Q: Where do you get your summer staff?
A: We are blessed to have a high return rate of summer staffers from year to year, usually between 40-50%. Beyond that, many of our summer team come from word of mouth recommendations of past summer staff or have come through the camp program as campers, and come back as summer staff once they are in college. For additional staff, Merriwood recruits at a variety of college campuses including Liberty University, North Greenville University, Piedmont Baptist College, Gardner-Webb University, Southeastern Seminary and Anderson University. Our counselors are required to be college-age. Our application process includes an extensive staff application, personal interviews, reference checks, background checks, and praying for the Lord’s guidance in our decisions.
Q: Does Merriwood have a Parent’s Night?
A: Merriwood does not have a Parent’s Night. Parents may send snail mail and or care packages to their child during their camp week.
Q: What if my child needs medication while at MCC?
A: Our college-aged counselors are trained in First Aid and CPR and are prepared to meet the physical needs of their campers. For campers that bring prescription medications, we have a detailed form the parent will fill out upon drop-off the first day of camp (or beforehand, if the camper is arriving with a youth group). This will allow the parent to communicate the type of medication involved, what the diagnosis is, the dosage amount, times it should be administered, as well as “as needed” or a regular medication. The medications are primarily kept in our First Aid Room. The camper’s counselor will chart each time they administer the medication. (Merriwood keeps a supply of “as needed” medicines on hand, such as: bandaids, hydrocortisone creams, pain relief/fever reducers, wraps for sprains, benadryl, cough drops, etc.)
Q: What if my child is allergic to a food item at a meal?
A: Merriwood has several food items at each meal, which most campers can pick and choose from if they dislike something or are allergic to something. For minimal allergies, our kitchen always has cold cut sandwich items (ham/turkey/cheese/bread) available for campers, as well as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (assuming that is not their allergy). Please make sure all allergies are listed on your child’s medical record form. The counselor will have access to this information. If a camper has major allergies, please contact the camp office several weeks before the camp program so our Food Service staff can go over the tentative menu with you, talk about special needs, and plan alternative food items as necessary.
Q: What can I do to encourage my child to attend camp and/or keep them from becoming homesick.
A: Parents know their children better than anyone else. Although we’d love every 1st through 12th grader attend Merriwood, some may not be ready at the younger ages. (If a child is consistently stressed about the experience, it may be best to give it one more year before enrolling them, as all payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.) Once a camper is enrolled, we encourage parents to be positive and upbeat when speaking to their child about the camp experience and to let the camper know they “expect” their child to stay the entire week. Phrases such as, “I’ll see you at the end of the week!” spoken in a cheery voice, are excellent! Campers that believe their parents, siblings, or pets will “miss them to much” have a tendency to end up worrying about what is back home and may think they need to be home so everyone is happy. Parents are discouraged from telling campers, “Call me if you need to” as there is not a phone available for camper use, and cell phones are not permitted. Parents concerned about their child’s well-being throughout the week may call the office if necessary. Our staff can check on the child and call you back to let you know how they are doing. We appreciate our parents being supportive of our policies.
Q: What if my child becomes homesick while at Merriwood?
A: Merriwood runs an interactive, structured program that keeps campers involved and active throughout the day. This usually helps to alleviate a child from “missing home” too much. However, if a child is showing signs of homesickness, the counselor will encourage the camper with the events of the day and try to keep them excited about the remainder of the week. If the camper gets to the point of crying incessantly or becomes physically sick, the counselor or a staff member will contact the guardian to let them know of the situation. It will be the guardian’s decision as to how they wish to handle the remainder of the week. Please keep in mind that there are no refunds for campers that do not finish out the duration of the program.
Q: Does Merriwood lease the facility to other groups during the summer season?
A: Since we run two weeks of staff training and 9 weeks of summer camp, we are not available for outside groups to run camps or to lease the camp from late May through mid-August. Groups interested in spring or fall retreats are encouraged to contact the office at 336-766-5151 or office@campmerriwood.net.
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