Receiving any kind of mail, physical or electronic, is a thrill for campers. I cannot even begin to count how many times campers will swing by the office and ask, “Did I get any mail today?” We highly encourage parents and family members to send letters to their campers. Getting a letter is a nice reminder of home and that they are in your thoughts, even when they are away for several weeks. I hope this particular blog post gives you an insider view into how camper mail is handled at Camp Winaukee.

Physical Mail

Most USPS mail gets delivered to the guardhouse right at the entrance to camp. Carriers like FedEx and UPS tend to deliver mail directly to the office. Every day, I take the golf cart to the guardhouse to drop off letters sent by campers and staff. I also retrieve incoming mail. Sometimes, that is a couple dozen letters. Other times, there is so much mail that it takes me two or three trips on the golf cart to bring back everything. Stacking the mail just right so that they don’t fall off the cart is a jigsaw puzzle I have to solve.

After bringing everything back to the office, I sort them into different piles – staff, mainland junior row, mainland senior row, and island. There is a strict no package (toys or food) policy enforced on the mainland. Sometimes, while sorting through mail, I have to discard “contraband” items like foods containing nuts. After sorting through the mail, it is time to deliver them to campers. Occasionally, I bring them to the staff lounge for the row leaders to deliver the mail. Other times, I enlist enthusiastic and willing campers to deliver the mail for me.

Electronic Mail

Other than sending physical letters, you can also send electronic ones to your campers through Campminder. Several times a day, I download and print the notes you send through Campminder. Typically, I like to fold them twice (like a letter) and tape the paper close (just like a letter). Since electronic mail doesn’t come in envelopes, I try my best to make it as much of a letter experience as possible. Again, just like the physical mail, these notes are sorted into various piles by bunk number and subsequently delivered to each bunk.

Similar to physical mail, campers can also write back and have their notes sent through Campminder. Usually, they will bring me their notes at break time. I then scan the notes individually and upload them to the website. Sending and receiving electronic notes is much quicker (the notes are received in real time) than physical letters.

If you are trying to decide which route to take, I suggest doing what works best for you and your camper! Regardless whether you choose to send them physical letters or electronic notes on Campminder, your camper will love hearing from you!