Drop off and pick up details
Drop off will be from 4pm to 5 pm, just come to the Sycamore Center (Gymnasium)- there will be signs directing you there. There will be a special closing session everyone is invited to at 1pm on the last day in our main chapel, with dismissal of campers at 2pm.
Campers love to get mail!
We encourage you to send campers mail (or email see below) However, we want you to know a couple things to help out. First, mail even from just a county over can take multiple days to get to camp. So, we have two suggestions; first mail the cards, letter or packages early and write by the campers name the date you want us to give it to them. We will hold the mail until that day’s lunch. Second, is if you drop off your camper on Sunday drive over to our mailbox, we have a black drop box that you can drop off all the letters you want to send (and save a stamp). Again, we suggest you write a date by the camper’s name for the day you want it to arrive at lunch. Address for camper mail is 191 Poplar Point Camp Drive, Rockford, Al 35136.
One suggestion on the amount of mail or email:
We suggest just one or two pieces of mail per day at the maximum from all friends and family. Not all campers will get mail so, if you want send more, consider sending a card or package to your camper’s whole cabin or living group to brighten the day of all the campers that your kid is becoming friends with.
What should I say (and NOT say) in my letters emails?
Remember that mail from home can remind campers that they are still connected to their family even while away at camp. So, tell your camper what you’ve been up to, remind him to wear sunscreen, and tell her you can’t wait to hear all about the fun they are having. On the other hand, it’s probably best not to include news that will make your camper wish he or she was at home.
If your camper is homesick, you may be tempted to ask how they are doing and remind them that they can come home early if they want. That is a sure-fire way to spark your camper’s homesickness, even if he was feeling fine all day! Most campers are over their homesickness by Monday morning, so it is best to not focus on it. If a camper is still homesick after the first night we will be in contact, if you have not heard from us, then your camper is doing great.
Instead of focusing on homesickness, consider focusing on all the fun your camper is having at camp. Tell them that you can’t wait to hear all about it on Friday, and remind them how proud you are that they are at camp! Focusing on the positive goes a long way to helping campers work through their small feelings of homesickness if any has remained after the first night.
How to Email Campers
We have a way for loved ones to email their campers during the week. Visit THIS WEBPAGE (CLICK HERE) to send an email. Each morning at 9am we will print out all the emails from the past 24 hours and will deliver them along with the regular snail mail at lunch. Remember campers will not be able to reply and they will be receiving the email on a paper print out.
Photos & Videos
We will have a dedicated photographer and videographer on the grounds each day. Throughout each day we will be uploading photos to our social media pages for everyone to see. Any camper who does not have a photo& video release on file with the camp will not have their photos uploaded. At the end of the week, we will compile a video or all the camper’s activities, which will be posted after the campers and adults get a chance to view it at our closing session at 1pm Friday.
Please note, that our photographer will attempt to get a photo of every camper each day uploaded, but if campers hide from the camera or just happen to not be around when the photographer comes by, we might not get your camper each day. Before camp, encourage your camper to smile and look for the photographer if you want to see them each day.
Food Allergies
Poplar Point works hard to accommodate all food allergies, food aversions, and intolerances. However, we are not equipped to handle every issue. Please contact the camp staff before arriving to communicate with us your campers issue and if we can accommodate the allergy, aversion, or intolerance.’
Camper requests
We place campers based on their ages/sex into their cabin groups. Also, factors such as optional add-on activities, allergies, or other medical information are taken into account. We have found that allowing cabin requests creates cabins that impeded the growth of new friendships at camp and also upsets the grouping by age groups.
Therefore, we do not allow campers to request cabin mates any longer. Campers will spend a lot of time together with everyone at camp at meals, chapel, and all-camp activities that will allow plenty of time to interact with all their friends who are at camp at the same time.