RMCNews with John Boone – Ward, Colorado … Explore campers ended their June 20-25 week at Glacier View Ranch with memories of an abundance of fun.

The camp staff hosted 75 Explore campers (ages 8-10) and will long remember providing a ministry to one of the campers for which GVR is known. Ashley Halvorson, girls’ counselor and Arts & Crafts director, enthused, “I taught one of my campers how to pray for the first time.”

But not all news is positive.

Late on Saturday, June 26, camp organizers received a report that an Explore camper had tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving home.

“Our hearts ache for the affected camper and their family. You are in our prayers,” said John Boone, GVR’s camp PR and marketing intern. Following the report, the COVID-19 Protocol Action Plan from Boulder County Public Health was enacted. It put several staff members on a seven-day quarantine.

The impact the quarantined staff would have on the program was reviewed and after taking into consideration the poor weather forecast for the following week, with temperatures in the 40s and 50s coupled with rain every day, the staff decided, according to Boone, that “it was in the best interest of our campers to cancel Adventure week for ages 10-12. Unfortunately, the GVR facility is not equipped to facilitate a “best summer ever” experience indoors while also upholding the COVID policy.

Parents were notified of the cancellation of Adventure Camp early Sunday morning. “Thank you for all the thoughtful decisions you have made,” said one parent. Rachel New, mother of one of the disappointed campers commented, “Prayers for the exposed, sick, fearful, and all the children who miss out on camp this summer.”

The organizers are grateful to camper families for understanding the difficulty of this decision and to our staff for taking it in stride. Ignite camp for ages 12-14, starting July 4, is still on and the staff is excited to see GVR camp become Fully Alive again on that date!

To learn more about the spots available in future weeks of camp, check out our website at: RMCYouth.org/camp

–RMCNews with John Boone who is GVR’s camp PR and marketing intern; photo supplied