One of my favorite memories as a camper was right after lunch when we would go back to our cabins and the counselors would hand out our mail. When I was a camper we had to wait for the snail mail because there was not the luxury of sending e-mails. I was also at a little bit of a disadvantage because my mom, Jo Momma, was working at Camp as the nurse when I was a camper so we had to rely on my Dad to send us postcards. Don’t get me wrong, my Mom always still found a way to somehow leave a handwritten letter or a small package on our bunk beds.
Care Packages
Over the past few years I have noticed that our campers are receiving fewer and fewer handwritten notes while they are at Camp. The number of boxes we get from Amazon, UPS, FedEx and USPS is quite astonishing. Don’t get me wrong, care packages are lots of fun, but I like to think that the gift of Camp is one of the best “care packages” you can ever give your child.
When you send or leave a care package there are a few things you will want to remember:
Do not include any snacks or candy. Your camper receives an afternoon and evening snack each day. We also don’t want any extra “friends” to be enticed by the snacks. If your child does receive a package that has food in it, it will be returned to them on Saturday before they leave.
Think about storage space. Most of our cabins hold between 26-32 campers, which means we have limited storage room. When sending or creating a care package pick smaller items like a deck of cards, some fun stationary or a coloring book.
Instead of a larger care package consider sending one item each day along with a handwritten note. Sometimes it can become overwhelming when campers receive a big package every day. There may also be others in the cabins who do not receive any mail and their feelings become hurt.
If you plan on mailing a package to Camp you will want to make sure that you do so in a timely manner. Sometimes the mail can take a little longer to get to Camp so I would suggest sending it on Thursday or Friday the week before your child will be attending.
Another option would be to create your own care package from the Camp Store. You are more than welcome to purchase the item(s) and we can deliver them to your camper on the day of your choosing during their session at Camp.
Skunk Notes
Skunk Notes are a service that we started three summers ago. It is a free one-way e-mail option that you have through the Hermann Sons website. In order to access the service you will need to hold on to your camper’s unique login information that you used during registration. You simply fill out the form and then we print the Skunk Notes each day and they are delivered at Rest and Relaxation time. It is important to remember that the cutoff time for each day is 10:30 a.m. and any Skunk Notes received after that will be delivered the next day. This is a great mail option for parents who are busy, but have a few minutes to compose an email each day.
Skunk Notes are printed in black and white and you cannot attach any photos to the emails. Campers cannot respond to emails except by writing a standard letter. Skunk Notes are really a great way to ensure that your camper receives some mail each day.
Snail Mail
Children love to get handwritten letters and we highly encourage that! Many people write a letter to their camper and mail it a day or two before the session begins so the camper receives a letter on the first day. In addition you can also prewrite letters and leave them in the office. All we ask is that you write your camper’s first and last name on the envelope as well as the day you want it delivered and we will take care of the rest.
Always keep your letters newsy and upbeat. It’s a wonderful idea to ask questions about your camper’s camp experience in letters. It’s a good idea to talk with your camper before camp starts about how many letters you’ll write so they have a good idea of what to expect.
Sometimes families receive a letter from their camper that concerns them. A camper might discuss an argument with a cabin mate, homesickness or some other problem. Please call us if you receive a letter that concerns you. Most times, we’re already aware of the issue and it’s resolved or on its way to being resolved by the time you receive the letter. But occasionally we discover an issue we weren’t aware and a call enables us to look into the problem. Remember that you receive the letter two days or more after it has typically been written.
It is also a great idea to send your camper with pre-addressed envelopes or postcards for the people they should write while they are at Camp. It is a good idea to ask your camper who they want to write while they are at Camp so they are a little more invested in the letter writing.
Get Creative
We see some pretty creative ideas come through the Riverside and Hilltop offices during the summer. It is always neat to see what parents and loved ones come up with. Here are a few great ideas you might consider trying this summer.
Write your letter on the back of a puzzle. Your camper will then have to complete the puzzle in order to read their letter. This is a great thing for them to do during Rest and Relaxation time.
Send your letter on a ball. Your camper then can continue to use the ball throughout the rest of the week.
Use a Frisbee as the paper for your letter. It’s great because it can be used again by your camper.
We are looking forward to seeing what creative ideas you will try this summer! Who knows, you might just see it in a blog post or on the Hermann Sons Life Facebook page!
Tammy Brascom
I need to find out what I need to do to send skunk mail?
Tammy Brascom
Elaine
For instructions on skunk mail, please call 830-995-3223. Thank you!
Michele Nast
I have been trying to write an email to my camper, but I lost the brochure ya’ll handed out when I brought her. Can you please send me directions to get to the email and the number to the camp office so I can get her personal info.
Thank you!
Michele
210-323-8343
Elaine
Michele our Member Benefits Department has been notified and you should receive a phone call soon to help you get an email to your camper.
tiffany miller
I lost my paper that has my login info. I want to send an email to my kid. How can I do that.
Tiffany M
210-279-0332
Elaine
Tiffany our Member Benefits Department has been notified and you should receive a phone call soon to help you get an email to your camper.
Renata
What time is pick up at Hilltop Saturday morning? I’ve misplaced my paperwork!
Elaine
Pick-up times for Hilltop on Saturday: ‘A - M’ 10:30 a.m. and ‘N-Z’ 10 a.m.
Tausha Nickleberry
Hi! I am also in need of the info to send “skunk mail”. I did not keep my registration paperwork either. I am sorry! Can you please help?
210-204-4191
Elaine
Tausha we are happy to help! Our Member Benefits department has been notified and you should receive a phone call soon to help you send your email.