Orange Beach, AL
The Lodge at Gulf State Park
Sunday, September 22 - Friday, September 27, 2024
Sweet home, Alabama - where the skies are so blue!!
Connect with your soul, loved ones, and new friends in the natural beauty of The Lodge. Shed your stress and focus on relationships as you immerse yourself in the seashore and natural habitat of Gulf State Park. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to connect you with nature and with those with you on the journey.
When it comes to “elevated comfort and Southern hospitality,” there’s nothing else like The Lodge anywhere on the Southern Alabama Coast.
check out the resort and get ready for an amazing retreat!
We will enjoy our evening activities just down the road at the beach pavilion!
WHAT TO KNOW
where
The Lodge at Gulf State Park
Address: 21196 E Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
The Lodge is on CST.
ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Volunteer arrival time: Between 4pm - 5pm CST
Volunteer departure time: 9:00am CST
COST
Adult volunteers $1499/adult (based on double occupancy)
Students $100
Support is due one week prior to camp.
Your support also helps make it possible for our guest families to come to camp at no cost. Our goal is to bring down the cost of camp for volunteers. Costs continue to rise, but we are doing all we can to hold and hopefully decrease the volunteer expense. If you need help with funding, don't hesitate to contact us. We also have a limited number of partial scholarships available.
We ask volunteers to use the Blue Skies online personalized giving campaign (FundraiseUp). Our staff will create a page for each volunteer upon their registration for camp. When volunteers self-fund their trip, we ask that they reach out to their friends and family through social media, calls, letters, etc. allowing others to know about their trip to Blue Skies so they can pray, learn about Blue Skies, and have the opportunity to give directly to send a child with cancer and their family to camp. So many people are unable to serve at camp yet want to help and are glad to support others who can serve in their place!
schedule
Most of our activities take place at the resort. We will gather in the evenings at the Beach Pavilion!
Here’s what a day at camp looks like! You’ll get the full schedule along with theme nights for your week at camp about one month before your camp begins. We have theme nights like Luau, Red/White & Blue Skies, Western Hoedown & more!
your role
Each volunteer will serve on a Family Host Team. You/your family will be paired with a guest family to help them feel welcome and host them throughout camp, befriend them. Volunteers will also be assigned to a service team: Program (setting up Good Morning Blue Skies and Evening Activities); Beach (setting up beach/pool); Hospitality (setting up welcome table, lullaby cart); or Food (picking up food orders, running buffet line).
meals
Blue Skies will provide most meals. We’ll have "grab and go" coffee and donuts each morning as well as snacks and bottled water, sodas, and juice boxes at the beach. We will have lunch picnic-style at the resort with sandwich trays and salads. Dinners will be offsite at the beach pavilion, nature center, and/or at a local restaurant.
housing
At our Orange Beach camp location, guests and volunteers will be staying in hotel rooms at the resort. Each family will have a hotel room at the resort, so that means mom, dad and all the kiddos are sharing a room together. (That might be the greatest challenge and sacrifice at camp but also one of the greatest rewards and fondest memories you'll make as a family). There is great peace and blessing when we sacrifice for the good and benefit of others for His namesake.
travel
The nearest airport to Orange Beach is Pensacola (PNS) Airport which is 26 miles away. Other nearby airports include Mobile (MOB) (48.3 miles), Valparaiso (VPS) (63 miles), Gulfport/Biloxi (GPT) (90.3 miles) and Panama City (ECP) (106.5 miles).
what to pack
You won’t need much! Pack casual clothes, bathing suits, flip flops and your toiletries, beach towels, and beach chair/umbrella if you like. Remember to bring all of your family's routine medications like Advil, Tylenol, bandaids, etc. along with any prescription medications, medical supplies, equipment and swim diapers if you have little ones.
We will provide:
Beach towels (provided by the resort)
Snacks and bottled water, canned soda at the beach and pool
Sand toys, sand buckets, rafts, and pool toys
Games, arts & crafts
guidelines
Please review our guidelines for volunteering at camp by clicking HERE. We ask all volunteers to abide by these guidelines to ensure we all have an incredible week together!
2024 volunteer manual
Click here to view our beautiful new Volunteer Manual with lots of helpful information!
Cancellation Policy
If for some reason you are unable to attend once your application has been accepted, you are required to raise/give the full amount of volunteer support due to find another volunteer/volunteer family (approved) to take your spot.