Dear Camp Tannadoonah Families,

We announced today that we have decided to cancel all June sessions of overnight camp at Camp Tannadoonah. This includes Session 1, Session 2, CIT 1A, Super Week, and Mini Week. We remain hopeful that we will be able to have a July 5 start to overnight programs at camp, but a final decision has not yet been made.

We have been working hard every day since the end of last summer to plan for this year’s camp and to provide the summer that your kids deserve. We believe that children need summer camp more than ever this year but we want you to know that your child’s safety is our number one priority in all of this. 

Decision-Making Plan

We have been following the coronavirus pandemic very closely, checking the numbers each day in Michigan and Indiana, and the US as a whole, as well as looking at the various models available from university researchers. We have been reviewing recommendations from the CDC, American Camp Association, and the State of Michigan.

Yesterday, the CDC released a decision tree for youth programs and camps to use in their evaluations. In addition, we have been in regular communication with other camp directors, summer camp industry experts, camp parents, and our Board of Directors. Last week, Governor Whitmer released a 6-phase reopening plan for the State of Michigan. There are no calendar dates in the plan as its implementation will be based on data of actual coronavirus cases.

We are hopeful that a 3-week delay will give us more information to make an informed decision. We plan to announce a final decision regarding July and August camp sessions no later than June 5.

We’re here for you.

We absolutely want to do the right thing to keep children and staff safe; it is important to us that we can respond to the situation in a way that reinforces parents’ trust in Camp Fire and Camp Tannadoonah, and in a way that demonstrates our core values. We know you probably have questions, and we have created an FAQ to try to address the ones we anticipate. If you have other questions, or just want to talk to us about camp, please call or email.

Ms. Amber
CEO, Camp Fire River Bend and Camp Tannadoonah
amber@riverbendcampfire.org
574-387-6095