WSCC Press Release

PRESS RELEASE - Washington State

March 23, 2021

Governor Inslee has released guidance Phase 3 Guidance Page 6 secured with the assistance of The Washington State Camp Coalition (WSCC) that allows overnight summer camp to operate safely this summer. The WSCC was founded by co-chairs Raina Baker, Executive Director of Camp Beausite Northwest, and Zach Duitch, Executive Director of Camp Solomon Schechter. Together, they created the WSCC Leadership Alliance made up of 11 camp professionals representing all different types of camps across the state that would be able to guide the coalition in working with the state to lift the mandate on residential camps.

“We’re so appreciative that Governor Inslee and the Department of Health embraced our science-driven approach to address the safety of our campers as we collaborated with the State and put forward a blueprint to return to overnight camping in Washington,” said Duitch. “We brought a team of experts, including David Shore of Environmental Health & Engineering, Michelle Branconier of the American Camp Association, to help us formulate a plan that works for Washington and complies with CDC standards.” Thanks also to Max Patashnik and Nancy Sapiro of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and Andy Kaplowitz of Tikkun Olam Consulting for their assistance on strategy and advocacy during the process. Thank you, as well, to the members of the WSCC Leadership Alliance for their dedication to the cause and beyond: Bill Beaumont with Boy Scouts of America; Carrie Lawson with Camp Fire Camp Sealth; David Affolter with YMCA Camp Orkila; Becky Felak with The Goodtimes Project; Kyle McPherson with YMCA Camp Dudley; Paul Sheridan with Fourwinds; Rick Taylor with Camp Fire Camp Sealth; Sheila Talmon with Camp Nor’wester; Terry Andrew with Silver Lake Bible Camp; and Tim McElravy with Lake Wenatchee YMCA.

About the Washington State Camp Coalition

Founded in the fall of 2020 by Duitch and Baker, the WSCC is the collective voice of Washington State resident camps that are advocating at the state level for the camp industry.

The Washington State Camp Coalition has three main intentions:

1. Connect and engage the resident camps of Washington for our common purpose of providing the best in youth development and experiential community opportunities.

2. Advocate at the state level to ensure support of resident camps through the COVID pandemic, as well as to assure a sustaining viability of our industry.

3. Educate the citizens of the state on the efficacy and key drivers of the camp experience as a contributing component of social and emotional development.

WSCC has over 70 camps representing the 145 overnight camps that serve over 400,000 children from communities across the state along with campers from around the world. Collectively, the overnight camp industry contributes almost $156 million annually to Washington’s economy.

For more information about the WSCC, contact Zach Duitch, at zduitch@campschechter.org or (425) 375-4059 or Raina Baker at rbaker@campbeausitenw.org or (760) 271-3761.