Absolutely! Every session many campers come to Westwind not knowing anyone. Camp Westwind has built its reputation as a warm, welcoming place for every child by paying careful attention to the emotional experience of each and every camper. Our staff are hired through a competitive process and participate in mandatory training before the summer starts. It is often a mix of highly experienced staff and new, qualified staff. Each week our counselors seek to facilitate deep and lasting friendships. Remember, everyone has a first summer at camp.
It is our goal for each camper to have a good time at camp. Homesickness is possible though rarely becomes a significant hindrance to a camper’s experience. Our staff receive intensive training prior to the summer starting on how to best support campers experiencing homesickness. It is our policy to help campers work through homesickness by keeping them involved and busy. Typically homesickness doesn’t last for more than a couple of hours, as campers get involved and have so much fun that the homesickness fades. If the homesickness persists our camp staff may decide to call you to consult about what course of action you would like us to pursue. It is our extensive experience that in almost all circumstances phoning home to talk with a parent or guardian does not help and often intensifies feelings of homesickness. This is one of the reasons we do not allow cell phones. Your camper’s growth toward independence and happiness are of the utmost importance to us, and we always do our best to balance the two.
Yes! We are prepared for a variety of diets including vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, as well as other allergy restrictions. We allow parents to send food with their campers that will be kept in the Health Center. Meals are served family style which encourages campers to try things they may not have otherwise. We have a cereal and salad bar with a wide variety of options including proteins (both meat and non-meat) to help campers who may not enjoy the meal being served. In addition to the main entrees there is always peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter) and jelly for personal sandwich making. If your camper has specific dietary needs, please indicate so in your health history forms. Please email info@westwind.org with specific needs/questions.
Here are the links to the 2024 Camper Handbook and 2024 Family Camp Handbook. Other Handbooks can be found on our website. We will send out more information in the spring and again before your session begins.
Please review the 2023 Camper Handbook and email us at info@westwind.org if you have any questions!
The unique location of Camp Westwind is part of what makes camp so magical—it also makes accommodating late arrivals and early departures difficult. We want to make attending your campers scheduled session a reality. However, we understand that there are extreme cases (car trouble, medical emergencies, etc) that can make it difficult. Your request for special accommodations for late arrival and early departure must be made to the Camp Director by email at laura@westwind.org or phone in advance. Another option is to transfer sessions. Our refund policy stands, regardless of summer activities that may arise with little notice.
Please review the 2023 Camper Handbook and 2023 Family Camp Handbook and email us if you have any questions!
Signing up multiple family members from the same household on one account works great. However, multiple campers from different households on your account makes it challenging to ensure all mail and email going to the correct address. Emails are only sent to the primary account holder. If you sign up children from multiple families, you will be the person receiving all the necessary pre-camp information and will be ultimately responsible to see that the fees are paid.
As a part of the registration process there is a section where you may indicate a cabin mate request. We do our best to accommodate every request, but we cannot guarantee any request. We cannot put two campers together that are more than one grade apart (e.g. we will not put a 5th grader in a cabin with a 7th grader). If you have any questions or feel you have a special reason that we should make an exception please email info@westwind.org.
Please note this request can be made after you and a friend have both been selected to register from the lottery. This is done in your UltraCamp account during the registration process.
Each camper meets with our camp nurse at the beginning of the session and goes over any medical needs including medications. Our nurses are medical professionals who volunteer their time to support any medical needs. All medications (including vitamins and supplements) are turned in during check in to the nurse. Our nurse is responsible for dispensing medications at the appropriate times. Exceptions are made for medications that may be needed in an emergency including inhalers and EpiPens. We have also supported many campers with diabetes and other medical issues in the past. Please contact us at info@westwind.org if you have any concerns.
Yes, you can get a refund less the non-refundable deposit ($75/youth and teen sessions, $100/family camps) when there is either:
- A doctor’s written statement indicating illness or injury prior to the beginning of the camp session.
- A death certificate of a family member within 10 days of your child’s camp session.
What if I want to cancel and don’t meet the above criteria?
You will get a refund, less the non-refundable deposit ($75/youth and teen sessions,
$100/family camps), as follows:
- Four weeks prior to camp: full camp fee (minus deposit)
- Three weeks prior to camp: 50% of camp fee (minus deposit)
- Two weeks prior to camp: 25% of camp fee (minus deposit)
- Less than two weeks prior to camp: no refund
- If Camp Westwind cancels camp for any reason, we will provide full refunds less the non-refundable deposit.
You will get a refund, less the non-refundable deposit ($75/youth and teen sessions, $100/family camps), as follows:
- four weeks prior to camp: full camp fee (minus deposit)
- three weeks prior to camp: 50% of camp fee (minus deposit)
- two weeks prior to camp: 25% of camp fee (minus deposit)
- less than two weeks prior to camp: no refund
If Camp Westwind cancels camp due to COVID-19, we will provide full refunds less the non-refundable deposit.
Campers sent home due to illness will receive a prorated refund based on the amount of time spent at camp. This does not include homesickness for which there is no refund. If your camper is sick at Westwind, our certified medical staff will attend to them. Parents will be contacted if their child tests positive for COVID-19, if there is medication given, if there is a more serious injury or sickness and they need to spend the night in the Health Center, if they need to go to Urgent Care, or if there is a medical question or permission that needs to be given. Medical staff will consult the information in the camper’s Health History form and document it in our confidential medical binder. The medical staff will communicate with camp staff as needed and brief the Camp Director on anything serious.
Campers who are sent home for failure to comply with camp policies will not receive a refund and parents will assume responsibility for the camper’s prompt transportation from camp. This includes disruptive behavior and putting their own safety or the safety of others at risk.
Email us at info@westwind.org and we will see if space is available to make the transfer.
The average store account is $40 unless you pre-ordered a t-shirt or sweatshirt, then the average is $10-$20. The store stocks souvenir items such as ball caps, beanies, sunglasses, stuffed critters, and postcards. We do not sell food of any kind in the store.
Each camper store account will carry over summer to summer. If you have a remaining balance at the end of the camp season and would like to have that refunded to you please contact Sarah at sarah@westwind.org.
One way email is available for purchase on our registration website. It is $12 for unlimited emails from one email account. The week prior to your camper’s session you will receive an email with instructions on how to send the emails.
With an average of over 100 campers a week, the daily volume of emails we receive can be a costly and time consuming process. We charge a fee for emails to compensate for the work hours, ink, and paper used to offer this service. Thanks for your understanding!
Camp Westwind
Session #
Camper’s name
PO Box 408
Otis, OR 97368
We recommend that you send all mail and packages 1-2 weeks in advance so that it arrives on time for your camper’s session.
Missing something? All lost and found will make its way back to our office in Portland after it’s been cleaned. Please contact us at info@westwind.org to make arrangements to come look through the lost and found. We will hold lost and found through September. Anything remaining will go to a shelter.
For 2023, we will be moving our photo galleries from Flickr to SmugMug. You will receive an email with a link to the photos from your child’s session at the completion of their session, and photos are typically uploaded throughout the session. Check back often!
Westwind has set up our payment system to be flexible as each family’s budget needs are unique to them. We allow payments to be made at any time, in any amount as long as the fees are paid by the time your camper arrives at camp. You may set up an automatic payment on your account, if that works best for you.
Westwind also has a financial assistance or “Campership” program for families who may need help covering the costs of camp. We offer full and partial assistance and encourage anyone who may be experiencing difficulties affording camp to apply. For more information see our Campership page.