Camp Firwood
Encyclopedia
Camp Firwood is an American Camp Association
approved Christian summer camp
situated on Lake Whatcom
, southeast of Bellingham, Washington
. It is part of "The Firs", a Christian camp and retreat ministry that is in good standing with the Christian Camp and Conference Association.
in July 1921. This was the start of what would become a multi-site, multi-program organization now called "The Firs". In 1954, a group of 30 Junior High campers paddling on Lake Whatcom landed on a camp site which they called "White Sands". With the permission of the property owner, the first week-long resident camp took place on this 80 acres (32.4 ha) property, which soon become known as Camp Firwood. In 1955, Camp Firwood was purchased for $35,000.
Today, Camp Firwood runs ten weeks of camp for youth 7–18 years of age, and houses up to 260 campers a week. The camp now encompasses 118 acres (47.8 ha) of beautiful forest, 4500 feet (1,371.6 m) of waterfront, and its own private island. They host day camps and resident camps, both of which are co-ed. In 2010, they opened a new 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) dining hall, dubbed the Centerhouse, to more adequately accommodate the growing number of campers.
Also in 2010, the camp finished in the Top 5 for "Best Fun Place for Kids in Western Washington" by King5's Evening Magazine
.
, arts and crafts, a 10-stage high ropes challenge course, a 20 ft (6.1 m) climbing
center, archery
range, soccer field, basketball court
, 3.8 ft (1.2 m) skateboard
ramps, and a beach volleyball
court. Water activities include a swimming beach, two aqua jump trampoline
s, an aqua swing, kayaking
, canoeing
, sailing
, waterskiing, wakeboarding
, and tubing
. They also have a "blob
."
Other
American Camp Association
The American Camp Association , formerly known as the American Camping Association, is a 501 nonprofit that serves the United States. It is an association for camp owners, camp professionals and others interested in summer camps and similar camp programs.ACA runs an accreditation criterion for camps...
approved Christian summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
situated on Lake Whatcom
Lake Whatcom
Lake Whatcom Reservoir is located in Whatcom County, Washington. It is the drinking water source for approximately 85,000 residents in the City of Bellingham as well as Whatcom County. It is approximately 10 miles total in length and 1 mile in width at its widest...
, southeast of Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
. It is part of "The Firs", a Christian camp and retreat ministry that is in good standing with the Christian Camp and Conference Association.
History
Camp Firwood was founded by Otis and Julia Whipple, who gathered 35 people for a five-day retreat at their property overlooking Lake WhatcomLake Whatcom
Lake Whatcom Reservoir is located in Whatcom County, Washington. It is the drinking water source for approximately 85,000 residents in the City of Bellingham as well as Whatcom County. It is approximately 10 miles total in length and 1 mile in width at its widest...
in July 1921. This was the start of what would become a multi-site, multi-program organization now called "The Firs". In 1954, a group of 30 Junior High campers paddling on Lake Whatcom landed on a camp site which they called "White Sands". With the permission of the property owner, the first week-long resident camp took place on this 80 acres (32.4 ha) property, which soon become known as Camp Firwood. In 1955, Camp Firwood was purchased for $35,000.
Today, Camp Firwood runs ten weeks of camp for youth 7–18 years of age, and houses up to 260 campers a week. The camp now encompasses 118 acres (47.8 ha) of beautiful forest, 4500 feet (1,371.6 m) of waterfront, and its own private island. They host day camps and resident camps, both of which are co-ed. In 2010, they opened a new 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²) dining hall, dubbed the Centerhouse, to more adequately accommodate the growing number of campers.
Also in 2010, the camp finished in the Top 5 for "Best Fun Place for Kids in Western Washington" by King5's Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine
Evening Magazine is the name of various news and entertainment style local television shows in different markets.-The original concept:...
.
Activities
Although its main attractions are at the waterfront, Camp Firwood also hosts a variety of other activities including paintballPaintball
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside propelled from a device called a paintball marker . Paintballs have a non-toxic, biodegradable, water soluble...
, arts and crafts, a 10-stage high ropes challenge course, a 20 ft (6.1 m) climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
center, archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
range, soccer field, basketball court
Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
, 3.8 ft (1.2 m) skateboard
Skateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
ramps, and a beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
court. Water activities include a swimming beach, two aqua jump trampoline
Trampoline
A trampoline is a device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric stretched over a steel frame using many coiled springs. People bounce on trampolines for recreational and competitive purposes....
s, an aqua swing, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, waterskiing, wakeboarding
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
, and tubing
Tubing
Tubing may refer to:* Tubing , flexible hose or pipe * Tubing , the act of riding an inner tube* Structural tubing* Plumbing tube used in domestic water systems* Inserting a tube* Brass instrument tubing...
. They also have a "blob
Blobbing
Blobbing is an outdoor water activity in which a participant sits on the end of a partially inflated air bag and is then launched into the water after another participant jumps onto the air bag from a platform on the opposite side. The activity is popular at summer camps in North America...
."
External links
- Camp Firwood Centerhouse
- Camp Firwood on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- Camp Firwood on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Camp Firwood on LinkedinLinkedInLinkedIn is a business-related social networking site. Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking. , LinkedIn reports more than 120 million registered users in more than 200 countries and territories. The site is available in English, French,...
- Camp Firwood on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- Camp Firwood on SmugMug PhotosSmugmugSmugMug is a paid digital photo sharing website.- History :Chris MacAskill and Don MacAskill started the original company to build a new video game-oriented web service in February 2002. By August 2002, though, their focus shifted...
Other
- Camp Firwood on EverythingSummerCamp (packing list)
- Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA)