Miniwanca’s summer camp programs are intentionally designed. We encourage campers to discover their best, live a balanced life and contribute to a positive community. As a Miniwanca volunteer, you will be part of this vibrant community, contributing your time and efforts to help camp run smoothly.
You can make a positive impact on the Miniwanca community in many ways. There are a number of short-term and long-term volunteer opportunities available this summer.
Short-Term Volunteer Opportunities
- Pre-Camp Beautification (2-4 days)
- Flexible dates before June 30
- Weeding garden beds, planting flowers, facilities assistance, etc.
- St. Louis Bus Chaperones (1-3 days)
- July 7 (St. Louis to Miniwanca) or August 9 (Miniwanca to St. Louis)
- Responsible for safe arrival of campers during St. Louis bus ride to or from camp. Travel for the opposite leg of the trip will be provided.
- Registration (1-2 days)
- June 30, July 7, July 21, or July 28
- General clean up, greeting arriving campers, helping with traffic flow, answering questions
- Avail Service Project (3 days)
- July 13 to 15, July 27 to 29
- Light supervision and monitor safety
- Transition weekend (2-3 days)
- July 19-21
- Cleaning, sweeping, special project
Long-Term Volunteers
- Camp Offices (3 to 6 weeks):
- Assist seasonal and full-time staff in Girls Camp Office and Main Office
- Facilities (1 or more weeks)
- Assist facilities teams at Boys and Girls Camp
- Program (1 or more weeks)
- Assist program team with popular Interest Groups such as fishing, boating, crafting, etc.
- General Staff Support (1 or more weeks)
- Assist seasonal and full-time staff with daily tasks at Boys Camp and Girls Camp
- Four Trails Specialists (1 or more weeks)
- Packing out food and equipment
- Driving trip groups and supplies
Miniwanca volunteers...
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of our volunteers will live in our dorm style lodgings, rooming either privately or with one other person. The bathrooms are shared spaces. We ask all volunteers to bring bed linens with them unless they are arriving via the St. Louis Bus or by airplane.
Miniwanca is able to work with a variety of dietary needs and allergies. At each meal, Miniwanca will provide a dairy free, gluten free, and vegetarian option. Miniwanca is peanut and tree nut aware and will not serve anything with those products in it. Some snacks and desserts may be created in a facility that uses peanuts or tree nuts, and safe alternatives will be offered when those are the general option.
As with any position at Miniwanca, choosing volunteers and what their roles will be is a delicate balance of who is available, what their skill sets are, and what Miniwanca needs. Once you have applied to be a volunteer, one of the camp directors will reach out to you to arrange an interview.
Miniwanca volunteers will spend approximately 6 hours each day assisting in their assigned role at camp.
On occasion we have volunteers who want to give of their time but also “just want to spend some time at Miniwanca and enjoy the beach and grounds”. Miniwanca is certainly a special and beautiful place to be, but our primary obligation and responsibility will always be to the young people trusted to our care. Therefore, it is critical that we are staffing our programs with the best possible people and in compliance with our annual staffing plan. Sometimes it is simply not appropriate to offer a volunteer position if that position is not needed or does not fit with the goals of the community.
Volunteer staff are expected to contribute to the community in the same way as paid staff and attend all appropriate trainings, meetings, and meet other responsibilities as outlined in their Service Agreement.
We are not always able to offer childcare for the children of volunteers who are too young to participate in camp programs. If you have young children, please consult with the Program Director.