Camp Wawona Christmas Open House 2012

Camp Wawona held its annual Christmas open house on December 9, 2012.

Lodge - dining table

This well attended event gave Central California Conference employees, Yosemite park rangers, Wawona and Oakhurst community members the chance to see first hand all the many improvements being made and enjoy top notch entertainment.

Tour vehicle

Guided tours were led by Associate Camp Director, Derek Wright. Along the way, guests were treated with the opportunity to experience Camp Wawona's 450 ft zip line featuring an exciting runway of Christmas lights.

Food Service Director, Paulette Bair ensured success at the dining table with a vast array of festive, mouth watering dishes. Needless to say, the dining table was never left unattended.

The evening was topped off by an outstanding music group from the Oakhurst church who set the tone for an overall hugely successful evening of food, fun and new friendships.

Zip line runway

Work Bee

Many thanks to all the volunteers who donated their time to help with various projects including building sidewalks for the Yurt Village and replacing toilet fill valves.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we seek to do God’s will.

Day 1

 Day 2 

Day 3

Camp Wawona Responds to Outbreak of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS)

The recent Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) outbreaks in Curry Village and High Sierra Camps inside Yosemite National Park have caused questions concerning the HPS risk at Camp Wawona.  

The outbreak of HPS and subsequent closure of some of the National Park Service facilities is due to a mice infestation. Park officials said that a design flaw allowed mice to get inside the walls of the insulated tent cabins. Curry Village and High Sierra Camps suffer from the same diagnosis: their facilities are infested with mice. 

Camp Wawona has found no evidence to suggest an increase in the risk of contracting HPS than there was years ago. 

In respect of the current situation, Camp Wawona has increased routine measures to ensure that its facilities remain free from pests. 
These include:
- Sealing any spaces which may allow entrance of pests into facilities
- Checking facilities routinely for any signs of pests
- Airing facilities
- Use of appropriate disinfectants, as suggested on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website 



Facts about HPS
- HPS is found around the world in places such as Canada, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Panama, Paraguay, and Uruguay
- The earliest known confirmed case of HPS was a 38-year-old Utah man in 1959
- The "First Outbreak” occurred in May 1993, in the southwestern United States

Although HPS is not a new virus there is still much more research to be done. 

Causes
HPS is caused by a virus that individuals get through contact with the urine, droppings or saliva of infected rodents. Since 1993, there have been approximately 60 cases in California and 602 cases nationally. 

- Nationwide, approximately 12 percent of deer mice carry hantavirus.

Symptoms
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), symptoms of HPS generally begin from one to five weeks after exposure. 
- Early symptoms include fatigue, fever, chills, and muscle aches. 
- About half of patients will experience headaches, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and abdominal pain. 
- The disease progresses rapidly (4-10 days after initial symptoms) to include coughing, shortness of breath and severe difficulty breathing. 


Early medical attention greatly increases the chance of survival in cases of HPS. 

It is recommended that if a recent visitor to Yosemite National Park has any of the symptoms listed above, that they seek medical attention immediately and advise their health care professional of the potential exposure to hantavirus.


Additional Information
For additional information on preventing HPS, visit the CDC's hantavirus website at http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/index.html.

A non-emergency phone line for questions and concerns related to hantavirus in Yosemite has been set up by the National Park Service. Visitors with questions can call (209) 372-0822. The phones will be staffed from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily. 

Save the Date

Camp Wawona
Work Bee

September 9-12

Want to Help?

Your continued support through donations and prayer is what makes this all possible.

Athletic Turf Field
Ground prep, turf, installation and lighting

Pool
Resurface decking, new filtration system


Yurt Village

Electrical Fixtures
Fan, ceiling lights, porch lights and outlets

Landscaping

Pathways, erosion control and ground level outdoor lighting

Bear Bins

For the safety of our guests and bears Camp Wawona needs bear proof food storage containers
—$600 each

Bear Proof Trash Cans

Camp Wawona would like to keep unwanted guests, like bears, to a minimum
—$1,000 each

CW Launches Facebook Page

Click HERE to visit Camp Wawona's Facebook page. 

Decisions for Christ

2012 Summer Camp 

Decisions for Christ

207 Accept Jesus as their personal Savior 
71 Would like Bible studies
81 Want to be baptized

"Camp ministry is evangelism. Effective evangelism is determined by decisions made for Christ. The Lord has blessed our evangelistic efforts this summer by doubling last summer's decisions made for Him. It is an honor being a part of the evangelistic work at Camp Wawona." 
- Derek Wright, Associate Director

NEW Campfire Bowl Stages Life Changing Decisions

Camp Wawona staff are overwhelmed with joy at the success of this past Summer Camp season.


Girls Director, Kristina Wright, shares,"The new Campfire Bowl amphitheater welcomed hundreds of campers and staged countless blessings".

The construction of the new Campfire Bowl was a blessing from the start: 

• First, Camp Wawona received a generous donation from a couple who spent their lives serving young adults. 

• Second, our sister camp, Leoni Meadows, donated all the wood for the campfire bowl seating. This was a savings of over $18,000. 

• Lastly, Mr. Derek Lemos, one of our camper’s parents, shared last summer that at first his son was not too excited to be at camp because his friends had attended the week before; however, God turned that experience around for good. By the end of the week during Camp Wawona's Friday night evening program he accepted the call to give his life to Jesus and came to the front of Camp Wawona's Campfire Bowl.
  
  “My son is not the same since he gave his life to the Lord this summer,” Mr Lemos said. “Therefore, I would like to volunteer my staff to build the amphitheater you wanted to build. I want every parent to experience the life changing journey my son is going through because of camp.”

 

Lemos Construction

Summer Camp Staff 2012

"We are so thankful for all the blessings God brought together to make this campfire bowl possible."
- Elden Ramirez, Executive Director 

(left - right) Pastor Elden, David and his father Mr Lemos. 

Dig Deep

Have you ever been in the midst of a severe storm?

If so, you know that a storm of great magnitude comes with very strong winds causing, in many cases, great destruction. The other day, there was a storm that caused some damage to our property. The winds were so strong that the palm tree in front of our house was uprooted and landed on our front lawn. The backyard fence was also on the grass and several smaller trees were on the ground as well. The day after the storm I asked the gardener that takes care of the houses in the area why my neighbor’s palm tree remained standing and mine did not.  His answer was simple, “Whoever planted your palm tree did not dig deep enough and it was planted very superficially.”

Then I asked about my fence. If all the houses in the area were built at the same time why was my fence the only one that came down?  He said, “Because you have not done much underground maintenance on your fence. Every year you should reinforce the fence-posts to make sure they are solid. In some cases you need to dig deeper and reposition the post to add stability to the fence. Some people see only the outward appearance of the fence and because it looks sturdy and in great shape, they forget that it is not only the section above ground that we need to take care of but also the area that is underground”. 

As I think back on that unfortunate and unnecessary expense, I can’t help but think how truthful that is in our lives. Jesus once said, “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built”. Luke 6:47-48

This past summer, all of us at Camp Wawona spent time learning and sharing what it means to dig deep and set solid foundations to overcome any disturbing winds that may come into our lives. This journey has been a blessing and we encourage you to partner with us as we continue to dig deeper into a relationship with Jesus Christ.

In Christ’s service,
Pastor Elden                        

Soquel Camp Meeting

Marketing Director, Kristina Wright, accompanied by Summer Camp Staff Jessica Anzai, represented Camp Wawona at Soquel Camp Meeting this year. 

Over 7,000 postcards advertising Camp Wawona were handed out.