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Campers love to receive letters from home & letter writing has long been a very popular form of communication used by campers to send and receive information from family and friends while at a sleepover camp. In recent years, many camps now offer the ability for parents, family, and friends to send a “one way” email – which is in turn printed and given to a camper during the course of the regular mail call.
Every camp is different, so it is important to obtain the specific details about an “Email A Camper” service your camp might offer — from either the official website or a direct inquiry to the camp director or staff member. Depending upon how an “email a camper” system has been setup, it is possible there might be a nominal fee associated with sending email messages … since there are costs involved in so far as setting up the system, the actual printing (paper, toner, etc.), and time involved by staff.
It is possible you might need to register for an account online or receive a pre-approval code allowing you to submit an email via a designated form — linked directly from the camp’s website. Some camp programs might have a particular direct email address established for one-way communication whereby the camp will only receive, print, and distribute emails to campers; however, campers are typically unable to reply via email … as most traditional residential camps (but not all) try to encourage activities other than being tethered to electronic devices 24×7.
Camps might have a particular day and time set as a designated “cut-off” in order for messages to be delivered to campers by the pre-determined mail call. It is important to understand the particular protocol being used by your camp if you’d like to insure emails are received in a timely fashion. Due to both time and other constraints, some camps might place restrictions on the frequency of emails you’re allowed to send, such as one per day.
It is important to note that printed emails are typically viewed by staff to some extent in the course of being printed and ultimately their delivery should not be considered confidential.
One way email service may also include staff members as well. Day camps and “travel camps” typically do not offer such services due to the particular nature of the programs.
If your camp does not offer an email service, don’t dispair the U.S. Postal Service is still in operation and is capable of delivering letters the old fashioned way — there is always something special with respect to a hand written letter which has the easily recognized handwritting of a loved one or close friend!
