UPDATE: July 18, 2020
Adjusted Policy For New City Health Directives
Camp Sonshine continues to provide an atmosphere where campers find a place to belong and become who they were created to be. In the midst of a rapidly changing environment, we remain committed to providing our camp families with a safe and life-changing experience.
In light of the recent announcement from Lincoln’s Mayor, Camp Sonshine is taking the appropriate steps to adhere to these new directive health measures. The new Lincoln-Lancaster County DHMs require all individuals to wear a mask if they go into a facility that’s open to the public, unless six feet of distance can be achieved and guaranteed at all times.
As an outdoor summer camp that is designed to get kids and teens outside, the vast majority of Camp Sonshine’s programs and activities are outdoors. To be prepared for circumstances that would require campers to be indoors, we are asking all participants to please bring a face covering to camp for the times that they may need to go inside. A tubular bandana, a face covering option that camp staff use, can be purchased in the camp store if needed.
Camp Sonshine will continue to practice appropriate distancing between groups of campers, promote healthy hygiene practices of staff and campers, perform in depth cleaning and disinfection of facilities and activity equipment and direct groups to continue spending as much time outdoors building meaningful relationships and making life-changing memories together.
UPDATE: June 1, 2020
Summer camps start for Camp Sonshine programs in two weeks. Therefore, we’d love to give you a look at what we considered, what health and safety actions we have in place, and what ongoing monitoring will be in place this summer.
Below you will find our the CDC guidelines for youth programs and camps and a detailed list of what changes we are making to our programs this summer.
UPDATE: May 7, 2020
Greetings from all of us here at Camp Sonshine!
We at Camp Sonshine thank you, our camp family, for being patient with us as we’ve navigated the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have and will continue to follow local directive health measures, consult medical professionals, keep in contact with other Lincoln community organizations with programs like ours to inform how we can provide a safe and impactful camp experience this summer.
- Summer 2020 Updates: In order to lessen the potential spread of this pandemic and out of abundance of caution, we are making changes to our summer camp programs overall, updating schedules for both Camp Sonshine and Camp Solaris, and providing a pathway to make changes to or cancel your registration. Click the link below to see specific changes and updates! If the situation deems other changes necessary, we will continue to update you on those as soon as possible.
- Focusing on Hope: We also realize there are still unknowns as we watch the news in Nebraska and the nation unfold alongside you. We are absolutely convinced that the Lord is in complete control no matter what happens. That’s one of the reasons we are focusing on hope, and fixing our eyes on what is eternal.
Click the link below to learn more about the specific changes we are making for summer 2020!
UPDATE: APRIL 15, 2020
Greetings from all of us here at Camp Sonshine!
Like many of you, we continue to follow the developments concerning COVID-19 and are addressing the implications for Camp Sonshine, both in the coming weeks and possibly for the summer camp season. The following is a word from executive director, Jeff Keiser, concerning the situation.
Here Are The Highlights:
Our Commitment To You
- We’re currently planning for an awesome summer of active connection, active supervision and active imagination. We also want to be in a position to provide life-changing memories for years to come!
- We’ll be providing changes & updates on this year’s summer camp program coming early May.
- We are evaluating and modifying our health and safety procedures. In addition, we’ll be closely monitoring guidelines from local officials and the CDC.
- As always, please let us know if we can help you in any way during this time.
Our Current Realities
- Currently we are still accepting registrations. However, this summer camp season will look different than in years past.
- 100% of our operating budget is based on camper tuition from our summer camp season.
- Like many nonprofits, the loss of revenue will have a significant impact on our ability to do ministry.
- Soon, we will be asking for help financially from those who are able.
This Year’s Summer Theme: Together on the Journey
Camp may play out differently this year, BUT we do know that we will all be on this journey together.
This summer, we’ll be talking about these ideas:
Every journey in life has a start and an end, twists and turns, and some bumps in the road. What makes a journey spectacular are the friends you take with you, the people you meet, the memories made, and the things you learn along the way. On each person’s journey, God ultimately shapes us into the people we were meant to be.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
Thank you for being a part of the camp family and for joining us on the journey!
UPDATE: May 7, 2020
Greetings from all of us here at Camp Sonshine!
We at Camp Sonshine thank you, our camp family, for being patient with us as we’ve navigated the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
We have and will continue to follow local directive health measures, consult medical professionals, keep in contact with other Lincoln community organizations with programs like ours to inform how we can provide a safe and impactful camp experience this summer.
- Summer 2020 Updates: In order to lessen the potential spread of this pandemic and out of abundance of caution, we are making changes to our summer camp programs overall, updating schedules for both Camp Sonshine and Camp Solaris, and providing a pathway to make changes to or cancel your registration. Click the link below to see specific changes and updates! If the situation deems other changes necessary, we will continue to update you on those as soon as possible.
- Focusing on Hope: We also realize there are still unknowns as we watch the news in Nebraska and the nation unfold alongside you. We are absolutely convinced that the Lord is in complete control no matter what happens. That’s one of the reasons we are focusing on hope, and fixing our eyes on what is eternal.
Click the link below to learn more about the specific changes we are making for summer 2020!
UPDATE: APRIL 15, 2020
Greetings from all of us here at Camp Sonshine!
Like many of you, we continue to follow the developments concerning COVID-19 and are addressing the implications for Camp Sonshine, both in the coming weeks and possibly for the summer camp season. The following is a word from executive director, Jeff Keiser, concerning the situation.
Here Are The Highlights:
Our Commitment To You
- We’re currently planning for an awesome summer of active connection, active supervision and active imagination. We also want to be in a position to provide life-changing memories for years to come!
- We’ll be providing changes & updates on this year’s summer camp program coming early May.
- We are evaluating and modifying our health and safety procedures. In addition, we’ll be closely monitoring guidelines from local officials and the CDC.
- As always, please let us know if we can help you in any way during this time.
Our Current Realities
- Currently we are still accepting registrations. However, this summer camp season will look different than in years past.
- 100% of our operating budget is based on camper tuition from our summer camp season.
- Like many nonprofits, the loss of revenue will have a significant impact on our ability to do ministry.
- Soon, we will be asking for help financially from those who are able.
This Year’s Summer Theme: Together on the Journey
Camp may play out differently this year, BUT we do know that we will all be on this journey together.
This summer, we’ll be talking about these ideas:
Every journey in life has a start and an end, twists and turns, and some bumps in the road. What makes a journey spectacular are the friends you take with you, the people you meet, the memories made, and the things you learn along the way. On each person’s journey, God ultimately shapes us into the people we were meant to be.
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105
Thank you for being a part of the camp family and for joining us on the journey!
UPDATE: MARCH 15, 2020
Greetings from all of us here at Camp Sonshine,
Like many of you, we continue to follow the developments concerning COVID-19 and are addressing the implications for Camp Sonshine, both in the coming weeks and possibly for the summer camp season.
Summer Camp
The health and wellbeing of our campers and staff is our number one priority and we will make decisions concerning the summer that are in the best interest of our campers. With the first day of camp being over 2 months away, we are planning to continue having camp this summer and are preparing for another unforgettable season! If there are any changes to this, we will let all of our campers and their families know as soon as possible.
Activities For Campers & Families
Remember that there are tremendous health benefits for kids to play outside, remain active and be in community with positive friends. In the summertime, Camp Sonshine combines all of these into one great experience and we look forward to serving you then. For the time being, during this uncertain time of limited personal contact, we are excited to serve as a resource for families by providing a variety of virtual activities, games, and diversions for your kids as they spend more time at home.
Hang Time
Due to restrictions placed on public gatherings of more than 10 individuals, we are limited in our ability to provide programs such as HangTime and other gatherings. We do remain committed to serving families in whatever ways we are able. The current situation is impacting people in different ways so please reach out to us if your family has any special needs or if your child/teen needs someone to talk to.
BRAVE
Together we are treading through uncharted territories, but how timely for us to have just walked through a summer where our focus and theme was BRAVE. During this season of uncertainty, we encourage everyone with the words of Paul to not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, share your requests with God and His peace, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ.
So as we take heart, we will carefully and continually monitor information and recommendations by the CDC, the Christian Camp & Conference Association and local officials to ensure we are on top of the newest developments and recommendations.
In His Peace,
Jeff Keiser, Executive Director