Port St. Joe, Florida
WindMark Beach
Sunday, July 19 - Thursday, July 23, 2026
Thank you for serving with us to bring hope and Blue Skies to those who need it most!
Please read the information below - everything on this page is here to help you get ready for camp!
We are excited to be staying at Hotel St. Joseph in downtown PSJ during camp this year!
VOLUNTEER INFO ABOUT CAMP
This page is just for you! We will keep it updated with all of the information you need for camp! THANK YOU for serving with us! Camp isn’t camp without YOU!
where
Hotel St. Joseph, Port St. Joe, Florida
Address: 504 Monument Ave, Port St. Joe, FL 32456
ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Volunteer arrival time: 2:00 - 2:30pm EST
Port St. Joe is only a couple of miles from CST, so be sure to set your phones to stay on EST! If you are running late, please call your Site Director.
Volunteers arrive the same day as our guest families. We will have volunteer training, prepare for camp and have an opportunity to get to know one another during orientation at camp (just after check-in).
Volunteer departure time: 9:00am EST
Fundraising
THANK YOU! THANK YOU for not only giving of yourselves to serve, but for also giving financial support (or raising support) so that our special guest families can spend a few days away from the chaos of cancer at no cost! Our hope is to serve more and more families - 47 are diagnosed everyday! The best way for us to spread the word is when you share your story of coming to camp. So, please share on social media so that your friends and family can learn about Blue Skies and have the opportunity to give. Fewer people are able/willing to come and serve but more and more are happy to give so that others can serve! If you pay your support rather than share the fundraising link, we hope you’ll share on social media and let people know about Blue Skies!
Every Blue Skies camp costs between $50,000 and $75,000 to make happen. Volunteer support typically funds about 25-50% of what it actually costs to host a retreat. If you know of a church, company, or individual who would be willing to help sponsor part of camp to bring hope, that would help immensely! We want families walking through pediatric cancer to experience camp completely free of charge—a place where they can rest, laugh, and reconnect. Your contribution helps make that possible. We work hard to keep volunteer costs as low as we can, and if you need help, we are here to help! Also, we have a limited number of scholarships available. Just ask! If you are coming by yourself and need help finding a roommate to share the cost, let us know!
When you volunteer, you’re not just helping with meals or activities, you’re giving families a break from cancer. You’re creating space for laughter, rest, and joy during one of the hardest seasons of their lives. Parents get to breathe. Kids get to play. Families get to feel hope again.
SUPPORT IS DUE ONE WEEK BEFORE CAMP. (If you need extra time, please contact us.)
schedule
Here’s what a day at camp looks like! You’ll get the final schedule in your group text the week of camp!
your role
Each volunteer will serve as a Family Host. You/your family (and possibly more volunteers depending on the size and needs of the guest family) will be paired with a guest family to help them feel welcome and host them throughout camp, befriend them and be available to help. You will find out your guest family the day of camp. We hope you will meet and get to know all of the guests (and volunteers). Along with serving as a Family Host, there are opportunities to serve at camp by helping to set up/breakdown for each activity (beach, meals, theme nights, etc.)
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!
JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP:
Make sure to join the Facebook group here, for more updates and intro’s from other families going to camp!
YOUR CAMP T—SHIRT
We have fun camp t-shirts designed uniquely for the PSJ camp. You will receive a text with a link to a google form along with a picture of the shirt to let us know if you would like one and your preferred size. (We get it, not everyone is a t-shirt person OR you may not see yourself wearing this year’s shirt. No worries! Just click on the link to the google form and select, no thank you. It will help us be good stewards to give shirts only to those who would like one:))
meals
Thanks to our local volunteers in PSJ, most of our meals are taken care of by their team. That means they are picking up the food, serving it and even cleaning up afterwards (AND doing a lot of the theme night decorating!). Please help us show our HUGE gratitude by thanking them when you see them (and, if you’re up for it, jump in and offer your help)! Their support allows us to maximize our time with the guests, helping them feel seen and loved. Some of the sweetest memories and best connections at camp have been made while sharing a meal together!
We will need some volunteer help with lunches and maybe a few other meals. Each morning during our volunteer gathering, we will let you know about needs and you can sign up to help!
We will have snacks and drinks at most camp activities. We encourage everyone to bring a reusable water bottle, it helps us be good stewards!
housing
New this year, volunteers and guests will stay at a local hotel in downtown PSJ. It’s a darling new 27 room hotel that we rented out for camp! Your room assignments will be given to you by the Blue Skies staff at check-in. (For those of you who’ve been to PSJ with us, it overlooks the bay near the public pier, playground and pickleball courts.)
Just a friendly reminder, each volunteer/volunteer family will stay in a hotel room. (That means if you’re coming with your family, 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.
communication at camp
We are going to try GroupMe this year at camp to communicate with our volunteers and guest families. You will receive a team text soon! We will send daily camp schedules, updates, and encouragements via the group text.
WHAT TO PACK
You won’t need much! Pack casual clothes, bathing suits, flip flops and your toiletries, sunscreen, refillable water bottle, beach towels (there are pool towels at the hotel), and a beach chair/umbrella if you like. We have some extra chairs and umbrellas, sand toys, games, etc. but if you want to be sure you have a beach chair/umbrella, you may want to bring one with you.
Remember to bring all of your family's routine medications like Advil, Tylenol, bandaids, etc. along with any prescription medications, sunscreen and swim diapers if you have little ones.
Some evenings, we have theme parties that you may want an outfit from home or accessories to add fun to the evening. It always makes it extra special and more memorable when people show up dressed for the party!
Our theme nights are:
Suday: Splish Splash Blue Bash (Wear a blue bathing suit if you have one!)
Monday: It’s a Blue Skies HoeDown! (Grab your boots, bandanas, cowboy hats and denim, it’s time for BBQ and boot scootin’ boogie!)
Tuesday: Christmas in July! (Wear your Christmas PJs, an ugly Christmas sweater, a Christmas blowup costume or something festive!)
Wednesday: Red, White, and BLUE SKIES (Hooray for the red, white and blue! Grab your flags, beads, red, white and blue accessories and t-shirts and get ready for our Hometown Parade!)
podcast
Click here to hear Melinda’s heart behind the ministry and the hope Blue Skies brought to the Dryden family as they join Christy Nockels on her podcast!
volunteer manual
Click here to view our volunteer manual with lots of helpful information!
Guest family welcome letter
Click here to read a welcome from Melinda to our guest families to learn more about Blue Skies!
additional info
Hotel St Joseph is right beside the community’s pickle ball courts! Bring your paddle if you play!
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.
snorkeling
One of our favorite activities at camp is snorkeling! Volunteers and our guest families enjoy a day on the bay together hunting for the treasures in the sea. We find starfish, hermit crabs, sand dollars and have fun looking for dolphins as we cross the bay on our adventure! The most fun is spending time together and getting to know one another.