Dear Evans Lake Summer Camp Families,
First, we want to acknowledge the range of challenges that we’re all living through right now, and send all of the great Evans Lake thoughts your way. From the warmth of our campfire, to the rush of making a new friend, to the awe of standing at the base of a 500-year old tree—we’re sharing everything we’ve got!
We are writing to you about our 2020 summer camp. COVID-19 has brought uncertainty to all of us. Like many of you, we’ve been cheering for our healthcare workers at 7PM, and becoming very familiar with our Public Health Officers (Dr. Bonnie Henry in BC). Their rules are guiding our adaptations to this fluid situation. As camp is two+ months away, we remain optimistic that we’ll operate our summer camp program as planned. As unprecedented as the situation is, we have time to see how this unfolds before a decision needs to be made on running our 2020 Summer Camp program—a choice that will be informed by our government and health authorities.
In normal times, the experience at Evans Lake inspires, recharges, and settles campers and staff alike. We strongly believe that, if safe to do so, that will be needed by all of us more than ever.
Preparing for Summer Camp
We currently have a core team of staff who are preparing for the 2020 season so that, if the public health orders allow for it, we will be ready to welcome your kids to Evans Lake. We know that the safety of your children is your number one priority—and it is ours too. As part of our 2020 preparation, all families will receive a dedicated package that details our cleaning and sanitization procedures, and any key modifications we’ll be making to our programs. That package will be finalized as we approach summer (late May/early June).
Cancellation Options
At this time, we intend to operate this summer, but we are realistic that safety rules and guidelines are changing day-by-day. Leading up to May 27th, we will assess all relevant public health orders and advice and confirm (on this date) whether we will be running any 2020 Summer Camp programs. If you choose to cancel before May 27th, our cancellation fee of $50 will apply as the current public health orders do not extend into the summer. If you are comfortable waiting with us until May 27th and Summer Camp ends up cancelled, we will offer two options:
- We can hold the deposit paid for the 2020 camp session and apply it a 2021 camp session. If you choose this option, you will be given advanced registration for our 2021 season; or
- We can issue a full refund of fees paid, including waiving the normal $50 admin fee.
Final Payment Date Moved
We are moving our final payment date from May 1st to June 1st so that no family is charged while waiting for confirmation on our 2020 season. If Summer Camp is cancelled, all automatic payment scheduled for June 1st will be cancelled.
Subsidy Program
Our subsidy program is set up to help those families who need financial support in order to send their kids to camp. We acknowledge that many families will experience financial hardship over the coming months, please consider applying for a subsidy from our campership fund if needed. We cannot guarantee that there will be funds available for everyone in need of financial assistance, but we will do our best to support as many families as possible.
We hope to welcome you to camp this summer so that, together, we can share a positive and memorable experience.
Wishing you strength & good health for you and your families,
Lauren Marghetti, Executive Director
And the Evans Lake Team