Oh my! It feels like it was June just yesterday. But as the leaves turn to their fall colors it reminds us we are moving to a new season. Summer Camp was an incredible time. It was full of new faces and old friends, big adventures and little creatures, long-lasting memories and moments gone too soon. This summer was another reminder of how thankful we are for Westwind. It is a place that is best when filled with people exploring nature, learning from the outdoors, and making connections with their community. As Westwind prepares for the fall, we want to take a minute to reflect on the summer camp season in our end-of-summer wrap-up.
Memorable Camp Moments
With such a packed summer, it’s hard to decide on a favorite moment. There are just too many interactions, adventures, and discoveries to choose from. That being said, we’re gonna pick some anyway.
Western Barn Party: The barn party during session 6 was a huge hit. Our campers strapped on their favorite pair of cowboy boots and headed to Tillicum Barn. We played games, sang songs, and danced the Virginia Reel late into the setting sun.
Northern Lights: Staff were lucky enough to witness an impressive astrological phenomenon: the combination of a meteor shower and the aurora borealis. These dual events lit up the night sky over Cascade Head. It made for a memorable night of star gazing.
New Bathrooms: Halfway through the summer, we officially completed construction on the new staff bathrooms. This marked the end of phase one of our Inclusive Bathroom Project and was a major upgrade over our previous staff bathrooms. This was a highly anticipated moment for our summer staff. We celebrated the occasion with a tour of the new facilities and an ice cream party.
Barge Crossings: We were so excited to have two barge crossings this summer. This is a particularly magical way to cross into Westwind. Many of the staff remarked they remembered crossing in on the barge for their first session of Camp Westwind.
By The Numbers
Westwind ran 12 camp programs this summer over 64 days welcoming almost 1400 campers to our sandy shores. We installed 7 new toilets in our newly remodeled Wilson Lodge bathrooms, performed at 23 campfires, and dumped countless grains of sand out of our shoes. 178 of our campers attended on Camperships and 6 of our staff joined us from 4 different countries. We had 46 summer staff, 7 youth sessions, 3 family camps, 1 Mini Camp, and 1 Friends of Westwind Camp, all in 1 magical place.
Partner Organizations
This summer, we continued our partnerships with nine incredible non-profit organizations across Oregon. We welcomed 95 campers from our partner organizations and provided meaningful camp experiences to children who may not have been able to access summer camps. Westwind deepened our commitment to ensuring our programs are responsive to the needs of our partner organization by holding in-person listening and registration events, where we answer questions about our programs and support families through the registration process. We then welcomed speakers from these organizations to staff training where they spoke to our summer staff about how they could best support campers from a wide variety of backgrounds.
Read more about our partner organizations: Catholic Charities of Oregon, YWCA Family Preservation Project, Family Promise, Cornerstone, Kairos, South Coast Pride, People of Color Outdoors, AG Bell, Raphael House
Summer Staff Thank You
Our summer staff are incredible young people who worked hard all summer to create the magic of Westwind. These leaders are the backbone of our camp program and are filled with creativity, determination, and a deep appreciation for sharing Westwind with the next generation of campers. We are also so thankful for all of the incredible volunteers who gave their time and energy to make this summer possible. We had former summer staff helping with youth camp programs, longstanding volunteers assisting with site projects, and teen babysitter volunteers at family camps.
Looking Forward
As we move into the fall, don’t forget we have many amazing opportunities to experience and support Westwind. We run Fall Family Camps in October and Mushroom Camp in November. Fall Stewardship weekend is a volunteer-driven opportunity to help the Westwind site team prepare for the winter. And as always, Westwind relies on the generous support of our entire community. Please consider donating today to support Westwind’s Campership program.