Please keep your child home if they are ill and/or running a fever. Children must be symptom-free for at least 72 hours prior to returning to camp. If a child becomes ill during camp, a parent or emergency contact will be notified of pick up the child.

Please leave anything of value at home as we cannot ensure its safety. Children tend to borrow, loan, exchange, forget, and find clothes from others. Providing labels on your camper’s things helps us tremendously in getting things back to their rightful owner. We will try to get it all straightened out before they go home, but YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin will not be responsible for clothing and personal property brought from home. Unclaimed lost and found property will be kept for one week following the last day of camp and then donated to local charities.

Camp Manitou-Lin has a NO CELL PHONE policy at camp. Not only are cell phones expensive to replace when they are lost or damaged at camp, but cell phones also interfere with your camper becoming more independent. We understand that parents take a leap of faith by sending their campers to spend time away from home. Unfortunately, when well- intentioned parents send a cell phone to camp ‘just in case’ the camper needs to call home, the message is, “We love you but don’t trust that you are ready to solve challenges on your own.” Having a cell phone prevents our counselors and staff fom addressing problems that might arise and using that experience to help your child grow.

We will reach out to you if your camper is experiencing a challenge in their adjustment to camp. You can help by talking to your child before they leave for camp and telling them that there is always someone they can reach out to, whether it be their counselor, a camp specialist, the camp nurse or the camp administration. Cell phones brought to camp will be kept in a locked place and returned to the parent at checkout. Please express your trust in our staff and in your child by insisting cell phones stay at home.

Campers are expected to behave in the safe, Caring, Honest, Respectful, Responsible and Inclusive manner modeled by our staff. Parents will be contacted if camper behavior is not acceptable and parents will be informed about the steps that are being taken to improve the behavior. Failure to abide by YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin’s rules and guidelines can result in dismissal from camp. No refunds are given if a child leaves early because of disruptive behavior as determined by the camp administration.

YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin’s core values are Caring, Honesty, Respect, Responsibility, and Inclusion. Our entire camp family is expected to conduct themselves in such a way to model these values at all times. Our daily chapel services, “thought of the day,” and pre-meal graces emphasize these core values and how they can be applied to different parts of the camp experience. The expectation that all campers follow our core values is implemented with great care and respect by our camp staff. We expect campers to follow camp rules, have a positive attitude, try new things, be respectful of others’ space and belongings, be cooperative and helpful, maintain open communication, and have fun!

Camp remains in regular operation, rain or shine. Regular camp activities will continue during light rain conditions. During more severe weather, including lightning and thunder or extreme heat, the day’s schedule my be altered and indoor/alternate activities will be provided. In the event of an emergency, we will make every effort to notify parents by phone and email. If necessary, emergency transportation will be handled by 911 and local emergency services

We are unable to prorate camp fees due to scheduling needs or conflicts. All camp fees must be paid by May 25th, 2025. If you register for camp after this date, the entire balance is due upon registration. A $75 deposit holds your child’s spot for camp. This deposit includes a $25 administrative fee. The registration deposit and administrative fee covers all basic administrative costs for each registration. Please give us a minimum of two weeks notice to cancel or change your registrations for camp. No shows for a registered session will result in the forfeiture of the full registration fee. The camp director reserves the right to decline the application of any child, or send home any child who, according to the Director’s discretion, negatively effects other campers experience, or puts themselves or others at risk. If a child is dismissed from camp, there will be no refund issued.

Parents/guardians may contact the camp administrators at any time to discuss their camper’s experience by calling 269-795-9163. Our experience has been that camper telephone conversations with friends or family from home tend to exacerbate homesickness. Therefore, campers do not have unrestricted access to telephones. In the event that a camper requests to call home, permission to do so will be granted by a camp director after staff makes advance contact with the parent/guardian to discuss the situation. We strongly encourage families to utilize our website that allows for one-way email (from family to camper) as well as photo updates from the week!

Safety is our top priority at Camp Manitou-Lin. A Camp Nurse is in residence at our Infirmary and on call 24 hours a day. Our nurse will contact parents via telephone in the following circumstances:

1. The camper has been in the infirmary for 24 hours
2. The camper has a temperature over 100 degrees
3. The camper needs to go to the doctor or hospital
4. The nurse needs to perform an invasive procedure (i.e. shot)

In case of emergency, Pennock Hospital is 12 minutes away and accepts our campers as patients. Emergency transportation is readily available. As indicated on your Registration Form, the YMCA is authorized to secure emergency medical treatment. It is the responsibility of the camper’s parent to provide for the camper’s own accident and health coverage while participating in activities with YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin. Should any serious accident or illness occur at camp, prudent attempts will be made to contact the campers’ parent(s) immediately. We reserve the right to send a child home if our Camp Nurse or physician so advises.

In response to the rising epidemic of the nuisance known as “bed bugs” we wanted to let you know the steps YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin is taking to safeguard your experience and assure your continued confidence in Camp Manitou-Lin. Bed bugs are transferred from luggage, items of clothing and equipment. They are increasingly being encountered in homes, apartments, hotels, motels, health care facilities, dormitories, shelters, schools, camps, and modes of transport. Other places where bed bugs sometimes appear include movie theaters, laundries/dry cleaners, furniture rental outlets and office buildings. Immigration and international travel have undoubtedly contributed to the resurgence of bed bugs in the U.S. Bedbugs are nondiscriminatory and can affect an socio-economic group. Bedbugs are not an indication of a dirty facility.

If bed bugs were found, either through our investigation or a participant complaint, the camp administration would work efficiently to address the issue and we would treat the cabin for bedbugs. The cabin would have an additional treatment several weeks after the initial treatment. While effective with other insect concerns, preventive spraying of the cabins is not effective. We have all of the cabins on a preventative heat treatment protocol.

If there were evidence of bedbugs while a group is present, the group would be moved to a “clean” cabin. All bedding and clothing would be run through hot dryers to the necessary heat level required to eliminate the bedbugs. A note would be sent home on how to prevent the transfer of the bedbugs to their home.