Girl Scouts Michigan Trails

We strongly recommend that you take the time to talk with your child about her upcoming camp experience. It is important that she is well prepared for the challenges and adventure of Camp Anna Behrens to make the camp experience as comfortable as possible.

If you have any questions before camp, please call the resident camp director, Jenn Beaumont, at 616-784-3341 or 1-800-442-1401.

Mail is most important to campers! Letters should express interest in what is happening at camp. A letter within the first 2 days of camp is important. This means writing and mailing a letter before she arrives at camp.

	Camper's Name - Program Name

	Camp Anna Behrens

	9841 Colby Rd

	Greenville , MI 48838

Pre-made mail can be dropped off on opening day in the mail bin located in Sherwood Lodge. Please list your campers name, program name and date you would like the mail delivered.

Please leave all food related care packages at home (including candy and gum). Food in tents or cabins attracts unwanted guests. Just like other unwanted guests, members of the animal kingdom will stay around in increased numbers if there is a new food supply.

Alternative items to food are: Mad Lib books, playing cards, travel size board games, new hair care items, extra film or a disposable camera, stamps, books, drawing pad and pens, bubbles, face paint, nature identification guides, bug boxes, magnifying glasses or an inexpensive watch. Let your imagination run wild, and have fun.

Campers should arrive between 2:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Please do not arrive early, as the staff will be meeting and making final preparations for the session. Campers WILL NOT be checked in before 2:00 p.m. on arrival day.

ONLY PERSONS LISTED ON THE AUTHORIZATION TO RELEASE CAMPER FORM WILL BE ALLOWED TO PICK THE CAMPER UP. Every parent/guardian must fill out this form, listing those people who are authorized by you to pick up your daughter. Parents and guardians must be listed on this form. Only those listed on the form will be able to pick the camper up. ON OUTGOING DAY, THE PERSON PICKING UP THE CAMPER WILL BE REQUIRED TO SHOW IDENTIFICATION. There are no exceptions to this policy – even parents and guardians must show ID. This is for your child's protection.

Departure is between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the end of your daughter's session. All campers must be checked out at this time. If there is an emergency and you need to be late, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you need to pick up your camper early, please request and fill out the Early Release form on incoming day.

Going off alone can be a very exciting time, and the perfect setting to develop some independence and a sense of responsibility. However, without a parent available to provide reminders or assist with problem solving, some campers experience difficulty. Some things to discuss with your daughter:

• Be sure she understands that her counselors and all staff are there to help her. Introduce her to her unit staff, nurse, etc. on the first day. Show her where the camp office is. When you get to her unit, find the bathroom, see where the counselors sleep, etc. Encourage her to ask questions if she doesn't understand.

• Teach her how to make her bed. If there is any chance that your daughter may have an accident in the middle of the night, DO NOT send her with a sleeping bag, send only sheets and blankets (they are easier to wash and dry). Please reassure your daughter that there is no reason to be embarrassed about bedwetting, and if it happens, to let her counselors know.

• Often, campers have to be reminded how often to change their clothes, especially their favorite shirt or sweatshirt. Provide a bag for dirty clothes so they can be kept separate from clean clothes. Discuss with your daughter the importance of keeping her things together so she will come home with all possessions.

• If her hair is long, be sure she has rubber bands, or something to keep it out of her face. (Let her practice caring for and combing her hair.)

• Show her how to address and stamp a letter correctly. Be sure she has a list of important addresses, including her own. Better yet, pre-stamp and address her envelopes.

Going away to camp, whether it is the first time or the sixth time, requires a period of adjustment. Part of the adjustment may be a brief period of homesickness. We regard homesickness as a normal, healthy occurrence in a child or a teenager. (In some cases even staff, especially international counselors.)

The staff is instructed to be aware of a camper's moods and emotional adjustment. If a child is homesick, staff will encourage her to talk it out. They try to help the child understand the feelings she is having and make an effort to involve the camper in all camp activities. Experience tells us that within a few days the camper is busy having fun and feeling secure with her counselors, new friends and the outdoors.

There is a common problem known as the “homesick letter.” While campers are experiencing homesickness or poor weather, they become prolific letter writers. At this time, they are most inclined to write home and pour out all of their misery and discontent. A few days later, you receive the letter. What to do? Don't panic or feel guilty about having sent your daughter to camp. By now your child is probably having a good time. Immediately write an encouraging letter. Don't say, “We miss you.” Your daughter may then slip back into a state of homesickness. If a second letter comes, feel free to contact the camp to check on your daughter.

Before your daughter leaves for camp, and while she is at camp, please avoid making deals , e.g. “If you don't like camp after a few days we'll come and get you.” This will make it difficult for your camper to adjust and puts considerable pressure on you, and the camp staff, to keep your promise.

Girls enrolled in any of the riding programs must wear jeans and the appropriate footwear (boots with a 1/2 inch heel). Girls without boots will not ride! For your daughter's safety, please do not send dress shoes

Facilities are not available for campers to wash laundry. Please pack enough clothing to last the entire session. Bedding of bed wetters will be laundered in the camp washing machine.

There are four different styles of living arrangements at camp. 1) There are platform tent units, with each tent sleeping four campers. 2) We have a tent/cabin unit; these cabins also sleep four campers. 3) There are enclosed cabin units, these sleep 10 girls in each cabin and are connected by a deck. (Girls in these cabins do not need mosquito netting.) 4) This arrangement is unique. It is our SawMill Run Adirondack cabins, which sleep seven girls each on mattresses. All other tents and cabins are supplied with cots/beds and mattresses. Each unit has a unit shelter for rainy day activities and storage. Platform tent and tent-cabin units have washstands and latrines. In addition, there are two modern shower-houses with flush toilets to serve all campers and staff.

The camp director will make living arrangement assignments based on campers' age, type of program, and number of girls in the program. You will find out where your daughter will be living upon arrival. Girls who have registered as friends will be placed together, providing they requested each other, signed up for the same program and sent their registrations and deposits together in the same envelope. Every effort is made to ensure that all girls have the opportunity to meet new friends and work cooperatively within the unit.

During your daughter's stay at camp she will participate in “kapers.” These are daily “chores” all campers do to maintain the cleanliness of their living spaces. “Kapers” include sweeping their tent or cabin, cleaning a fire circle, collecting firewood, picking up litter, and cleaning the latrine or bathrooms.

It will be up to each individual family to bring their own mosquito netting for their daughters. (Cabin units do not require netting.) Netting can be purchased at many of the local sportsman stores, outdoor equipment stores, Michigan Trails Council Shop or at the Trading Post on arrival day. If you purchase mosquito netting from the council shop prior to your daughter's stay and find that she won't need it, you can exchange it for credit at the Trading Post.

Please mark all belongings with your daughter's full name. Remember to pick up all of her luggage on departure day. (Your daughter may have packed differently from when she arrived, ask her.) If you find something has been lost, please contact the camp as soon as possible to locate the missing item. Items left behind will be kept at camp for two weeks . All unclaimed items will be given to a local charity. We will do our best to inform campers of found items that are labeled. The return of lost items is the responsibility of the parents, Camp Anna Behrens will make every effort to get the items to a convenient location for parents to pick up.

All prescription medications brought to camp must be in their original container, bearing the pharmacy label, showing the prescription number, date filled, physician's name, name of medication, directions for use and patient name. Any over-the-counter medication, cough syrup, vitamins, herbs, etc should be in its original container clearly marked with your daughter's name. We cannot accept medication NOT in its original container.

All medication must be turned into the health supervisor on arrival day. Bring enough medication to last the entire time at camp. Please be sure your daughter understands what she is taking, why she is taking it, and how often it is to be taken. If her medication is to be taken as needed, be sure she understands what this means.

$25.00 of the initial $50.00 deposit is non-refundable or transferable. Requests for refunds of the remaining deposit and fees will be considered on an individual basis. Please contact the camp registrar for details.

* All refund requests must be submitted in writing within seven (7) days of the last day of the camp session. Michigan Trails reserves the right to cancel any activity due to low enrollment, or when weather conditions are unsuitable. Refunds are not given when activities are cancelled as a result of “Acts of God”.

Since Alexander Graham Bell invented his telecommunications system we've been able to be in touch. As a parent, you may feel that “getting in touch” with your daughter is the only reassurance you have that she is adjusting to camp; however, the sound of a parent's voice can bring on homesickness in anyone.

• Parents that have questions or concerns about their daughter while she is at camp should call and discuss them with the Camp Director .

T-shirts, sweatshirts, stuffed animals, stationery, postcards, stamps and miscellaneous items are available at the trading post. Campers should hand-carry their trading post money on arrival day if they have not pre-deposited it. Do Not Pack It! When you arrive at camp, the money will be deposited with the business manager. The camp business manager will keep track of money spent by each camper and return any unused portion to the campers on departure day. The camp is not responsible for money campers keep with them; $20.00 - $25.00 is an average amount parents have left in the past. Your daughter will visit the trading post once during the week with her unit. We will also be open on arrival and departure days for sales. Michigan Trails' cookie dough can be used at the trading post.

Parents are responsible for their daughter's transportation to and from camp. Directions to Camp Anna Behrens are below. Upon arrival at camp our staff will be on hand to direct and assist you.

From I-96: Take US-131 North to exit 101(M-57). Go East on M-57, through Greenville , to M-91(approx. 18 miles). Turn Left onto M-91 and head out of Greenville . Continue straight through the light at Sidney Rd. , but start keeping your eyes open as Colby Rd. is very easy to miss. Turn Left onto Colby Rd. The entrance to Camp Anna Behrens is on the left approx. ½ mile down the road.

If you are heading South on US-131: Take exit 120(M-46). Go East on M-46 until you come to M-91 (approx. 15-17 miles). Turn Right onto M-91(heading South). When you start seeing Turk Lake signs, keep your eyes open as Colby Rd. is very easy to miss. Turn Right onto Colby Rd. The entrance to Camp Anna Behrens is on the left approx. ½ mile down the road.

Campers should not bring valuables, such as walkman radios, CD players, tape decks, cellular phones, pagers, hairdryers, game boys, jewelry, or expensive clothing to camp. Neither the camp nor Girl Scouts of Michigan Trails can be held responsible for such items.

The camp staff will collect all electronic devices. The items will be returned to your daughter at the end of her session at camp.

We do not encourage visiting during the program sessions. If a visit is necessary, please contact the camp director and arrange a time that won't interrupt your camper's program. Any person arriving at camp needs to check in at the office; otherwise they will be considered trespassing.