BRDC Summer Camp Announcement

Dear Camp Families,

We have made the decision to scale back on summer camps due to the ongoing threat of Covid-19. We are canceling all camps for the month of June and are limiting participation for the rest of the summer to a level that ensures we can meet safety guidelines. At the core of our decision-making process is first and foremost our ability to provide a safe environment for participants along with staff. Secondly, as a community-funded non-profit, part of our decision-making process is how to best serve our community in a time of great need. It is essential now more than ever for our youth to spend time outdoors, away from screens, and have access to essential education opportunities. Couple this with parents' need for childcare to relieve pressure from work and the situation becomes critical. The scale of our operations and mission puts us in a unique position to assist our community during this threat. We are therefore giving you our full commitment to providing a safe and enriching summer.  

Below you will find updates regarding this summer. Please feel free to reach out at any point with concerns or unanswered questions. BRDC is preparing modified safety protocols at this time and will have those available for parents to review prior to camp. This is an evolving situation, so more updates will come as the summer progresses. If at any point we are not able to operate the remaining camps due to state and federal mandates, or if the threat evolves to the point in which we cannot offer these services safely, full refunds will be provided to all participants.

Updated Summer 2020 Schedule (please visit: Summer Camps for more information):

Overnight:

  • New River Expedition (11-17), July 8-11, 2020

  • Wilderness Discovery (11-17), July 27-31

  • Fly Fishing Camp (11-17), August 4-8

  • Birding Expedition (11-17), Fall 2020

Day Camps: 

  • Discovery Day Camp: Session I (6-10), July 13-17*

  • Discovery Day Camp: Session II (6-10), July 27-31*

Canceled:

  • All Galax Day Camps have been canceled

  • All Science in Nature Camps have been canceled

  • Konnarock Day Camp Session II July 20-24 is canceled (Session III now becomes “Session II”)

*The two remaining day camps will be located on the BRDC Campus.

If your camp has been canceled: 

We are as disappointed as you are with this cancelation. We hope your kid will be able to join a BRDC camp in the near future. Considering that this is a difficult time economically for both families and non-profits like Blue Ridge Discovery Center, we are making three options available concerning refunds for all cancelations: 

  1. Credit towards space in another camp so long as space allows. 

  2. Make your registration fee a tax-deductible donation to BRDC.

  3. Full refund of the registration fee.

Please email us as at your earliest convenience about your preference and we will process right away.

Sincerely,

Aaron Floyd

Executive Director, Blue Ridge Discovery Center