Summer camp registration heating up for Camp WingmannApril 26, 2017 • Jeff Gardenour  • CHILDREN & YOUTH • DIOCESAN FAMILY • REACHING OUT

COURTESY PHOTO
Campers have fun with their sailboats during a Camp Wingmann summer session in 2015. This year’s camps begin in June and run through late July.

Whether it is canoeing, kayaking, sailboarding, swimming or just watching a movie, there is no shortage of fun for youth attending a Camp Wingmann summer camp.

That trend continues this year when Camp Wingmann holds six weeklong camps over a seven-week period in June and July. Sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida, the Camp Wingmann summer camps have been held for almost 60 years.

“I’d like to see the registration get into 400 or more,” said the Rev. Deke Miller, director at Camp WIngmann. “If we can get 400 or up, that’s a great turnout.”

Based on last year’s turnout of 361, Camp Wingmann may very well reach this challenging goal. The camps are open to kids in third through 12th grades, broken down into age-group sessions: elementary, middle school and high school.

The camp has been extremely popular throughout all the sessions for decades, Miller said. Camp Wingmann’s summer camps have run almost nonstop since they began in 1939. Except for a short period of closure during property ownership transactions, the camps have flourished.

This year’s camp schedule should ensure another successful summer. Campers stay busy all day, beginning with breakfast around 8 a.m. After a morning prayer by a priest, they participate in the day’s first activity.

Lunch is then held, followed by cabin time in which campers can take a nap or rest. Next comes a one-hour programming event in which a youth leader, Sunday Bible School leader or priest discusses a topic developed around a theme.

After the programming event comes canteen time, in which campers can buy sweet treats such as sodas or candy. They then attend a fun class such as music, swimming or another activity. They then head back to their cabins to get ready for dinner, which is usually served around 6 p.m. After dinner comes an evening activity, followed by bedtime.

Campers also engage in team building and participate in an Olympics competition at the end of the week, Miller said. The Camp Wingmann director expects young people from all around the diocese, as well as some from West Palm Beach, Miami and Fort Lauderdale, to attend this summer.

“We’re very excited about this summer,” Miller said. “We’ve got a great team of staffers again. The program leaders have been here before. We really feel like it’ll be one of our best summers yet.”

Here is a breakdown of each camp:

  • Camp St. Mark: June 11-16. Open to senior high campers in ninth through 12th grades.
  • Camp St. Barnabas: June 18-23. Open to middle school campers in sixth through eighth grades.
  • Camp Trinity: June 25-30. Open to elementary age campers in third through fifth grades.
  • Camp St. Peter: July 9-14. Open to senior high campers in ninth through 12th grades.
  • Camp St. Francis: July 16-21. Open to middle school campers in sixth through eighth grades.
  • Camp St. Mary: July 23-28. Open to elementary age campers in third through fifth grades.

Cost is $350 per camper, with a nonrefundable deposit of $75 due upon registration. A forms packet will be emailed to each camper after initial registration is received.

The balance of $275, along with all forms and paperwork, is due two weeks before the registered camp, or the camper may lose their spot. Discounts for multiple family members and sessions are available.

Sign-ups will conclude one week before each camp. For more information, call toll-free 866-526-3380 or email staff at campwingmannregistrar@gmail.com.