CAMP STRAIGHT STREET
Here is some important information you’ll need to know to prepare for the week:
First Day of
Overnight Camp

While you’re at camp

About homesickness: Each of us must go through
the process of being comfortable in new surroundings
without the “security blanket” of home and family. If children have a difficult time with this, we’ll be there to
“walk them through each step of the way.” Please do
not allow you child to bring a cell phone! All cell
phones will be taken up and given back after camp.
In times like this, a call home can sometimes make the
problem worse. If we feel it necessary, however, we will
allow your child to call home. In such cases, please tell
your children you’re proud of them and let them tell you
what they’ve been doing. If they ask you to take them
home, don’t fall for it! Allow your child to conquer the
situation, another step in the process of becoming the
man or woman you want your child to one day be! Be
assured that we’re carefully looking after your child. If
you need to know about something that’s going on at
camp, we’ll call you right away. We recognize that you’re
sending to us your most valued possession. We don’t take
that lightly.

About sickness and injury: Just as kids sometimes get sick at home, they get sick at camp, too. If we
feel your child has come down with something contagious
or has an illness or injury that would make it difficult to
“make it” at camp, we’ll call you and ask you to come for
your child. We have the best possible system in place to
prevent injury, but kids sometimes get hurt no matter
what we do. Your child is covered by secondary accidental injury insurance while at camp. Should an injury
occur, we’ll call you right away while looking after the
immediate needs of your child. A hospital is minutes away
and medical care is always available. Your registration
form gives us the right to authorize needed medical care
until you arrive. We will also have on file the medicines
you gave us permission to give to your child on your registration form.
Camp will be held at YMCA Hargis Retreat
in Chelsea, Alabama, approximately 30 minutes away.
Here are the directions to camp: Out of Birmingham
take route 280 east/AL-38 E toward Childersburg
for 12 miles. Turn slight left on CR-440. Go 0.5 miles.
Turn left onto CR-280 0.1 miles. Turn right onto
Hargis Dr. 0.5 miles.

Campers may check-in between 3:00 p.m.
and 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 28 at Camp Hargis. Please do not dropped them off at the campus
of Camp Straight Street; they must be brought
to Hargis. At check-in, each camper will meet their
counselor, receive their cabin assignment, and meet
the other kids.

At check-in, you should present any medications
required for your child to our camp administrator.
Please place the medications in a zip-lock bag (we’ll
have one for you) with your child’s name well
marked along with complete, written instructions.
Contact Information

If an emergency arises and you need to get in touch
with a staff member you can call the camp director at
(205) 533-4130, but please only call that number if
there is an emergency.

If you can’t reach us at that number, call the camp
switchboard at (205) 978-9308 during office hours.
They’ll know what to do.
Camp and snack fees
Letters to campers
Kids love to get mail at camp! Write them at this address:
Child’s Name
c/o Straight Street
928 Hargis Drive
Chelsea, AL 35043
You can even mail a letter before your child
leaves home so it will be there when we arrive!

The camp fee of $265 includes all meals (Dinner
Sunday through Lunch Thursday), your bunk and the
full program. The Filling Station (our camp snack shop)
is going along, too! A snack plan will be available for
$20 that will allow your child to get 30 drinks or
snacks throughout the week as they want or need
them. The snack plan is just for Overnight Camp and
any unused snacks will not refunded.
What to bring and what not to bring
 What to bring: Your child is going to camp, not to Club Med! All clothing should be comfortable, cool and fun.
Please be sure that all clothing is modest, with no bare midriffs, short shorts, “spaghetti straps” or immodest swimsuit
styles. GIRLS MUST HAVE ONE PIECE SWIMSUIT. Remember that in spite of the best effort of trained camp staff members, campers often lose items or discover them broken at every camp in the USA. Don’t buy new things for camp or send
your best. Send older, more familiar clothes. Here’s a checklist of what to bring:
Things To Bring
CLOTHES
Things Not To Bring
BEDDING
Shorts, jeans and tee shirts (or blouses for
the girls) are fine. Sneakers or sandals are
great. Remember to send enough socks and
undies for five full days. Make sure your
child has at least one outfit that can get
messy. We’ll be playing some fun games that
might ruin clothes.
Your child should bring a pillow and
sleeping bag OR sheets/blanket for
the bunk bed.
PERSONAL ITEMS
Please do NOT bring anything of value
you may lose.
You MAY NOT bring video games, CD
or MP3 players or any electronics.
Please NO cellphones. There is no exception to this. Any cellphones
that are brought will be confiscated by the counselor and given
back at the end of the week.
Remember towels
(large beach towels are best), soap,
toothbrush, shampoo and other reDon’t forget a modest one-piece swimsuit
quired personal items.
for the pool. Girls who do not have a oneDO NOT bring items for practical jokes
We suggest bug spray, sunscreen,
piece swimsuit should wear a colored tee
or things that could get you in
flashlight and a water bottle. Rememshirt over their swimsuit.
trouble. We will provide shaving
ber: put your name on EVERYTHING!
Goggles would be helpful for the pool, color
cream for the shaving cream fight
Also, don’t forget to bring a Bible
war and the shaving cream fight.
so you won’t need to bring any.
and a notebook.
 Please clearly mark your child’s name on all clothes and luggage. Send all clothes in bags with zippers (such as a
gym bag) or in suitcases. Again, don’t send any items in open boxes or containers that would allow the contents to fall
out. It’s easy for the most organized, well-trained child to lose items at camp. Therefore, we suggest two things: (1) Please
send older, more comfortable clothes, rather than new items, and (2), mark your child’s name clearly on everything. On
the last day at camp we’ll have a “Lost and Found Table” so every child can walk through and claim anything we cannot
identify. But we promise you: most kids can’t remember what’s theirs. So following our two suggestions will prevent unpleasant moments later!
 pack a large plastic bag in your child’s suitcase. Instruct your child to put all dirty clothes in that bag when
taken off. Then your child will know that everything in the suitcase is clean.
The Gong Show
At camp we’ll have a GONG
SHOW featuring the talents
(and “special abilities”) of our
campers. If your camper would
like to prepare a little something alone or with other campers be sure to come prepared.
Campers may do skits, play instruments or other talents.
Remember, this isn’t American
Idol, more like Straight Street’s
Got Talent.
Last day of camp

Your camp fee Does Not include transportation Back From Camp. We want
to invite you to the Closing Parent Program on Thursday, August 1st at 2:30 p.m.
at Hargis Retreat.
 If you cannot attend the Parent Program, we will provide transportation back to Shades Mountain Independent Church for an additional $5. You
should be prepared to pay this amount in cash at check-in on Sunday when you
check-in. We MUST know Sunday at check-in if we need to provide transportation
back for your child.

Children who ride the bus back to church will arrive at the gym parking
lot at 4:30 Thursday afternoon. You should be there on time to pick up your child.
Each child will be assigned to a camp team led by a Counselor. You should explain to your child the importance of submitting
to the authority of the Counselor and other staff. Explain that you are transferring your authority to the camp leaders to
guide, protect and provide for your child. We cannot accommodate any child who does not submit willingly to our camp
workers. We will help children through the normal growing process of disobedience, repentance and “making things right,”
but we are not prepared in this setting to meet the needs of a child who, because of a rebellious spirit or unusual emotional
needs, cannot become part of a group and submit to the authority of leaders. Any such child will need to be picked up by
parents and returned home. Should something be unclear or should you think of something we forgot, please email Heather
at [email protected].