Getting Your Camper Ready for Camp | YMCA of Hamilton Burlington Brantford

YMCA Wanakita and Bunk1.com have partnered to provide you with easy, secure, summer website services that let you stay in touch with your camper all summer long. Visit us at: Bunk1.com or phone YMCA Wanakita at 1-800-387-5081 to learn more about how to stay in touch.

Resident Camp - Two months prior to your camp, a total refund will be issued less a $50 administration fee.

After this time, refunds will be given for medical reasons only (with medical certification). All refund requests must be made in writing to the Director of Summer Camps. Refunds are not granted if a parent/guardian withdraws camper from the session early, or if camper is sent home for misconduct. $35 service charge will be levied on NSF cheques and rejected credit cards.

Wanakita reserves the right to cancel any program if a minimum number of participants have not registered one week before the program starts. Wanakita will issue full refunds if this occurs.

We reserve all rights to charge any outstanding balance to your credit card on file unless other methods of payment are provided.

**Please note that at this time YMCA Wanakita has commited all of its available Strong Kids funding for the 2012 Summer Season.**

As a charitable organization, the YMCA strives to serve all segments of the community, including those with limited financial means. Donations to the YMCA make this possible.

If your current financial curcumstances are limiting your ability to participate, financial assistance may be provided. All inquiries will be held in strict confidence. Download a copy of the:

Application Process

or contact us at 705-457-2132 or 1-800-387-5081.

An important part of our health and wellness strategy at Wanakita is to serve fantastic, delicious and nutritious food. Meals and snacks are well planned by a full-time food service team that gives attention to special diets, age of participants, program content and length of stay. Portions are hearty in size and are served family and buffet style, or on outtips 'beneath the open skis'.

Allergies - Nut & Other Food

Many of our summer campers have severe, sometimes life-threatening allergies to nuts and other food. Our food service staff chooses ingredients and a design menu to minimize risk to these children and our tuck shop sells no items containing nuts. When packing, please be conscious of other campers in your child's cabin and do not send any product with nut ingredients. If they do show up with nut products the counsellor and our health staff will dispose of them. Please screen all items for any trace of nuts.

Wanakita has an experienced registered nurse or doctor on site 24 hours a day, and can treat minor injuries, dispense daily medications, etc... If your child is on medication, please label it clearly and ensure that you send enough medication for the duration of the camp stay.

If your camper is bringing medications to camp, please pack them at the top of their luggage. Ensure that medications are clearly labeled with the camper's name and accurate directions for their use are included. Upon arrival at camp, all mediations will be entrusted to the Health Services Staff, which will be responsible for dispensing them. Please do not give medication to bus staff. If any additonal medication is purchased at camp, it will be added to your account and invoice will be mailed.

When children are away from home, it is reasonable to assume that they will become adjusted to the camp situation and may go through some days of homesickness. This is a very natural reaction of all ages and it is important for parents to realize that this is something which children need to experience and see it thorugh to the finish.

By overcoming homesickness, children attain the degree of independence which is necessary for them to grow in self-reliant, mature individuals. Please allow campers to try camp and deal with their homesickness before resorting to picking up your child early. It may be harder for the camper to overcome this natural reaction if a promise is made by the parents to 'rescue' the child.

The Annual YMCA Strong Kids Campaign assists children and youth whose financial circumstances would normally prevent them from attending Wanakita and other YMCA Programs. For those needing assistance, our staff are happy to provide you with details and assist in making confidential arrangements.

We are pleased to acknowledge our partnerships with Hemophilia Ontario and Reach for the Rainbow and our continuing relations with Point in Time and AMICI whereby special needs children can receive a Wanakita experience.

Over the years, Wanakita has gained a solid international reputation and is welcoming more and more participants and staff from countries around the world. In 2010, we expect over a dozen countries to be involved over all 4 seasons.

An individual laundry service is available. Laundry will be washed, dried, folded and returned within a 24 hour period. The cost is $17.44/bag. If you are interested, please indicate on the registration form. Laundry service must be purchased at least 1 month before camp.

For a complete set of directions to YMCA Wanakita, please

Camper's Family Postage

Any Town Ont

K0M 1D2

Your Camper's Name (Session ?)

YMCA Camp Wanakita

1883 Koshlong Lake Rd.

Haliburton, ON

KOM 1SO

Incoming mail is delivered daily from the local Post Office to our Tuck Shop. Mail is sorted by our Tuck staff, picked up by a counselor from each cabin and then hand delivered to each camper. Please be sure to print the full name of the camper clearly. A cabin number is not required for delivery.
Outgoing mail is picked up from the dining hall and sent out to the Post Office every business day.
Courier mail and packages are delivered directly to the Main Office and is then transported to the Tuck Shop for sorting. **Puraloter delivers directly to our site, while other companies such as FedEx subcontract their deliveries.

Campers are very busy while at Wanakita, so please do not be surprised if letters/postcards from camp are brief and infrequent. You should consider sending stamped, self-addressed envelopes and paper with children to facilitate the letter writing process. Please make sure YMCA Wanakita / Campers Name is in the address.

Please make all communication from home upbeat, positive, and legible. Children need reassurance that there are friends and family out there who still care about them and want them to have fun at camp. Don't focus on the great times your child is missing at home, or on how much you miss your camper.

If you get an unhappy letter from your children, please don't panic. It is most likely that by the time you get the letter, whatever made them unhappy is long since forgotten. If you have a real concern, please call us to discuss it. We want camp to be a positive experience for both campers and parents.

It is recommended that parents label their children's clothing to reduce the amount of belongings that go missing. It also means that your child can have fun while at camp instead of worrying about losing their clothing and shoes. Get your kids organized for camp with personalized labels.

Clink on Image to link to Lovable Labels

The counsellors working with your children are trained, energetic, and motivated individuals. Counsellors have First Aid, Life Guarding, and CPR certifications and most are graduates of our two-year student counsellor program or possess an equivalent skills set. All counsellors provide YMCA Wanakita with a Criminal Reference Check before commencing employment. Counsellors will live in the cabin with your child, providing care, support, and supervision 24 hours a day. Wanakita residential counsellors range in age from 16 to 24.

The Wanakita staff is composed of full-time YMCA professionals who are supported seasonally by program and site service specialists, teachers, university, college, and senior secondary school students. All staff are specially selected for their leadership, technical and interpersonal abilities, and each year take part in extensive training programs in preparation for their roles during the various seasons at Wanakita.

All Counseling, Resource, and Supervisory Staff possess:

Life Saving Society Bronze Cross
Standard First Aid Certificate
CPR LEVEL C Certificate

Senior counsellors and SC counsellors also posess: NLS and Wilderness First Aid (WFA). Certain resource positions possess additional qualifications

YMCA national award levels, from Learn-to-Swim to Star 6. Campers may work towards Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross but cannot be tested if at Camp for only two weeks. See "Learn to Swim Equivalency Chart" below for YMCA's swimming levels.

A note about Swimming: All campers and SCs are tested on their swimming ability on the first day of camp, and receive a coloured "dogtag" based on their demonstrated comfort and skill level in the water. Our base swimming level is a non-stop 125 m swim in our swimming area. Swim lessons are not compulsory for those who do not attain at least the base level, although swim lessons for non-swimmers are recommended.

Learn to Swim Equivalency Chart

YMCA	Red Cross	Life Saving Society
Otter	Level 1 or Aquaqest 1/2	Swimmer 1
Seal	Level 2 or Aquaquest 3/4	Swimmer 1
Dolphin	Level 3 or Aquaqest 5	Swimmer 2
Swimmer	Level 4 or Aquaquest 6	Swimmer 3
Star 1	Level 5 or Aquaquest 7	Swimmer 3
Star 2	Level 6 or Aquaquest 7/8	Swimmer 4
Star 3	Level 7 or Aquaquest 9	Swimmer 4
Star 4	Level 8 or Aquaquest 10	Swimmer 5
Star 5	Level 9 or Aquaquest 11	Swimmer 6
Star 6	Level 10 or Aquaquest 12	Swimmer 6

Resident Campers / SCs

There are a few ways to get to and from Wanaktia. Please indicated your method of transportation on your registration form.

By Car
When dropping campers/SCs off at the beginning of a period, please arrive at camp after 12:45 pm and before 1:45 pm. When picking up your camper/SC, please arrive at the camp between 10:15 am and 10:30 am.

By Bus
There are three stops to choose from in the Hamilton, Burlington and North Toronto regions. Fare for one way is $66 or $132 return.

Pick-up & Drop-Off Locations:

Hamilton - Mohawk College
Burlington - Appleby South GO Station
Toronto - HWY 400 (North) Petro Canada Service Station

For more details please refer to the Transportation Schedule

By Air:

Staff will pick up, drop off and care for campers. When arranging flights please ensure scheduled arrival and departure for the day the camp period starts and finishes between 11 am and 4 pm if possible. The charge for this service is $66 one way or $132 return.

NOTE: We require all transportation arrangements to be confirmed two weeks prior to your child's experience. Travel time between the airport and Wanakita is 2.5 - 3 hours. If your camper requires an airline chaperone, this must be arranged and paid for in advance by the family.

Please indicate all tranportation plans or requirements on your Registration Form.

Family Camp Transportation

Each family is resonsible for getting to and from Wanakita. We do not provide transportation for Family Camp.

By Bus to Day Camp
(Haliburton & Minden only)

Please indicate on the registration form which stop(s) you will be using. The bus route will be confirmed in your confirmation letter. Fare for one way is $26 or $52 return (for one week).

Other Day Camp Transportation
For those choosing other alternatives (ie. boat, car) we would ask that you drop-off campers between 8:45 am and 8:55 am and pick them up at 4:30 pm.

Wanakita operates a year-round camp store (Tuck Shop) that sells a variety of items. We have everything from Wanakita custom clothing, souvenirs, toiletries, munchies, pop/juice to other staples depending on the season, such as sunscreen, mosquito repellent, batteries, film, seed beads, etc... Keep this in mind when planning for your experience.

For summer resident campers, recommended amounts:

One week - $25
Two weeks - $40
SCs - $100

YMCA Wanakita

Bunk Mail

Camper Check List

Cancellation and Refund Policy

Financial Assistance

Food Service

Health & Wellness

Homesickness Preparedness

Inclusion, International & Sponsorship

Laundry Service

Location & Directions

Mail

Personalized Clothing Labels

Staff Qualifications

Swimming

Transportation

Tuck Shop