FAQ
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You’re likely not the first person to have a question! We’ve addressed some of the most common questions below, but if you can’t find an answer, don’t hesitate to contact us.
- Registration
- Arrival & Departure
- Medication
- Camper Mail
- General
Register online here.
Our registration system is completely virtual. However, if you or someone you know does not have access to a computer, request a paper registration form by calling us at (360) 894-3838 or emailing our Registrar.
A $50-$75 deposit (depending on the program) is all that is needed to secure your reservation, and the balance will be due by June 5th. On the payment screen, there is a budget-helper payment plan which spreads out the balance, or you may authorize the balance to be automatically charged June 5th, so you don’t have to remember.
After you enter your payment information, a screen will appear that has downloadable documents about each of our events. You can then print the ones relevant to your event – packing list, arrival instructions, etc. An email will arrive soon telling you that the transaction was successful. Another email will be sent later verifying your balance or payment information.
If your camper is unable to attend for any reason, you only lose the deposit. If you have paid the entire amount, any balance beyond the deposit is refundable. The deposit is transferable within your immediate family for another event in this calendar year. We do ask that if you need to cancel, please let us know as soon as possible so we can let another camper in from the waiting list.
There is a field in the ‘Family Profile’ that asks for one cabin mate request. We agree that it is very important for kids to be with a friend! There is a limit on how many friends can be in a cabin of 8 kids, as it impacts the cabin dynamic and unity when there are three or more friends, no matter how kind they are to others. If there get to be four, we ask that they divide into pairs. Our counselors work hard to pull each individual into a cohesive group for their week at camp, encouraging new friendships that often extend beyond the summer!
As you arrive at camp, you will be greeted by our Express Check-In staff (look for the red hats!). They will give you your child’s cabin number, counselor’s name, and a print-out with other instructions. Once you have this information, place your child’s luggage on the appropriately marked luggage trailer, bank any money in the canteen, drop off medication with the camp nurse, drop off camper mail, and then head up to your child’s cabin and meet their counselor. Registration begins promptly at 4pm. If you have questions while you are here, please ask any staff member – they are happy to assist you in any way! (Prior to your child’s arrival at camp, you will receive all this information, as well.)
Campers: Registration/check-in generally begins at 4pm on Sunday afternoon. Please be sure to double check your registration confirmation for arrival/departure dates as not every program starts on Sunday and ends Saturday. Camp begins with a special welcome at 5pm, followed by dinner at 5:30pm. Camp ends at 9:30am Saturday morning with closing chapel that all parents and family are welcome to attend.
S.A.L.T.s: Registration/check-in begins at 3pm. S.A.L.T. send-off will be at 10:30am on Saturday mornings at the Nisqually flagpole.
Meals for campers begin with dinner Sunday at 5:30pm. If you are arriving late, you may want to stop and grab a bite to eat so your camper can jump in with the program as soon as they arrive.
Each session ends with a closing chapel. Brightwood Station’s closing chapel is on the West Lawn and Camp Timber Rock’s closing chapel is at the waterfront. After this program, you can talk with the counselor, take pictures, and check the lost and found for any familiar items.
If your child is riding home with someone else, they must be listed on the counselor’s sign-out sheet. If a change is made mid-week, give the office a call and we will pass this information along to the counselor.
We can always accommodate for late drop off and early pick up. Please send an email to the camp program office at program@cascadescamp.org. For early pick up, please tell your child’s counselor when you meet them at drop off to arrange the time/location of pick up.
Your camper will need clothing for all weather, a jacket, extra shoes, their swimsuit, a sleeping bag, pillow, towel, soap, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, sunscreen, insect repellent, a flashlight, a disposable camera (with name on it), a Bible, pen and journal, any medications in a Ziploc bag with a med note filled out (leave this out of bag to hand off to our Health Assistant upon arrival), and, if riding horses, long jeans and sturdy shoes. Please DO NOT bring valuables, cell phones, MP3 players or other personal electronics, fireworks, or weapons.
Medications are administered at breakfast, lunch, dinner, bedtime, and as needed by Cascades’ Health Assistant. This individual is typically a college-aged student in a nursing program, and is supervised by our camp R.N.
Yes, if your camper takes prescription meds, we would like to see the information accurately given on the label. Also, you will be filling out a med note with your instructions for administering any meds you bring, including non-prescription (OTC) meds.
It isn’t necessary to provide a brand new bottle of meds. In fact, it would be best if you limit the non-essential meds you send. Consider giving a break from multivitamins, etc., to minimize your child’s distractions from the camp atmosphere. If your child infrequently needs Tylenol for a headache, for example, it’s not necessary for you to send it. There are many common medications that we keep on hand.
Cascades can accommodate many special dietary needs. We commonly adjust meals for campers who are vegetarian, lactose-intolerant, gluten-free, or have simple food allergies. Please contact our Food Service Manager at least one week prior to your child’s stay with us to discuss dietary restrictions and menus.
Tylenol (acetaminophen) for headaches or other discomfort, Benadryl (Diphenhydramine) for allergy flare-ups or rashes, throat lozenges, and Pepto Bismol and Tums for digestive upset. For minor abrasions or cuts, we cleanse, apply triple antibiotic ointment, and cover with a Band-Aid.
We do our best to provide a positive experience for campers with mild disabilities. Please call our office (360) 894-3838 to share your child’s specific needs and we can talk about the ways that we can create a healthy and fun experience for your child.
Please write the counselor’s name on all packages. You may bring letters and packages to drop off when you bring your child to camp. Label these with your camper’s name (first and last), program, and which day you’d like them to receive the package. Or you can send mail addressed as follows:
Cascades Camp & Conference Center
Camper Name/Program Name
22825 Peissner Rd. SE
Yelm, WA 98597
Campers receive mail before either lunch or dinner (depending on which camp they’re at) every day during the designated mail time. Campers are called to the front to receive their letters and/or packages. If a camper receives three or more letters and/or a package, he/she must sing a goofy song with fellow campers who also receive packages or three letters. Classic songs at mail time include “I’m a Little Tea Pot,” “Grey Squirrel,” and “The Beaver Song.”
Camper mail is by no means a necessity, but has become a fun part of camp for many campers over the years. It’s a great opportunity to encourage homesick campers and send a little love their direction.
Most parents include some assortment of the following: candy, disposable cameras, stationery, journals, stuffed animals, etc. We ask that you limit the size of packages to a shoe box or smaller as the volume of mail over summer weeks is pretty heavy here at camp.
To preserve the unique environment of camp, we ask that parents do not visit their children while they are at camp.
To preserve the unique environment of camp, we don’t have phones for camper use. When children are sick or homesick, we may call home. In this case, a staff member will contact you first, then your child will be given the phone, then the staff member will close out the conversation to answer any questions you have.
It is common for campers to feel homesick while away from home. Counselors are trained to respond to homesick campers with love by keeping them busy and setting short-term goals for the first day or two – usually they succeed in overcoming it. If the camper remains homesick, we call home. In this case, a staff member will contact you first to determine if you think a conversation with you would help your child. If so, your child will be given the phone, then the staff member will close out the conversation to answer any questions you have.
There are generally eight campers in a cabin with one college-aged counselor who has been carefully screened and trained. In many of the cabins we also place a S.A.L.T. (high school student in our Servant And Leadership Training program), who works closely with the counselor to mentor campers and help facilitate their week at camp.
During free time, campers have the opportunity to swim, boat, or soak up the sun at our lifeguarded waterfront, grab a bite to eat at the Canteen, hang out with friends, participate in various organized games and hikes led by counselors, and more.
Campers that come to Cascades do not have to know anything about the Bible. During Bible study, campers are given the chance to read out loud if they’d like to volunteer. Campers are never forced to read out loud.
Campers spend half an hour in the morning singing fun jubilation songs, an hour doing a Bible study, and anywhere from half an hour to an hour is spent at chapel in the evenings. The rest of the day is spent playing games, in activities, at free time and participating in other great camp classic games and night activities.
To preserve the unique environment of camp, we ask that cell phones are left at home. If camper does bring a phone to camp, we will store it safely until the close of camp, when it can be picked up.
In minor situations, counselors are carefully trained to explore camper motives when a child acts out, and relative consequences will be explained to the camper and carried out. If problems persist or are more serious, the site leadership and Program Director will step in, and contact parents if necessary. Appropriate consequences will be explained to the camper and then carried out. In severe situations, a child may be sent home. Cascades never resorts to any form of physical punishment.
Lost and found items are held until early winter. If your child is missing something after their time at Cascades, send an email to info@cascadescamp.org with a detailed description of the item and the cabin your child stayed in and we will do our best to track down the missing item. We ask that you pay the cost of shipping or pick the item up.
Campers are served nutritious meals that are kid-friendly. To view a sample menu for a kids’ camp, click here.
To keep your funds safe and conveniently accessible during free time, Cascades campers deposit a maximum of $50 in a spending account. Campers may spend their money on snacks and cold drinks at the Canteen, or at the Espresso Stand and Gift Store. Campers are limited to two visits a day to the Canteen. Spending money may be paid ahead of arrival, or deposited when you drop off your camper. On the last day of camp, remaining balances may be donated to the summer missions project, or are refunded to campers to take home.
Trail mix, chips, ice cream, frozen lemonade, candy bars, soda, smoothies, Italian sodas, and other snacks may be purchased at the Canteen. Prices range from $0.50-$5.00.
Gift items are available in the Gift Store including shirts, sweatshirts, hats, books, stuffed animals, cards, water bottles, flashlights, and more. Everything on Cascades’ packing lists should be available in case your camper forgets one of the essentials.
Smaller items like flashlights and water bottles range from $5-$10, and clothing items for children range from $15-$40.
Every year Cascades joins with all 22 Covenant camps to financially contribute to a designated missions project. Campers have the opportunity to contribute some of their Canteen fund to the missions project as an act of tithing, or vote for their favorite staff member to be “iced” in the weekly competition. Each vote costs one dollar, and all proceeds go to the missions project. The summer mission projects are usually camping related, and give campers an opportunity to contribute to make a similar life-changing experience possible for children in another part of the world.
