By Kiefer Dooley – Ward, Colorado … Summer camp returns to the Rocky Mountain Conference in 2021.

When the global pandemic hit the Rocky Mountain region, the RMC youth ministry department had to cancel their usual summer programs at Glacier View Ranch and Mills Spring Ranch, which were missed immensely.

“We thought that as summer faded to fall, we’d miss camp a little bit less. That hasn’t happened. We miss it more every day,” Kiefer Dooley RMC youth director said. “That is why we’ve been working extra hard to make sure that, regardless of what the pandemic throws at us in the Summer of 2021, we’ll be ready! So, mark your calendars, because with a few changes, summer camp is back.”

The week-long program will be a little different next year due to COVID protocols.

“All of our camp sessions (excluding Family Connect Camp) will operate on a Sunday to Friday schedule. Families should plan to drop off their campers at GVR or MSR on the Sunday their session begins and to pick up their campers on the following Friday afternoon,” Jessyka Dooley, RMC assistant youth director said. “This update to a Sunday to Friday camp is necessary for our team to clean, sanitize, disinfect, and ready the camp facilities in between sessions.”

Registration opens Friday, November 27, at rmcyouth.org/camp. Register early for a $50 discount on all reservations made the first week of registration between November 27 and December 4.

“We are opening registration at 50% of a normal year’s capacity and we expect space to fill up fast. The reduction in capacity will ensure that we can operate camp with appropriate distancing, group separation, and cleanliness standards,” Jessyka stated. “At this time, we’ll be allowing regular activity sign ups; however, there is a chance that ‘stable group’ requirements will void individual activity selections to be replaced with a system where your camper will rotate through all of our activities with a ‘stable group’ throughout the week.”

Kiefer Dooley added, “regardless of what 2021 throws at us, we’re confident that we will host a program that is safe, fun, engaging, spiritual, and best of all, allows kids to be active in the outdoors of the great Rocky Mountains.”

–Kiefer Dooley is RMC youth director; photos supplied