Welcome!
Gator Wilderness Camp School
44930 Farabee Road
Punta Gorda, Florida 33982
(941) 639-7722
Building Relationships...
Problem Solving...Learning Responsibility..."Help Yourself...Help Others."
"I long to dwell in your tent forever and take
refuge in the shelter of your wings.” Psalm 61:4
At Gator Boys Camp we recognize that healthy, growing relationships require hard work and effort from each person involved. Our society today provides few good examples of “healthy”, nurturing relationships. Despite all of the communication technology available today many in our country continue to suffer acutely with profound loneliness.
It is the goal of each member of the staff team to place a high priority on partnering with campers to (1) develop the desire to believe he can experience success and satisfaction in relationships, and (2) the skill set to achieve these hopes and dreams. Campers are challenged to grow in a relationship with Jesus Christ, parents, peers, and others.
Healthy relationships are extremely satisfying and worthwhile bringing “spice and meaning” to life, it is our desire to see this aspiration met in the lives of campers and their families.
Structure:
Structure at camp provides the framework for teaching the right way in contrast to the wrong way of completing daily living requirements. Campers are taught to make their bed and clean their living structure and campsite daily.
Twice weekly the boys have their dirty clothes laundered by staff after which each boy is responsible to fold his clean clothes and place them neatly in his foot locker. Many of the structures around camp concern the “preservation and care” of our natural surroundings.
Lastly, campers are taught the value of transferring the concept of camp structures to important structures of home, school, and the community.
At camp we know that most successes come with a great effort and effective planning. Groups at camp are required to develop long and short term goals in conjunction with their treatment plans. Long term goals may include ideas the group is dreaming about the next several months. For example, a multiple day canoe trip through the Everglades or the drafting of a new tent designed to be built in campsite. To accomplish these goals successfully the group must learn to function as a team as they seek to solve problems that may arise along the way.
Short term goals: Each week the group discusses and writes out a very specific set of plans based upon the group’s needs for the coming week. Specific goals and objectives must co-inside with the group’s long term goals. As a camper participates in this planning process he begins to understand that effective planning goes far beyond an impulsive idea or a “my way first” attitude. Instead good planning is rooted in clear plans with specific targets and goals at the forefront.
When a group learns to internalize the planning process a deep sense of accomplishment and confidence replaces the “cycle of failure” our campers have often experienced in the past.
Open Under New Management
LETTER FROM BOARD PRESIDENT GLEN BYLER
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 118:1
At Gator Wilderness Camp School we know God is faithful; we’ve experienced his enduring love again this year. Gator Camp re-opened on September 8, 2009 with a five new staff members and one camper. By July 1, 2010 the camp had grown to include twelve staff members, thirteen campers, with additional families and boys waiting to be enrolled. Boys and their families are finding a place of safety and healing at Gator Wilderness Camp School, and we, as Board of Directors, give praise to our gracious God for all he has brought to pass here.
Another praise we give to God is for the recently completed staff house on the property at Gator Camp. This new building will house the director and his family and several chiefs. It’s humbling to see how God works through his people to bring about his purposes, and it’s such a privilege to be part of his plan.
I thank God, too, for the dedicated staff that He blessed us with and for all the volunteers that have blessed us with their time and talents.
On a more personal note, it truly is a blessing and a privilege to be a part of Gator Wilderness Camp School and to be able to see the difference it makes in the lives of these young boys and their families. To see the way that God supplies our needs on a day to day basis is a real blessing. Gator Camp truly is the work of God and we are but his hands and feet.
Pray that we sense God's leading for the future and that we continue to make a difference in the lives of boys and their families. Gator Wilderness Camp School has definitely made a difference in my life and I hope it is a blessing to you.
Thank you for supporting boys and their families through your prayers and your gifts of time and money. None of the work here at Gator Camp could have come to fruition without the Lord and his people who have responded to his call.
Press Release:
Gator Wilderness Camp School Approved for McKay Scholarships and Florida Tax Credit Scholarships
PUNTA GORDA – Gator Wilderness Camp School recently received approved from the Florida Department of Education to participate in the McKay Scholarship Program and the Florida Tax Credit Corporate scholarships. These successful funding options for families are part of the Office of the Independent Education and Parental Choice’s plan to increase the quantity and improve the quality of educational for Florida’s students.
Gator Wilderness Camp School is a private, non-profit year-round camping program designed specifically to serve adolescent boys from the ages of 10-15 years old. This group of boys is struggling significantly to interpret a myriad of issues in their families, schools, and communities. For more information about the camp, please call the office at (941) 639-7722 or click on www.gatorwildernesscamp.com
