Summer Camp Volunteers As a volunteer at Camp CAMP you can expect:
Your heart to be warmed…
Your eyes to be opened…
Your skills to be developed,
broadened and challenged.....
Your life to be changed.
Come make a difference in a child’s life. Volunteers
are the backbone of our CAMPer’s summer recreational experience. Come
jump in the pool, canoe down the Guadalupe River, make s’mores over the
CAMP fire, and dance the night away at our special prom. These
are just some of the activities you will experience when you become a
volunteer for an amazing child at CAMP. We need high school
(ages 14 and older), college age, and adult counselors to enable our
campers with special needs to reach their maximum potential. It
is easy to join our exceptional and dedicated volunteer family.
class="MsoNormal">CounselorsCAMP
volunteer counselors are partnered one-to-one with one of our special
CAMPers each week. Counselors live alongside our campers in
climate controlled cabins and assist campers with hygiene care, life
skills, and participate in activities alongside CAMPer’s. Lodging
and meals are provided at no cost to our dedicated volunteers.
Other Volunteers
CAMP could not function
without the generous support of countless volunteers who assist in a
variety of ways. Some volunteers help facilitate CAMP activities, others
assist with animal care, and still others work in the kitchen as cooks
or dishwashers. Additional volunteers help by picking up limbs, mowing,
planting flowers, or assisting with other tasks that help keep our
CAMPgrounds looking neat and welcoming for our CAMPers. Finally, we have
volunteers who help our CAMPers by performing maintenance and cleaning
tasks around CAMP, ensuring that our facilities are clean and in good
working order.
Volunteer Groups
Corporate groups, youth
groups, fraternities, sororities, and other service organizations
provide valuable assistance in many facets of our CAMP operations.
Sometimes members of these groups volunteer as individuals in roles
already listed, sometimes these groups come to CAMP together to complete
specific projects, and other times these groups sponsor or assist with
fundraisers and other special events. In addition to these opportunities
for you to help support our mission of strengthening and inspiring
individuals with special needs, your group may be further strengthened
and inspired as well through team building opportunities led by our
dedicated staff. These opportunities may be scheduled in conjunction
with your service trip to our CAMP facility in Center Point with
advanced notice. For more information or to discuss opportunities for
your group, please contact
us.
Service
hoursMany high schools and colleges now require
their students to provide volunteer service hours. Service during a week
of Summer Camp provides up to 99 hours to those who spend their time
helping our CAMPers become strengthened and inspired, and all at no
monetary cost to our volunteers. After your session(s) have been
successfully completed we will automatically mail a confirmation of your
volunteer service to the postal address we have on file for you. If you
do not receive this letter within 2 weeks after you complete your
service, please let
us know.
|
|
Basic Qualifications & Essential Functions for CAMP Volunteers and Staff |
|
|
|
|
The self-assessment checklist below is to be used by individuals to help them determine their readiness to serve as staff or volunteers. Additionally, all staff and volunteers must attend Pre-CAMP Training where they will be evaluated on their readiness to return in an independent staff or volunteer role. Those who are not able to meet the basic qualifications or perform the essential functions listed below will be invited to apply to attend CAMP as CAMPers.
The following criteria must be met by all staff and volunteers:
| * |
Able to groom self |
| * |
Able to dress self |
| * |
Able to feed self |
| * |
Able to shower self |
| * |
Able to manage own bowels |
| * |
Able to manage own bladder |
| * |
Able to transfer self to/from wheelchair (if applicable) |
| * |
Able to assist a CAMPer in grooming |
| * |
Able to assist a CAMPer in dressing |
| * |
Able to assist a CAMPer in eating |
| * |
Able to assist a CAMPer in showering |
| * |
Able to assist a CAMPer in bowel management |
| * |
Able to assist a CAMPer in bladder management |
| * |
Able to interact with and supervise CAMPers in a rustic environment during a 24-hour/5-6 day period |
| * |
Able to foster a wholesome and supportive environment in which CAMPers can experience success |
| * |
Able to maintain a positive example in personal life and daily living situations |
| * |
Able to understand and follow CAMP rules and schedules with minimal supervision |
| * |
Able to manage time off appropriately and without direct supervision |
| * |
Able to fulfill duties in the Texas Hill Country climate (which is often hot and humid) |
As an organization we strive to offer opportunities for individuals who have special needs in roles as CAMPers, as well as in staff or volunteer roles. Our first priority and greatest obligation must always be to our current CAMPers, providing first and foremost for their safety and care. As such we are not always able to promote CAMPers into volunteer or staff roles, but we do continue to welcome them back to CAMP as CAMPers.
|
|
 The skills our volunteers gain from working with our CAMPers can translate into other areas of professional and academic growth. Our youth volunteers often go on to careers as nurses, physicians, OTs, PTs, teachers, social workers, and other related professions. Volunteers attend a 5-day mandatory training called Pre-Camp, June 6-10, where they learn how to provide personal care for our CAMPers with special needs, how to engage them in camp activities designed for fun and growth, as well as leadership skills that will be useful both in the CAMP environment and in their lives outside of CAMP. Professional volunteers also have an opportunity to earn continuing education credits through training and service at CAMP.
What to do next…All volunteers must fully complete our online Volunteer Application, and all volunteers over the age of 18 who will be spending more than 1 day at CAMP in the summer must also complete a criminal background check. Some volunteers must also provide evidence of a physical examination by a licensed health professional within 2 years of their service at CAMP. All of the application forms are available on our website, and no volunteer can be placed until all required forms are completed in full. If you would like to volunteer for our Summer CAMP programs, please complete a volunteer application by clicking on the application tab/volunteers. For further information on volunteering please contact Sarah Coulombe at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
|
|
Volunteers 
