Dear Parents,

The Covid 19 recommendations in this letter are from CDC.

First and foremost, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. We have received questions from parents about if and how COVID-19 will affect overnight camps. We know this pandemic has been stressful to many and recognize that socializing and interacting with peers can be a healthy way for children to cope with stress and connect with others, particularly after spending quite a bit of time at home. After careful thought and planning, we are excited to let you know that we plan to resume camp while following CDC considerations to protect campers, families, and our community.

The health and safety of our campers and staff remain our highest priority. Below, you will find a summary of actions we are taking to help ensure we are lowering COVID-19 risk as much as possible. We are:

• Intensifying cleaning and disinfection practices within our facilities and premises, cleaning and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces, cleaning and disinfecting objects if they are shared, and ensuring safe and correct use and storage of disinfectants.
• Keeping campers in small groups and spacing them out by prioritizing outdoor activities.
• Limiting the number of items that are shared or touched between campers and staff, keeping a camper’s belongings separated from others.
• Promoting healthy hygiene practices talking to the campers the importance of washing their hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, monitoring campers to make sure they are washing their hands, providing campers with hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol when they don’t have easy access to soap and water, encouraging children to cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or to use the inside of their elbow, and posting signs about these healthy habits around the camp facility.
• Requesting that staff and campers wear a cloth face covering as feasible, and in times when physical distancing is difficult. As a reminder, cloth face coverings should not be placed on children younger than 2 years of age or on anyone who has trouble breathing or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the cover without assistance.
• If a child does get sick at camp, we have identified an area where they can rest, be watched after, and safely isolate from others. We will communicate with parents or caretakers directly and, if necessary, arrange for the child to be taken to a healthcare facility for care.

We ask that you help us protect the health of campers this summer. Anyone who is sick or was sick with COVID-19 or recently in contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days— including staff, campers, and families— should not come to camp. Be on the lookout for symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever, cough, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell. Call your doctor if you think you or a family member is sick.

If you have a specific question about this plan or COVID-19, please contact us at 971-394-9010 (voice/text) for more information. You can also find more information about COVID-19 atwww.cdc.gov/coronavirus or on CDC’s website for youth and summer camps (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/summer-camps.html).

Registration is the first day of camp from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. There is a barbecue buffet for the camper and two guests during check-in.

Closing ceremonies–  Parents and family are invited to closing ceremonies on the last day of camp, from 2:00pm to 3:00pm. All campers are dismissed at 3:00pm.

PLEASE PACK THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTED ITEMS:

Foot care is very important in order to prevent blisters. If ankles and knees need to be supported, bring tape or other types of support to prevent injury.

Mark your property clearly. Mark each shoe and other items with tape or indelible ink. Unmarked items are very difficult to identify.

Leave them at home! Please do not bring expensive watches, radios and video games. If money is brought to camp, it should be deposited at registration time. Also, cell phones and other electronics are not permitted in the bunk houses and are strongly encouraged to be left home. Campers will be allowed to call home on the camp phone line.

General information- Sleeping facilities include bunk beds with mattresses (72” x 30”). Each camper needs to supply his or her own sleeping bag or bedding.

The Camp Store– The Camp Store will be open daily. Money may be deposited into the campers account at registration time. Money from the account is deducted when personal items or snacks are purchased. Any remaining funds will be refunded when camp is over.

Letters and phone calls– Mail should be addressed in care of Larry Steele Basketball Camp, PO Box 296, Vernonia, OR 97064. Essential phone calls should be made to 971-394-9010

Camp directions– Larry Steele Basketball Camp is located at the Cedar Ridge Retreat & Conference Center 18062 Keasey Road, Vernonia, OR 97064. Vernonia is located 40 miles northwest of Portland and is reached by taking Highway 26 west from Portland. Turn right onto Highway 47 North and travel 15 miles to Vernonia. Turn right at the red blinking light. Turn left on State/Keasey Road (at the Napa Auto Parts). Go 1.3 miles to Cedar Ridge on the left.

We look forward to seeing you.

Larry Steele and Staff