🌲 Welcome to Ponderosa Bible Camp!
We’re so excited your camper will be joining us for an unforgettable week of faith, fun, friendship, and adventure at Ponderosa Bible Camp! ☀️🏕️

Below is important information to help your family prepare for an amazing camp experience.

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📍 About Ponderosa

Ponderosa Bible Camp has been sharing the Gospel with children and teens since 1976. Our goal is to provide a fun, safe, Christ-centered environment where campers can grow spiritually, build friendships, and make lifelong memories.

✅ Professionally operated Christian youth camp
✅ Experienced leadership and trained staff
✅ Strong emphasis on safety and supervision
✅ Low staff turnover and a rigorous hiring process
✅ Exciting outdoor adventures and team activities

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🎉 What Campers Can Expect

Each week is packed with activities designed specifically for your camper’s age group.

🏊 Swimming
🛶 Canoeing & river activities
🎯 Team competitions
🎨 Crafts & ceramics
🔥 Chapel services & Bible lessons
👫 Friendships and cabin activities
🌲 Outdoor adventures and games

Most importantly, campers will hear clear Biblical teaching and be encouraged in their walk with Christ.

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🎂 Age Groups & Session Restrictions

At Ponderosa, each camp session is carefully designed for a specific age group to provide the best possible experience for every camper.

Our 2026 Sessions

👧 Elementary Weeks: Ages 7–10
🧑 Middle School Weeks: Ages 10–12
🧑‍🎓 Teen Week: Ages 13–17

📌 Campers must fall within the listed age range for the session they attend. We allow only a very small grace period of approximately one month above or below the age cutoff.

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Why We Keep Age Restrictions

Over the years, we have found that campers have the best experience when activities, Bible lessons, games, and competitions are tailored specifically to their age and maturity level.

Keeping campers within their designated age group helps:
✅ Create fair and enjoyable team competitions
✅ Provide age-appropriate Bible teaching and activities
✅ Improve social interaction and cabin dynamics
✅ Maintain safety and supervision standards
✅ Ensure younger campers are not overwhelmed and older campers remain engaged and challenged

Thank you for understanding and helping us create the best possible camp experience for every camper!

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🕒 Check-In & Check-Out: 

✅ Check-In

📅 Sundays
⏰ 3:30–4:30 PM Central Time

🎓 Parent Chapel & Check-Out

📅 Fridays
⏰ Parent Chapel begins at 9:50 AM

Parents are invited to attend chapel, view the camper slideshow, and celebrate awards from the week!

🔒 Cabins are locked from 9:30–11:15 AM, so please retrieve belongings before or after chapel.

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📞 Emergency Contact Information

📱 Camp Office: (256) 634-4397

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After-Hours Emergency Contacts

📞 Jeff Nelson, Executive Director — 256-996-5141
📞 Max Grizzard — 256-601-9042

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🚫 Visitor Policy

To help campers adjust and maintain a secure environment:

🚷 Visitors are discouraged during camp sessions
🏕️ Families are welcome to schedule a tour before camp begins

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💬 Communication During Camp

📵 Campers do not call home unless there is an emergency.

✉️ Families are encouraged to send letters and cards throughout the week.

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💳 Registration & Payments

💰 A $75 non-refundable deposit is required to reserve a camper’s spot. ($100 deposit for Teen Week)
📆 Payment plans are available.
📋 Full balance is due by the first day of camp.
🔁 Cancellation and refund policies are provided during registration.

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🧼 Head Lice Policy

All campers are checked for lice during check-in.

🚫 Ponderosa maintains a zero-tolerance lice policy to protect all campers and staff.

Please carefully check and treat your child before arriving at camp.

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🍭 Snack Shack & Gift Shop

Campers love visiting the Snack Shack and Gift Shop during the week!

💵 Recommended amount: $50–$100
📌 Minimum suggested amount: $25

🏦 Camper money is safely banked in their camp account.
🚫 Campers do not carry cash during the week.
💸 Unused funds are refunded Friday morning at check-out.

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📜 Camp Conduct & Safety

To provide a safe and Christ-centered environment, all campers are expected to follow camp rules and show respect to others.

🚫 No weapons
🚫 No alcohol, drugs, tobacco, or vaping
🚫 Bullying, inappropriate behavior, or unsafe conduct

Campers who violate camp rules may be sent home.

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📵 Cell Phone Policy

Camp is designed to help campers unplug from screens and connect with God, nature, and others.

📱 Cell phones and electronic devices are not permitted during camp sessions.

🔗 Please review our full Cell Phone Policy for additional details.

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💊 Medications

All medications must:

✅ Be in original containers
✅ Include written dosage instructions
✅ Be turned in during check-in

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🍽️ Special Dietary Needs

We do our best to accommodate campers with special dietary needs safely and carefully.

Special Diet Fees

💲 $45/week — Camp provides and prepares special meals
💲 $65/week — Family provides meals and camp stores/prepares/serves them

Important Allergy Information

⚠️ Meals are prepared in a shared commercial kitchen.

While our staff takes thoughtful precautions to reduce cross-contact with allergens, Ponderosa is not a certified gluten-free or nut-free facility, and we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment.

Families of campers with severe allergies or celiac disease should carefully consider this risk before attending camp.

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🏆 Team Competitions

One of the highlights of camp each week is our team competition!

🟠 Campers are assigned to a color team
🏅 Teams compete daily for points and prizes
🎉 Friendly competition continues all week long

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👕 Dress Code

Please review the Packing List and Dress Code page carefully before camp.

📌 Modest, activity-appropriate clothing is required.

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🛏️ Cabinmate Requests

👫 Cabinmate requests may be submitted during online registration or updated later through the Registration Portal.

While we cannot guarantee every request, we do our best to honor requests whenever possible.

📌 Each camper may request one friend
📌 Cabinmate requests must be mutual (both campers must request each other)

📌How do I update my cabin request? Click here to learn more.

👨‍👩‍👧 Sibling Cabin Requests

Over the years, we’ve found that most siblings enjoy camp more when they are placed in separate cabins, allowing them to make new friends and have their own camp experience.

For this reason, siblings are not automatically assigned together.

If you would like siblings placed in the same cabin, please indicate this in the roommate request section during registration.

📌How do I update my cabin request? Click here to learn more.

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🧺 Lost & Found

🏷️ Please label ALL camper belongings clearly.

Unclaimed items are held for a limited time after camp ends.

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❤️ Sponsor a Camper

Many children are able to attend camp because of generous donations to our Financial Aid Fund.

🙌 Your gift can help change a child’s life through the ministry of camp.

🌞 We can’t wait to welcome your camper to an incredible week at Ponderosa Bible Camp!