Gooooooooood moooooooorning Camp Jabberwocky!
We have some optimistic news that is pending an *official* board vote (oooOOOoo) as well as factors far out of our control like general human behavior and Mother Nature:
CAMP IS (VERY LIKELY) HAPPENING!!!!!
* IF YOU HAVE BEEN TO JABBERWOCKY BEFORE AND ARE INTERESTED IN RETURNING THIS SUMMER AND YOU DID NOT GET A SURVEY IN YOUR EMAIL, PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FILTER, THEN REACH OUT TO LIZA DIRECTLY OR REACH OUT THROUGH OUR WEBSITE CONTACT PAGE WWW.CAMPJABBERWOCKY.ORG *
Camp this summer will look very different but still feel just as magical and fun – we will have reduced capacity, shorter sessions, and new safety/daily protocols.
Here are some new requirements for attending this summer for you to know about:
1. Everyone attending Camp MUST be fully vaccinated
2. Campers can come for ONE 6-day session (capacity issues will make it unlikely that we can accommodate more than one session per camper)
3. Everyone coming has to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours before arriving (we can help you with this, we will also be providing one within 72 hours before leaving)
4. Campers must have an emergency plan in place to be picked up in case they have a positive COVID test while at Camp
Given all these new COVID requirements, we understand if people are unable to attend Camp this year. If you cannot attend this year, you will NOT lose your spot for future years, we promise!
We are unfortunately unable to accept any new people into Camp Jabberwocky this year (volunteers and campers). Anyone who has applied for this summer’s Camp Sessions will automatically have their application considered for 2022. We are very sad about this because we love new friends!!!
We are filled with hope and excitement because our community is resilient and we are certain we will have a wonderful, safe time after such a long time apart. Our community surveys indicated that it would be helpful for you to know how we are operating camp to protect our community before making a commitment to participate. We want you to feel as informed as possible at this time, knowing our plans are subject to change based on CDC, state, and local guidelines.
Our COVID-19 Committee:
In February, we launched a COVID Committee for Camp Jabberwocky, which has met weekly and will continue to meet through the start of camp to create a comprehensive plan for running smoothly. The Committee consists of a portion of our Camp medical team, Medical Committee Board members, and our Directors and year-round team. Kellen McDonald, a long-time volunteer at Camp Jabberwocky is co-leading the Committee with Liza to organize and move the Committee forward. She has spent the last three years working for the CDC and spent the last year on COVID response in many different scenarios and states. She is currently a graduate student at Yale University, where she is earning a Masters in Public Health and Masters in Nursing. She will be at camp full-time the entire summer helping with the COVID response as part of her graduate program.
All of the COVID-19 Committee recommendations will be based on the most up-to-date CDC recommendations and guidelines put forth by the Board of Health for Massachusetts. These guidelines may change before the start of camp and if they do we will assess how those changes may impact our community and reopening plans and adjust accordingly. The regulations we are mandated to follow are HERE “Recreational Camps and Programs Health and Safety Standards for Reopening.” Also, the COVID Committee has recommended that in order to open camp we will need 100% vaccination of volunteers, staff and campers. We are awaiting additional guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Health specifically for vaccinated persons (as we will all be vaccinated!) which is expected in late May.
Vaccination Planning and Information:
There are lots of details to work out with individual families but it has become certain that our committee, Board of Trustees, and much of our community will only feel comfortable being at camp with all staff, volunteers, and campers being fully vaccinated. If you are not eligible for the vaccine due to age or a specific medical condition, please note we will still be hosting Camp JabberWebby online for those who can not participate in person.
As you know the vaccination phases differ from state to state. I would recommend that you check with your local area, if you need our help scheduling a vaccine please reach out!
Many of you have already been vaccinated but if you are still looking for vaccines here are some sites that have worked for us in MA. You may need to hit refresh for a good period of time:
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This one will screen all of MA for where doses are actually available: https://www.macovidvaccines.
com/ . You may have to continue to hit refresh until you find a nearby dose. -
The other site that we have used is: https://www.color.com/
community-test-sites
Also, as you may have heard, any Massachusetts resident can now pre-register for a vaccine appointment. It may take weeks or months to secure an appointment, but pre-registering makes it easier to request and schedule a vaccine appointment.
The Massachusetts pre-registration website is: https://www.mass.gov/info-
Once pre-registered and an appointment becomes available, you’ll be contacted with the opportunity to book the appointment and have 24 hours to accept it. Please note that pre-registration is currently just for the state’s mass vaccination sites; it does not include hospitals or pharmacies. If you happen to get a vaccine appointment at another site, please be sure to opt out so someone else can be contacted about an appointment when it becomes available.
Please be aware when scheduling that your last dose will need to be administered at least 2 weeks prior to your arrival at camp.
Capacity and Daily Protocols:
Based on the current CDC, state, and local health and safety guidelines to date, the recommendation of the COVID-19 Committee includes these precautions:
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Significantly reducing capacity (12 or fewer campers at camp at one time)
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Spending more time on the camp property
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Participating in off-campus low-risk, outdoor activities (such as going to the beach)
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Creating more spaces to congregate outdoors
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Creating a policy on mask-use for those able to wear them
Camp Dates:
Taking a conservative approach to the current guidelines, this summer we plan to open with 12 or fewer campers attending camp at a time with each camper coming for a 6 day Sunday – Friday session. Please note, we will work hard to place people with their cabin mates and friends.
We plan to begin camp on June 27th and operate until August 27th. Our current recommendation on dates is one that allows camp to be accessible and inclusive to as many of our community members as possible, despite capacity limits.
If you choose not to come to camp this summer, please note you will NOT be giving up your spot for future summers. We hope for things to be back to normal for 2022.
Support Plan:
The goal is to have 100% returning volunteers for summer 2021. With new protocols, the safest plan is to have only our experienced volunteers participate. Anyone new who has expressed interest and applied for a volunteer position for this summer will have their application considered for 2022.
In addition, we will be having a few new full-time summer staff positions for the entire camp season including:
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Registered Nurse and Doctor on-site
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COVID Safety Officer
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Full-time Cook
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Training and Orientation Specialist
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Cleaning support
Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns! You can e-mail us directly or reach out through the contact page on the website www.campjabberwocky.org
Love,
Camp
