Communicating At Camp
By Mail
A steady flow of mail to and from home can make a world of difference in your child’s positive feelings about camp and home. We encourage you to talk with your camper before the summer about responding to letters, so they know how much you love hearing from them! Some parents even arrange for that first letter to be at camp before the child is! If you choose to do so, it will be delivered on their first full day at camp!
Please write to:
<YOUR CAMPER’S NAME>
CAMP BARNEY MEDINTZ, CABIN # _____*
4165 HWY 129 NORTH
CLEVELAND, GA 30528-2309
*You will receive an email with your campers’ cabin number after their arrival. Please ensure that your camper’s cabin number is written on all physical correspondence sent to camp.
Campers can also send handwritten snail mail back to you. If you would like your camper to do this, please send your camper with pre-addressed envelopes and stamps. These letters may take several days to arrive. Local post offices are historically slower than bigger city post offices. Sometimes, a camper’s first letter home might indicate a difficult adjustment or homesickness. By the time you receive a letter sent by mail, it’s very likely that those feelings have been resolved. Nevertheless, if you’re concerned, please call and we will be happy to provide an update!
By Telephone
The Camp Barney Medintz summer telephone number is 678.812.3844.
Our office hours are
Sunday – Thursday: 9:00 am to 8:00 pm (EST)
Friday: 9:0 0am to 5:00 pm (EST)
Saturday (Shabbat): 11:00 am to 5:00 pm (EST)
During Office Hours
You may call us any time during camp! If we are unable to answer during office hours, a return call to you will be made that same day. If you specify urgency, a director or another camp administrator will be sought immediately. (Please remember, we’re a 540-acre facility and camp administrators may be far from the office when you call— with campers, at programs, etc.) We may also wish to contact you so that together, we can ensure the most successful experience for your child.
After Hours
If you call the office after hours, you will be directed to our messaging service, and we will return your call the next day. In the event of an emergency, our messaging service will give you the option to connect to the director-on-call.
Parents are not permitted to communicate with campers via telephone except under extenuating circumstances at the discretion of camp directors. Our long history has shown us that parent phone calls often interfere with camper adjustment, group dynamic, and the overall community environment that we strive to maintain.
Reminder: Campers are not permitted to bring cell phones to camp.
By Email
We encourage you to send your child “snail” mail at camp. It’s always fun to receive a letter. However, you can use Campanion, or your Camp Account, to send emails as often as you’d like to your child while they’re at camp. Letters are printed six days per week (Sunday – Friday) and delivered during Rest Hour. Messages received after the 10:00 AM print time may be printed the following day. Purchase CampStamps in your Camp Account to send messages and save money with package deals.
When you send a CampStamp to your camper, you can request a handwritten eLetter reply by selecting “I would like a handwritten eLetter reply to this email”. If selected, your camper will receive an extra sheet of eLetter stationery with a custom barcode connected to the email address that sent the CampStamp letter and requested a reply, giving them the option to write back. Please Note: Selecting the handwritten eLetter reply option does not guarantee your camper will respond. However, if they choose to write back, you’ll receive their handwritten note directly to your email and eLetter inbox.
Campers are never required to send mail home, but they can always request a scannable blank letter template from their counselors during Rest Hour to write a letter to send home. These letters are scanned and sent daily (Sunday – Thursday) as an email attachment or can be viewed in your Campanion or CampInTouch account.
Packages
At Camp Barney, we ask that no packages be sent to campers. Our “no package” policy helps ensure the health, safety, and fairness of the camp experience. Please share this policy with grandparents and family members to avoid confusion. If your child urgently needs an essential item, please contact our office via email at Summer@CampBarney.org for approval before sending a package. Approved packages must contain only items from the following list:
Acceptable Essential Items
- Bedding: Pillow, sleeping bag, or blanket
- Clothing: Only items necessary to replace those forgotten or insufficiently packed (e.g., socks, underwear, shoes)
- Comfort Items: Forgotten stuffed animal or security blanket (subject to approval by camp directors)
- Hygiene: Essential products (e.g., shampoo/conditioner, soap, deodorant, hairbrush, toothpaste/toothbrush)
- Eyewear: Glasses, contact lenses, or swim goggles
- Camp Equipment: Flashlight, batteries, or backpack
Important Notes
- All packages will be opened by office staff to confirm their contents.
- Unapproved items will not be returned and will be donated locally in White County.
- For security purposes, DoorDash and other delivery services using independent contractors as delivery drivers are not permitted in camp.
Letters are always welcome and are a wonderful way to stay connected!
Photographs
Camp Barney Medintz reserves the right to use any individual or group photographs of campers taken at Camp during the summer for marketing purposes. Only enrolled CBM families and their invited guests have access to our online photos throughout the summer.
Online Photos
Our staff photographers will photograph campers as they experience the many awesome moments of camp so we can share those moments with you. We will again be utilizing Campanion to blend the convenience of a single platform with the advantages of facial recognition technology. Campanion makes it faster and easier for you to find pictures of your camper while helping us to verify that we are uploading pictures of each and every camper. Of course, you’ll still be able to browse through all of the pictures we upload. We will send instructions about how to configure the facial recognition software to recognize your camper.
Our goal is to photograph every camper at least twice per week and upload pictures consistently. We sincerely appreciate your patience with us as we do our best to balance the workload required to take, compile, and upload photos with our top priority of ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all campers at CBM.
Purchasing CampStamps
Use your Camp Account to purchase CampStamps, to send emails to your camper, and to view and purchase photos. This process is designed to be safe and secure by limiting access of our campers’ pictures online and your credit card information.
- Visit campbarney.org.
- Click on the Account Login link. This will prompt you to enter your email address and password. Use the same login and password that you did when you registered your child for Camp.
- Once you are logged in, you will see our Online Community section where you can view photos and send your child(ren) emails.
- When you click on the Email link, the system will guide you through the process of purchasing CampStamps to send emails as often as you’d like throughout the session to your child(ren).
CampStamps are priced as follows:
10 CampStamps: $10.00
15 CampStamps: $14.00
20 CampStamps: $18.00
30 CampStamps: $25.00
- When you click on the Photo link, you can view pictures that we’ll post throughout each week! To purchase these photos, click on the small shopping cart icon under the photo.
If you need help with anything regarding your online account, click on the Help link at the top right of the screen and browse the FAQs. If none of these answer your questions, click on the Help Tickets link and create a help ticket. These help tickets will be sent directly to our technology partner (for online camp applications, photos, email, etc.) CampMinder and will be answered within 24 hours.