Volunteer as a camp counselor at Camp Starlight!

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Camp Starlight is an amazing and rewarding volunteer experience. Camp provides a caring, safe and FUN camp experience for children whose lives are affected by the stigma against the LGBTQIA+ community and/or HIV/AIDS and allows the kids to just be kids for one glorious week in the woods.

My name is Jenna and I am the volunteer coordinator. I’ll be your point of contact through the application process. I’d like to offer some information about camp and how you can apply to participate. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you have any questions.

Jenna and her sweet, sweet bullseye in 2019.

• Volunteer dates for Camp Starlight 2025 are Aug. 16-22. The time commitment is for the full week. We arrive at camp in the morning on Saturday, Aug. 16 and leave in the afternoon on Friday, Aug. 22. You must be able to commit to the entire week.
  
  
• We are recruiting for cabin counselors, who are each assigned to a group of kiddos in a particular age group. You can indicate your preferences for cabin assignment in our online application (see below). We do our best to assign volunteers to the cabins that will be the best fit for them.
  
• New this year - To better serve our campers, we are moving to a gender-liberated cabin structure. Each camper will be assigned to a cabin that houses up to 10 campers of roughly the same age and at least three adult counselors. Each cabin has private hot showers, private toilets, and private changing areas. The facilities around the rest of the camp are all-gendered, allowing children and volunteers of any or no gender to have a comfortable camp experience.
  
• The week of camp is extremely busy. There is a lot of walking, playing, and general physical activity throughout the long days.
  
  
• Camp is located outside Portland, OR. We don’t share the exact location broadly, in order to protect campers’ privacy.
  
  
• If you live outside the Portland, OR area, it is your responsibility to get yourself to Portland and arrange hotel/lodging accommodations that you may need the nights before or after camp. We can help arrange carpools from Portland to camp and back to Portland after camp.
  
  
• Taking care of the campers and keeping them safe is the volunteers’ primary concern. We are responsible for the kiddos’ safety and well-being while at camp, which means we focus 100% on them.
  
  
• Camp is amazing. The kids are amazing. The volunteers are amazing. Camp will change your life.

We strongly recommend the Covid-19 vaccine and boosters prior to arriving at Camp Starlight, but at this time we will not be requiring it. We will be administering a rapid Covid test for volunteers on Saturday morning before we start our training and to all campers prior to getting on the bus or being dropped off at camp.

1. APPLY ONLINE: Once you let us know that you are interested in joining us, I will send you the online application.
You will be asked about your volunteer experiences and interest in camp, as well as personal details. Volunteer slots are offered on a first-come, first-served basis; apply by June 15 to be prioritized in the first round of applications.

2. BACKGROUND CHECK: After your application is completed, I will send you the background check consent form, along with a few other forms to fill out and sign online via SignWell.

3. INTERVIEW: If this is your first year volunteering at Camp Starlight, I (or another member of the Camp Starlight team) will speak with you about your interest in Camp Starlight and your relevant experiences. This may be via phone or in person.

Is Camp Director Spike excited about cotton candy, inflatable tube guys, or camp? Answer, all three! 25th Anniversary Celebration, 2023

4. HEALTH FORM AND COPY OF ID: After you have been offered and have accepted a volunteer position, you must complete our health form. Physicals are required every 24 months. Send a picture or scan of your completed health form and a copy of your driver's license (or state ID) to Jenna at CampStarlightVolunteers@gmail. com by Saturday, Aug. 9. Bring the paper copy of your health form to camp on 8/16 to be kept securely in our medical facility for the duration of camp.

Camp is the most magical week of the year, and to become a Camp Starlight volunteer is a joy and an honor. Camp is 100% volunteer-run, and we depend on dedicated folks to make it all go - and provide a fun, safe, welcoming experience for youth in the LGBTQIA+ community and/or affected by HIV.

Thank you for your interest in volunteering at Camp Starlight. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to hearing from you very soon!