Letters
Campers truly love to receive letters from home! They receive their mail each day after lunch and always look forward to this time, and receiving a handwritten letter is very special. Since "snail mail" can take three to five days for delivery, preparation (send letters even before camp begins) and patience are necessary, but a hand-written letter is often kept for years, while emails are often thrown away quickly. Take the time to write a letter; we think this is one of the most memorable parts of a camping experience!
How to address a letter to your son:
Camper Name
Camp Ridgecrest
P.0. Box 279
Ridgecrest, NC 28770
Your son can also write you a letter while he's at Camp (though getting boys to sit down and actually write a letter is often quite the challenge). What we would recommend is pre-addressing and pre-stamping some envelopes for your son to make that process as easy as possible for him!
Handwritten letters are wonderful, but when you are unable to get these out, you may choose to email your camper. These will be printed out and delivered along with regular mail. Only those registered with our photo and email service can send email communication. Please be aware that anyone you provide with your username and password can send emails from your account. We highly recommend downloading the Campanion App where you can conveniently send emails to your son from your smartphone.
Telephone
If you would like to talk to your camper during their camp stay, you may call and leave a message with our receptionist. The message will be posted for their counselor, and the call will be returned when the child is not in an activity. Generally, we prefer not to have parents call their children. However, if you must call, please do so after the first week, allowing time for adjustment. Another option is to reach out to a Director, who could check on your son for you and then quickly get back in touch with you.
Packages
WE DO NOT ACCEPT UNAPPROVED PACKAGES!
Approval for any package of any size (larger than a standard letter) must be given in advance to prevent the package from being returned to the sender unopened.
Here's why:
1) Food and candy items in the cabin areas is not a good idea. We have lots of "critters" and wildlife in our woods. Food and candy is an "attractant", and we are designating our living areas as "no food zones".
2) Packages were a source of happiness when a camper receives one, and a source of disappointment when they do not. A sense of competition sometimes developed over who can receive the biggest and best package. This environment was not a positive thing for our camp community.
We have made a decision, to the delight of many of our parents, to not allow care packages at camp. Any mail received that is larger than a letter will be returned to sender. If your child forgets to pack an essential item, let us know in the camp office by sending an email or giving us a call. Also the item description must be written on the outside of the package. Your child will open the package in the camp office and only be allowed to keep the essential item.
Also, please do not send your camper to camp with extra food items or candy for their stay. We are unable to keep the food items in the cabin, and we will not be able to store it for them elsewhere.
If your child is having a birthday while at camp, you will have the option to leave a small gift (non-food) in the camp office. We also try and make the birthday special with a special treat for the cabin group at lunchtime, as well as the whole camp singing to your child!
Our hope is that this policy will help us with the concerns mentioned above. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation!
