to our on-duty alumni representative. We want to know about you and help you re-connect with your camp friends from the near and distant past!
Housing
Boys live in dorms which house sixteen campers and counselors, and girls live in cabins which hold twelve campers and counselors. When campers arrive at their dorm or cabin, one counselor will be there with campers who have already checked in. The counselors “tag-team” and the other scrambles back down to the lodge to meet the next member of the group. The routine varies from leader and age group as to how bunks are picked fairly and how bunk mates get acquainted. Our counselors are experts at welcoming and embracing the camper into the group. The feelings of nervousness are quickly replaced by feelings of belonging.
Time to leave! Parents are encouraged to meet the leaders, acquaint themselves with the counselor biographies that are presented at Step 3,check out the accommodations, reassure their camper . . . and leave! Parents who “hang around” too long can embarrass their child and inhibit the normal interaction between kids and get-acquainted activities of the group. Furthermore, if another camper in the cabin is feeling a little anxiety, the presence of a parent can intensify the onset of homesickness.
At about 4:00 P.M., the cabin or dorm may take off for a hike, head to the meadow to meet other groups or practice a skit for that evening’s council fire. At 4:45 P.M. we all meet in the council ring for our welcome, introductions and mini-orientation, including a presentation of various areas and glimpses of coming events. You can feel the electricity as the campers catch the “spirit of the Glen!”
What Should You Bring to Camp?
Campers should bring enough clothing for two weeks. We launder clothing for out-of-state campers who stay more than one session, but campers who are local and stay for more than one session are responsible for their own laundry on the changeover Saturday. Your camper’s wardrobe should include: underwear, three or four pairs of jeans, sweatshirts, tee shirts (these can be purchased at the Sportswear boutique), sneakers and sturdy shoes or boots. Play clothes are great and practical for camp – just remember that nothing will stay clean! Tie up canvas laundry bags work well. The best form of camp luggage is a hard sided foot locker. Campers experience at least one overnight and Colorado summer nights can be chilly! Clearly identify your child’s clothing with his/her name (an order form is included with the Handbook for iron-on name tapes. Do not bring expensive items – they are inappropriate for camp. Camp is for personal relationships, individual growth and gaining a sense of awe about nature. Outside stimulus is detrimental to our goals, unnecessary and non-productive. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Here's a check list:
- Swimsuit / towels (3 towels)
- Shorts / summer clothing
- Bathroom articles (toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, comb/hair brush, wash cloth, etc.)
- Flashlight
- Camera (inexpensive / disposal type) with the campers name on it
- Warm jacket and rain jacket or poncho
- One dressy outfit for Sunday services and dances
- Sturdy shoes– for hiking and horseback riding - It is required to have a hard sole shoe with a heel for horseback riding - a sturdy hiking boot works.
- Warm sleeping bag for bunk and for overnights
- A twin bed fitted sheet
- Pillow
Things You Will Not Need At Camp!
- Pets
- Radios -- Walkmans or Discmans
- Fireworks
- Gum and candy
- Game Boy or other electronic games
Campers are not allowed to have cell phones at camp. A camper should only bring a cell phone if he/she is flying in from out-of-state. (See Transportation Letter) Cell phones will be kept in the camp safe.
Homesickness is normal but is generally not a problem. It may strike any age, not just junior campers. What works best is to keep our campers so busy having fun that they forget about themselves and "home." During our staff orientation we give our leaders professional tools to use with homesick campers. We conduct specific role playing exercises with the guidance of psychologists and other trained professionals. We do not take homesickness lightly. Our experience shows us that phone calls to or from family members are not a remedy. You can count on us to contact you if the camper's homesickness becomes serious or detrimental to his or her camp experience. We suggest that letters to your camper should always be positive and full of questions about his or her camp adventures. Read our homesickness letter for a more in-depth discussion on this subject.
We don’t encourage your sending a care package containing food to your camper because of reasons stated above – food cannot be stored in cabins and dorms. All campers may buy sweets at the camp store so their “junk food” genes are satisfied. If you do mail one care package, comic books, silly putty or small games are acceptable items. Please be certain to include the camper’s name and the cabin or dorm group. Do not send gum! GUM IS NOT ALLOWED IN CAMP!
If you arrive with a care package or if a care package is received by mail or delivered to the camp, the camper will open it for anything inside which is not food, then move the any food items to a locked location for storage. The campers will have access to their care package regularly, especially during their scheduled time for shopping at the camp store. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
Geneva Glen’s medical staff consists of a fulltime, full-charge Registered Nurse (RN), as well as an Assistant Nurse, EMT or first responder when available and/or as needed. Our Care Plan follows American Camp Association (ACA) guidelines and our nurse resides at the Geneva Glen Health Center for the summer. Our camp physician is on call for consultation and is present on Check-In Sunday. Our new Health Center is centrally located and is a camp care facility complete with isolation and treatment areas. The nurse schedules hours for routine or non-urgent medical needs and is on 24-hour on call for emergencies.
Medications
Over-the-counter remedies are available at the Health Center (Tylenol, Benadryl, Hydrocortisone cream, etc.) and are provided by Geneva Glen. The RN dispenses medications to the campers (according to prescription orders) at mealtimes or at bedtime. Prescription medication brought to camp must be in the original containers. Our camp physician strongly discourages sending pills that are not absolutely necessary (vitamins, herbal remedies and other supplements) for the short time the camper is with us. It is impractical for one nurse to distribute medications as well as supplements for over 200 campers.
EMS
Geneva Glen is served by local ambulance and fire personnel which has a five to ten minute response time. Our camp is within 20 minutes of a health clinic, an urgent care medical facility and two major hospitals in Denver.
Health Form
Parents are required to provide an annual health history for their enrolled camper. Geneva Glen provides the form (developed by the American Camp Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics) to all families.
A physical exam is required for admission and must be current within twenty-four months of attendance. The Physician’s Exam Form is on Page 4 of the camp’s Health Form and it may be submitted separately. You may access the Health Form online in a PDF fi le format (in the “parents” section)which can be downloaded and printed, or the form can be sent to you by fax or mail. The physical exam does not need to be conducted by a licensed physician, but the exam form MUST be signed by one. We do not require that this particular form be used, but we highly suggest it because it answers all of the pertinent health questions Geneva Glen needs. Please go to this link to access the Health Form: (http://www.genevaglen.org/parents.shtml)
Christian Scientist campers are exempted from the physician exam requirement and may submit an authorized waiver. The camper’s health history with parent signature is still required for admission.
A detailed travel letter is mailed to all out-of-state campers to clearly specify our policy. We will meet your child at the airport gate and return him/her to the airport gate. We need to know of your confirmed flight arrangements well in advance. A photo of the camper to be met is required. Our counselors always wear a GG shirt, so they can easily be located.
Change-over weekends are a time of in-service training, followed by recuperation for our staff and they take advantage of several hours of well-deserved time off before the next group of enthusiastic campers arrives. We strongly encourage camper parents to make arrangements for the stay-over campers to enjoy a relaxed respite as well. Typically, out-of-state campers (who stay on for an additional session) will plan to go home with a Geneva Glen friend for the night to do laundry, watch TV and take a luxurious bath or shower! These details need prior permission from all parents involved, and we ensure that parents are informed concerning such arrangements.
Campers who stay from one session to the next will need laundry services and they will be directed to bag their laundry and mark it – we will have it done over the change-over. If necessary, emergency laundry service is always available.
Visits to Camp and Visiting Day
A visiting day is not scheduled and visits to camp are not allowed because Geneva Glen camping sessions are only two weeks. If your camper forgets something and you live a “short drive away,” please mail the forgotten item.
If it’s an absolute necessity that you come to the camp, call ahead and go directly to the lodge. Please be as invisible as you can and to leave as soon as possible! We don’t wish to make you feel unwelcome, but know the results of a borderline homesick camper who sees his or her “mommy.” It can be a serious disruption to your camper’s experience and adversely affect others in the cabin group. Feel free to call and let us help you make appropriate arrangements ahead of time.
Check-out is on the final Saturday of your camper’s session (not Myths and Magic) and you will need to go to the dining hall in the lodge to settle your store account.
Lost and Found
It is essential to locate all of your camper’s belongings before leaving camp. A thorough collection of unclaimed items does not occur until after the end of summer, but you may find some items in the dining hall. You can eliminate most lost and found woes by clearly identifying clothing and personal items with the camper’s name! There is an extra charge for locating and mailing “left-behind” personal belongings.
During the session, all lost and found articles are kept in a big box in the lower level of the lodge, and Counselors and campers may check daily for articles that are missing. After or during the check-out process, parents and campers will find all lost and found items spread out in the dining hall. Unclaimed items are bagged and stored according to each session until after summer. When phone or email requests are sent in, we will attempt to match those requests to the item. Similarly, if we find an item with the campers name in it, we will contact the parent and make arrangements to have the item returned. Most of the time, we leave the item bagged and families who live locally may arrange to pick it up. Families who live out of state will receive the item by USPS, COD. In December, we donate all unclaimed items to a local shelter, mission or charity.
Please understand that processing lost and found is about the last thing we do! We are not very good at it, and we thank you for your understanding and for doing everything possible to prevent it. We do everything we can to ensure that the camper goes home with all items brought to camp, but that’s just not going to happen in every case. We keep valuable items such as jewelry, cameras, keys, retainers, prescription glasses, etc., in the office or the safe and we hold them for a year before disposal.
Marathon Store
The camp store is called “The Marathon.” Marathon is a multi-purpose building housing the Archery Range Hut, the Shield Shop and the Geneva Glen Camp store! Campers are allowed to charge food and drinks to their accounts (no more than $1.50 a day) and they may also purchase small items such as film, batteries, toothpaste, post cards, stamps, etc. A typical store bill ranges from $15 to $25. Please plan to pay these charges in the dining hall at check-out before leaving.
Release Form
The Counselor will give you the Release Form you signed at check-in, and this release needs to be signed by the responsible person at check-out. You may pick up your camper up from 10:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. Please anticipate that the process of checking out may take a little longer than you plan – there are a lot of “goodbyes!” We are giving out awards, singing songs and going through lost and found at the Council Ring until 10:00 A.M. Please don’t forget to pick up any medications sent with your camper.
The Long Drive Home
So often we hear from parents that their child was “wiped out” at the end of camp or that they didn’t talk very much about it on the way home. No doubt your camper will be tired that day because he or she was probably up later than usual the night before. There is always an adjustment back to the “real world” after camp, and there may be some things that you may not be able to see. Usually, the camper is dirty and tired – that’s all on the outside. What’s going on inside is what really matters and sometimes it takes awhile to hear about it. Remember – they’ve been very active for two weeks and everyone in the camp community is immersed in the experience.
Typically, on the last night of camp, we stay up late so your camper may need a little sleep. It’s normal for your child not to talk about the camp experience; however, some campers chatter incessantly and you can’t get a question in sideways! Simply keep in mind that it’s different for every child. The main thing to remember is that your child experienced a great deal and he or she may not be able to articulate all of their feelings about camp. Just be there for when they do want to talk and encourage them to write to their Counselors or fellow cabin mates if they feel like it.
Can I check my child in late or pick him/her up for a soccer game during a session?
Geneva Glen packs thirteen-day sessions with challenging opportunities, fellowship, ceremonies and fun. Cabin groups “bond” immediately on the fi rst day, and a camper who arrives late will invariably feel a period of alienation, which affects the entire cabin’s spirit. The planned activities, cabin morale and emotional gatherings climax on our last Friday night and Saturday morning rituals. Our policy encourages a full stay at camp and if sports schedules, drama tryouts or vacation plans interfere with a full-term stay then we will try to arrange to change your enrollment to another session.
It may be tempting to consider taking your camper away from camp for a few hours. Doing so is very detrimental to the unity of the cabin group and we STRONGLY recommend against it. We recognize the value of a complete, uninterrupted camp session. Doctor’s appointments and emergencies can always be accommodated, but the most satisfying camp experience is not interrupted by outside distractions.
How should I contact my child during camp?
Telephone: Geneva Glen does not allow campers to talk to parents in the normal course of events. If there’s a clear need or if there’s an emergency of any nature, the camper are accompanied by a counselor or a camp administrator to an office or place where a private conversation is possible.
Mail: Mail is picked up and delivered daily and we encourage “snail” mail as normal communication between parents and campers. Mail from Indian Hills to greater Denver usually takes one day. Care packages may be sent by the package services , (all of whom deliver to camp), or the USPS.
FedEx: We do not recommend express packages, (except by UPS), since there may be a tendency for a package to “slip through the cracks” and go undelivered for a day or more. Care packages and mail that comes too late will be returned to sender. Packages and mail that arrives before the camper will be saved and delivered to the camper on Monday.
Email and Faxes The best mail for campers is good old-fashioned mail from home in the form of a post card or letter! We cannot accommodate faxes as a means of letter-writing between parents and campers. Email and faxes can sit longer than a regular post card or letter, and is not a good way to write a letter.
What if there is an emergency and I need to get a hold of my child?
The automated camp telephone system routes calls to different persons and locations, and the camp greeting indicates phone numbers and emergency pager numbers. In the highly unlikely event that the phone service to Indian Hills is down, the most direct means of communicating an emergency is through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept. The number is 303-277-0211. Your local 911 can also notify Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept.
What is Geneva Glen's evacuation policy?
In the unlikely event of an evacuation from camp due to dangerous conditions such as an area wildfire, everyone in the area is transported to a nearby specific site determined by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Dept. During such an event, parents are contacted and arrangements are made to pick up their camper. It is possible the parent or another person named on the Release Form may not be available to pick up their camper at the evacuation site. If the parent or guardian cannot be reached, we contact the person(s) designated as emergency contacts and make arrangements to release the camper to those individuals. If none of the persons can be contacted, we release your child to a Board Member of Geneva Glen Camp, who will take the camper to their home until the parent or guardian can be contacted.
Geneva Glen . . .
A magical place, strengthened by the loyalty of the members of our “camp family” throughout the years and generations! Very few camps in the country can boast such a long and successful commitment to children and youth. Our campers return year after year and some hear stories of their grandparent’s days at the Glen. We are a camp family and harmony is more the rule than the exception. The Directors, Ken and Nancy Atkinson, were campers, counselors, as well as camper parents at Geneva Glen and will be happy to speak with you or your child about the camp’s traditions and standards. We invite your communication.
