DAYSPRING SUMMER CAMP 2022
Theme for “WELCOME HOME” 2022
“For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of
Everything.”
Hebrews 3:4
GENERAL INFORMATION 2022 CAMP SESSIONS Established in 1983 by the Diocese of Southwest Florida, DaySpring offers fun and meaningful experiences for children in a beautiful modern setting. Campers participate in a Christian program designed to help them grow by providing opportunities to explore new interests and develop skills and friendships in a Christian community. Our five-night/six-day sessions are offered for all students from 3rd to 12th grades, and we offer a shortened session for rising 3rd to 5th grade students, which lasts 3 nights/4 days. Campers participate in activities like kayaking, paddleboarding, canoeing, low and high ropes courses, arts and crafts, games, sports, archery, and environmental adventure. Meals are served buffet-style in Curry Hall three times daily. DaySpring Episcopal Center is located on the Manatee River just off U.S. Route 301 and Interstate 75 near Ellenton at 8411 25th St. East in Parrish.
Our Camp Staff
Our dedicated and responsible camp staff prioritize the safety, care and spiritual life of the campers first. Counselors are college-aged and junior counselors are high school upperclassmen. At least two counselors and one junior counselor are assigned to supervise each of our cabins and groups of campers. Our staff are CPR and First Aid trained and required to complete the Safeguarding All God’s People training program. Additionally, we have certified lifeguards on duty whenever our pool and waterfront are in use.
Youth Sector
Our Kline Hall Program Center and Pool anchor the Youth Sector of DaySpring Episcopal Center. Youth and counselors enjoy the coordinated spaces of indoor recreation, pool, sports courts, fire pit, cabins with bunk beds and spacious bathrooms with private showers and changing areas, ropes courses and waterfront. More information, photos, and registration are online at dayspringfla.org.
CAMP SNEAK PEEK! MARCH 12
DAYSPRINGFLA.ORG FOR INFORMATION
2022 Camp Schedule June 7-10 | Session I June 12-17 | Session II June 19-24 | Session III June 26-July 1 | Session IV July 10-15 | Session V July 17-22 | Session VI
Half Session Elementary Camp High School Camp Middle School Camp Elementary Camp Middle School Discovery Camp High School Discovery Camp
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SESSION I HALF SESSION ELEMENTARY | June 7-10 Rising 3rd through 5th grades $260 This is a shortened week for 3rd-5th grade campers which combines traditional camp activities with meeting new friends while encouraging children to grow in their faith. Campers participate in waterfront activities like canoeing, challenge themselves on both the high and low ropes courses, and create a variety of arts and crafts during their stay. This abbreviated session is designed to help new and young campers have a positive sleepaway camp experience.
Contact Matthew Bowers Summer Camp Director, Director of Youth Ministry & Programming mbowers@episcopalswfl.org Michelle Mercurio, Registrar mmercurio@episcopalswfl.org 941-556-0315 x977
Registration
Register before March 31, 2022 and save $30! Full payment is due prior to arrival.
DaySpring welcomes all children to join us for fun and friendship in a Christian community. Register your campers online at dayspringfla.org or request paper registration forms by contacting Michelle Mercurio in the diocesan office. Additional registration materials will be mailed to families upon receipt of payment. On the day the camp session begins, families should arrive for check-in between 4 and 5 p.m.
SESSION II HIGH SCHOOL CAMP | June 12-17 Rising 9th through 12th grades $390 High school teens always have a fantastic time when they gather at DaySpring. For this session we’ll draw on their distinct skills, talents and insights to tailor a camp experience uniquely suited to them. Teens choose how to connect with their faith and their fellow campers: by water, through paddleboarding, swimming, or canoeing; by land, through basketball or other court and field sports; by creative arts through a variety of arts and crafts projects. Activities range from demanding high and low ropes courses to just relaxing with friends while hanging out by the pool. No matter what avenue they choose, campers will build longtime friendships and a sense of community while they dance, sing, worship, and pray in a whole new way during this life-changing week.
Meet the Director Matthew Bowers is the DaySpring Summer Camp Director and oversees Youth Ministry & Programming for the Diocese of Southwest Florida. A lifelong Episcopalian, he has been involved in Episcopal camps and youth ministries throughout the South since 2007. During that time he has served as a camp counselor, part and full-time youth director, summer camp director, and more. Matthew graduated from Florida State University with a degree in Religious Studies and sits on the National Happening Board as Vice President. Matthew and his wife, Hayden, have two dogs, Luna and Oli: outside of camp, he is an avid soccer fan and enjoys playing guitar. He is most excited about working with his Core Staff to dream up fun and engaging events that will change campers’ lives.
O t h g c fi l u n
SESSION III MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMP | June 19-24 Rising 6th through 8th grades $390 Our middle schoolers love being together, and there’s no better place to do that than at DaySpring during the summer. During the day campers can head to the water to swim, kayak, or canoe; play basketball or a game of gaga in the courts area; or challenge themseleves on the high and low ropes courses or zipline. Each night, campers participate in a chaplain’s program filled with singing, dancing and worship, led by Episcopal clergy and youth leaders. Additionally, we offer a counselor-led program that is as fun as it is unforgettable, with many relationship-building activities, including a skit night, counselor hunt, and dance party.
A TYPICAL DAY AT
Summer Camp
8:00 8:30 9:15
BREAKFAST DEVOTIONS & GAMES ACTIVITIES - Tree Climbing, Wacky Olympics, Waterfront 12:00 LUNCH 12:30 SIESTA 1:45 CAMPERS’ CHOICE #1 Waterfront, Ropes Course, Arts & Crafts, Games & Sports 2:45 CAMPERS’ CHOICE #2 3:45 FREE TIME 5:15 CHAPLAIN’S PROGRAM 6:00 DINNER 7:00 ALL CAMP EVENT - Game Night, Campfire, Large Outside Games 9:00 DEVOTIONS 10:00 LIGHTS OUT
SESSION IV ELEMENTARY CAMP | June 26 - July 1 Rising 3rd through 5th grades $390
YOU ARE HERE: DAYSPRING’S YOUTH CAMPUS
Elementary-aged campers have a blast at DaySpring, engaging in a host of classic camp activities. Campers spend their days participating in water sports like swimming, canoeing, kayaking, creating arts and crafts together, being challenged on ropes courses or canopy tree climbing, and playing games like Wacky Olympics. Each evening Episcopal clergy, youth leaders and counselors lead programs filled with singing and worship which strengthen both faith and friendships.
SESSION V MIDDLE SCHOOL DISCOVERY CAMP | July 10-15 Rising 6th through 8th grades $390 New for 2022, Discovery Camp offers middle schoolers the opportunity to strengthen their creative, leadership, and stewardship skills by cultivating unique areas of interest. Camp will offer discovery tracts which include fishing, photography, outdoor survival, advanced arts and crafts, beginning guitar, and filmmaking. Campers will nurture their passions and further their relationship with God through these customized experiences. Each discovery tract will culminate in a final showcase of skills.
MEET
Aly Davis,
CAMP COUNSELOR One of our camp counselors, Aly Davis, is a lifelong DaySpring camper, who joined the ranks of camp staff in 2021. Her view of summer camp? “I have been coming to camp at DaySpring since elementary school; last summer, I joined the staff for the first time! There are so many things to do at camp: fun activities like canoeing, campfires, and the ropes courses, and new opportunities to grow closer to God. My favorite part is the community of people and the friends you make.”
Register at
DAYSPRINGFLA.ORG
SESSION VI HIGH SCHOOL DISCOVERY CAMP | July 17-22 Rising 9th through 12th grades $390 New for 2022, Discovery Camp offers high schoolers the opportunity to strengthen their creative, leadership, and stewardship skills by cultivating unique areas of interest. Camp will offer discovery tracts which include fishing, photography, outdoor survival, advanced arts and crafts, beginning guitar, and filmmaking. Campers will nurture their passions and further their relationship with God through these customized experiences. Each discovery tract will culminate in a final showcase of skills.
SCAN TO LEARN MORE
Register at
DAYSPRINGFLA.ORG “We have many homes: church, school, family. In each place, God can be found in unique ways, but at DaySpring, God can be experienced in everything: new friendships, conquered fears, nature’s beauty, personal self-discovery, and the love of the Lord.”
-Matthew Bowers, Camp Director, DaySpring