#CampMinderCamp4

Just this past week Gavin and myself were given the opportunity to fly to Boulder, Colorado for the annual Camp Minder Camp. If you recall, this past summer we launched a new management system called...You guessed it - Camp Minder! This system proved to be more than just cool with it's uniquely designed CampInTouch accounts. This account allows our guests to have a more personalized experience as they apply for our different programs, fill out important liability forms, view and buy pictures, and so much more. We were so pleased with the first run-through last summer that we've decided to keep it around.

Thanks to Camp Highland we were able to see a different side of this new system. We actually got to meet all the nice people who've been relentlessly answering our electronic Help Tickets and countless phone calls. Their staff of camp professionals is extremely knowledgeable and specializes in fields such as client relations, data administration, system architectural designing, software engineering, and we even met the CEO himself! To our surprise, everyone looked like they were fresh out of college. And the funny thing is that's not too far from being completely accurate. We went through two days of very informative training by the young professionals that will hopefully allow us to become pros too. If you follow us on twitter then I’m sure you’ve recently become aquainted with our incessant mentioning of @CampMinder and hash tagging #CampMinderCamp4. Anyways, we had a great time and are very thankful to be working with everyone from Camp Minder! You guys rock! 

 Okay, so you don’t think we flew all the way to Colorado and sat at a conference the whole time, right? I mean come on! We work at an adventure camp! We actually decided to drive 7 hours through stunning scenery until Telluride where we met up with our friend (and previous Camp Highland-er) Ben and his new bride Jamie! They treated us to some of the best skiing and snowboarding CO has to offer! That made for a perfect ending to a very long week. A huge “thanks” goes out to you guys and we all miss you here in Georgia.

So as our trip comes to an end, it is our hope that your experience with the Camp Minder CampInTouch system will be even sweeter this time around. We are becoming more acclimated to the system and have a better understanding of all its integral parts. If this is your first time coming to camp and using CampInTouch – Welcome! – Get ready to be treated to the thrill of a lifetime at Camp Highland!

Zach B. – "snow ♛ king & hash tagger extraordinaire #@%$&^*"

Gavin D. – "wide angle lenzed double-black slope master ♦♦

We Are Officially "Official"

This past Saturday, we had our end-of-the-year open house. We also had the Gilmer County Chamber of Commerce up to initiate our offical ribbon cutting ceremony. Thanks to everyone who came out for this special day! 

Those of you who are familiar with us are probably thinking, "You guys have been around for a while, so why a ribbon cutting now"? As many of you know, Camp Highland began in Lula in 1993, moved to Dahlonega, and finally planted our roots here in Ellijay where we plan to stay! We have been in here for about nine years, but it really wasn't until this past year that we created a known presence in the community. As more locals began to hear about us, we realized it was the right time to officially be inagurated with the ribbon cutting. And, with the addition of the new gym facility, we now have the perfect environment for gatherings like this one. The day was great as the Lord blessed us with amazing weather and we fellowshiped with food and a tour of the property.

We are very blessed to be a part of such a welcoming community right here in the beautiful mountain town of Ellijay.

~Zach | Marketing 

See What Great Love

As the leaves fall to the ground that will soon be visited by snow, Camp transitions into the off-season. We have been so blessed to see many faces this year, some old and some new. Although it is always a little sad to not see cars pull in the gate one after another, this season is a great time for our staff to regroup and work on how to serve even better. We are all hard at work applying the different gifts God has given us. Man, we are blessed with a wonderful full time staff family.

During the off season, the entire full time staff meets once a week. Each meeting begins with a devotional that allows us to focus on why we are doing this camp thing. This morning, Bill shared the simple yet life changing message of 1 John 3:1. "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. (1 John 3:1 NIV)". God's great love that is so freely given to us in abundance is so overwhelming that we just have to share it. It is love that motivates those at Camp to serve. Don't just hold on to that great love, but share it and God will do great things.

Stay connected!

OPEN HOUSE - Y'all come back now, ya hear!

There has been a number of people who have asked if we are going to host an Open House for people interested in sending their kids to Summer Camp and/or bringing a group to a Group Retreat. So, without further adieu the answer is... YES! We will host an open house for anyone who would like to know more about who we are, why we exist, what our facilities look like, and ultimately why you would want to send your kids here or bring up a group or team. This event will be held on December 3rd, 2011 from 1:00pm-4:00pm. We will be holding a session that will include an informative talk about camp from our full-time staff, an exciting video of summer camp 2011, and time for questions and answers. We will also be giving tours of the property and facilities in our army transport vehicle(Pinzgauer, aka "the Pinz") and 15 passenger van. There is no cost, but there will be snacks and drinks provided. Please note, we will not have any of the rope activities open, but you will be able to see them if you go on the tour. Please RSVP no later than December 2nd to information@camphighland.com with the number of people you plan to bring. Thanks, and we hope to see a lot of new faces!

~Zach | Marketing Director

Quick Response(QR) codes

I know you've all seen these things before. They look like Mr. PacMan mazes and they're popping up all over the place. Well, until today, I've been unsure of what exactly they do and how to use them. I want to know what all of you think. Do you use them? Are they somthing that will become widely used in our culture? I'm testing the waters to see if Camp can utilize this feature. Post comments below. Thanks!

-Zach, Marketing