Remember, the balance of your fee must be paid no later than two weeks before camp. No camp fees will be accepted at camp.

If an emergency makes it impossible to pay before this time, please notify the office more than two weeks prior to the session start date so that we can ensure your card is not automatically charged the remaining balance.

Sign in to your Campbrain account to pay your balance. Your card will be charged automatically for any remaining balance owed two weeks prior to the session start date.

We need a Health History Form for every camper that attends a program this summer. Please complete this form online via your Campbrain account prior to the start of camp. NOTE: Campers without a completed health form are not eligible to participate in camp activities. It is very important that you complete the Camper Health History form prior to the camper's arrival at camp.

If the camper is bringing medications, they must be in their original containers with prescription and/or store label. All medication is kept and dispensed by the nurse or healthcare manager. If your camper is bringing any medications, you might consider bringing medications to your local pharmacy to see if they can put together a free day-by-day blister pack.

Please help us keep camp a healthy place. If your child shows signs of illness (fever, coughing, sore throat or vomiting) in the 72 hours before your session starts, keep your child home and contact camp for advisement.

We take many steps to encourage healthy group living while at camp, including frequent hand washing, use of hand sanitizer, regular cleaning of common spaces and disinfection of living spaces between sessions.

Packing for camp is fun for your child and for you! Please remember to label your child’s belongings!

• Classic Summer Camp Packing List

• Gallagher Expeditions: Big Canoe / Kayak Trip Packing List (youth, young alumni, and grown up)

• LDP Packing List

• Family Camp Packing List

• Grown Up Camp Packing List

We believe that summer camp is one of the few environments where children can truly be ‘unplugged’ from technology. Unplugging helps kids develop face-to-face social skills and authentic personal relationships while at camp. Having a cell phone at camp tends to prevent camper from enjoying the full camp experience and can causes safety and privacy issues for cabinmates. Please help us provide this experience for your child by leaving cell phones and other screens/internet capable devices at home.

PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION

• Dropping your child off:
  Please arrive between 10:00 and 11:00 am. Please be prepared for drop-off to take 15-30 minutes.

• Picking your child up:
  Please arrive at camp between 10:00 and 11:00 am and follow all directions from staff.

BUS TRANSPORTATION

• SEATTLE
  Jefferson Community Center, Beacon Hill (north end of the parking lot near golf range)

  • Dropping your child off in Seattle:
    Please arrive by 9:00 AM

  • Picking your child up in Seattle:
    Please arrive by 12:00 PM.

• TACOMA
  Bellarmine Preparatory (2300 S Washington, Tacoma, WA 98405)

  • Dropping your child off in Tacoma:
    Please arrive by 10:00 AM in order to participate in the testing process.

  • Picking your child up in Tacoma:
    Please arrive by 11:00 AM.

Please Note: Camp Gallagher is happy to be able to provide bus transportation in order to increase access to camp. We ask that all parents remind their campers of the following safety guidelines:

- Each vehicle will have at least 2 staff members to supervise the loading and unloading of campers and staff as well as camper behavior during the trip. Campers should listen to directions and let staff know if they have questions or concerns. This allows the driver to focus on driving.

- Campers need to load the bus in single file and only when the staff is present. No camper is allowed in the driver’s seat.

- All passengers are to remain seated, with hands, etc. inside the vehicle.

- A maximum of two campers are allowed row (one per seat). The bus will not be loaded beyond capacity.

- In case of emergency, follow all directions by staff. Staff will also point out emergency exit doors.

- When the staff take role, please respond loudly only when your name is called.

- If the bus is delayed by more than 20 minutes, the staff will contact camp and camp will coordinate contacting parents.

Parents of resident campers furnish transportation to and from camp unless they have elected bus transportation from Seattle or Tacoma.

Click here to download driving directions to Camp Gallagher (PDF).

All campers will complete a swim check to help waterfront staff understand their comfort level in the water.

Is your child not a strong swimmer? That's not a problem. We have a strictly enforced life jacket policy here at camp. Additionally, most of our staff members are certified Red Cross Lifeguards. We take water safety very seriously, and will get to know each camper's comfortability in the water on day one.Our staff is experienced in helping all campers feel comfortable and have a blast on our boats, regardless of swimming ability.

Nutritious meals are served family-style three times a day. Any special dietary needs must be indicated in the specified fields during registration. If you have special circumstances and need to discuss them with us, please email info@campgallagher.org

We encourage you to send mail to your child during the camp session. Especially for newer campers, mail is reassuring and fun to receive. Please keep notes cheerful and encouraging, and focus on activities at camp. Please note, that our local post office is very small and servicing a large area. This often results in severely delayed deliveries. We encourage you to send mail prior to your camper’s session start to increase the likelihood of it arriving on time.

When sending USPS mail to camp, please address it to:

“Camper Name”
Camp Gallagher
PO Box 67
Lakebay, WA 98349

If you expect your camper to send mail back to you, please send them with pre-addressed and pre-stamped envelopes.

Experiencing homesickness is not uncommon at camp, regardless of age or gender. Parents will be informed by the camp director if their child is suffering from extreme homesickness. However, most instances of homesickness are isolated to bedtime. Our staff work with the camper to help him/her/them feel safe at camp and the homesickness often cures itself. Parents can help by writing appropriate letters.

DO tell your child that you love them. DO ask a lot of questions about what they are doing at camp. DO reassure your child that you will pick them up on the last day of camp. DO NOT make reference to how much you miss your child, how much fun you are having while they are away or that your child’s pet is lonely.

Outside of camp, you may be used to contacting your child by cell phone. At camp, we have a “no cell phone” policy.

Aside from being expensive, and easy to break or get stolen, cell phones may prevent us from helping campers settle into camp, since they may try to talk to you instead of our staff. When kids come to camp, they – and you – are allowing our staff to be their primary caretakers. This is a great act of faith for a parent, and we intend to earn and keep that trust. Sending a cell phone is akin to saying to your child that you haven’t come to peace with them being in our care. It also prevents them from truly settling into the special world we create at camp. Attempted secret use of phones can also create additional conflicts around feelings of lack of safety and privacy for your camper’s cabinmates.

We work diligently to partner with parents. Should your child have a challenge adjusting to camp, we will call you to explain the situation and request your advice. You can help by talking with your child before camp and telling them that there is always someone to whom they can reach out, whether it’s the counselor, an activity leader, nurse or even the director. We specifically introduce campers to many staff on the first day, to help them feel comfortable. We appreciate your assistance!

Parents or guardians will be notified in the event of illness or injury requiring medical attention, if the child is experiencing excessive homesickness or is expressing continued disruptive behavior.

If you need to contact staff or your camper, please contact the main Camp Gallagher line at (888) 658-2230. The number is monitored at all times, but if your call is not answered immediately and concerns an emergency or urgent situation, please state that clearly in your message.

If it becomes necessary for you to cancel a session, please contact the main office as soon as possible so we may make the space available to another camper.

A 10% deposit is required at checkout. Payment options include Visa, MasterCard, Discover Card, and American Express.

Deposits are fully refundable until June 1st. Regardless of registration date, deposits are nonrefundable after June 1st. In the event of cancellation, email info@campgallagher.org at least five days prior to the starting date of the session. The total payment, less your deposit, will be refunded. Cancellations after five days prior to the starting date will result in loss of all fees paid.

Final payment must be submitted two weeks before your session or we reserve the right to cancel your registration. Please do not send money to camp with your child. If you've selected the "bill me automatically" option during registration, your card will automatically be charged the remaining balance 14 days prior to the session start date.

Camp Gallagher reserves the right to cancel any program for which there is insufficient registration. Such cancellation will result in a full refund.

If a camper leaves camp early due to homesickness, illness, injury, parent request, or for discipline reasons, there will be no refund.

We take the safety and well-being of our campers seriously. During camp, we emphasize safety and respect in all our activities. After camp, even though campers are not under our supervision, we remain concerned about their safety. Because campers now use the Internet, cell phones, and text messaging, we appeal to you as parents and guardians to help us maintain a safe environment for your child.

Please review these details; we hope you will share them with your camper, too.

Campers and Social Networking Sites

Social networking sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) and other communication between campers can be a positive extension of the camp experience. When used responsibly, these sites are great places to exchange camp stories and keep in touch with friends.

Since we emphasize positive and respectful communication at camp, we ask that campers continue to be positive and respectful in their correspondence. This includes using appropriate language and always acting in a non-threatening manner. If the rare circumstance arises that your child receives a threatening message and you suspect the sender is a fellow camper, please contact camp administration immediately.

Contacting Staff After Camp

For the benefit and protection of campers and seasonal staff, we ask seasonal staff to not communicate with campers via snailmail or in person after the season ends or via internet or phone at any time. If your camper would like to contact a staff member outside of their session time, we encourage you to help them draft an email to be sent to the main Gallagher account – info@campgallagher.org. We will then forward that message along to the staff member. Please help us support this policy, for the security of both your child and our staff members. Summer camp is a special experience, and these measures keep it that way all year.

Items will be taken to the Camp Gallagher Office one week after the closing day of camp and held until September 1st.

PLEASE MARK EVERYTHING BROUGHT TO CAMP WITH YOUR CAMPER’S NAME. Thank you :)