Camp IAWAH: Parent Interview with Travis Wiegand

Watch our Parent interview with The Wiegands to hear firsthand what children experience and how they grow at Camp IAWAH.

Transcript of the interview

What's unique about Camp IAWAH?

Mr. Wiegand

Camp IAWAH stands out for us as a unique camp for one reason: spiritual development. They invest a lot of time and energy into the campers as well as into the staff, from a spiritual growth standpoint. They look at each kid, from a camper to the Crew program to the Roots program, and then all the staff at different levels, helping them grow where they are at different age groups.

Mrs. Wiegand

The activities that they have: rock climbing, water skiing, hiking, crafts, swimming, canoeing, archery, a lot of different water sports. There's never a chance for children to be bored. There are always lots of opportunities to learn different activities and be exposed to different things they haven't had a chance to before.

Mr. Wiegand

Probably the big thing that our boys talk about is the food at IAWAH. Through church and other opportunities, they've gone to different camps on a retreat or this, that, or the other thing. And every time they compare the IAWAH food to whatever location they went to, and every single time it's, “Well,  IAWAH food was better, and this [motions lower] is where other food was.” 

The food at Camp IAWAH is great, including how they accommodate kids and campers, and staff with dietary restrictions. Volunteering in the kitchen sometimes, I've seen the number of gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan, lactose-intolerant, all the different accommodations. They make sure that there's good-tasting food for each of those accommodations.

Mrs. Wiegand

Safe food. And Rose's Bread. That’s definitely something to write home about.

Mr. Wiegand

The facilities at IAWAH are awesome. It's a huge 200-acre property with a large beachfront. The space is glorious. The cabins, the buildings, the gym - they're continually updating them and upgrading them. They're great now, but they continually get better. 

The programming at IAWAH is awesome! Primetime is a great place for the kids to learn about Jesus and about the salvation message, as well as get to know the different worship songs they might not be exposed to if they don't go to church or the different churches that they might go to. When our kid came home from camp, he put those songs on his Spotify playlist, and that was something near and dear to our hearts.

How did you know that Camp IAWAH was the right fit?

Mr. Wiegand

Camp IAWAH has been near and dear to my heart since I went there in the early 2000s as staff. IAWAH gave me an opportunity to grow and develop into who I am as a human being, as well as who I am as a Christian, in my faith. We feel and believe it's important for our kids to have that same opportunity. 

For us, IAWAH was that perfect place. As a family, we try to get up and volunteer as much as we can, whether it's at an open house. Or, if there's a retreat going on, we try to serve behind the scenes. That’s given our kids an opportunity to see Camp IAWAH in different ways before they became campers themselves. It was an opportunity for them to figure out what IAWAH was like and get comfortable with it before going.

Was there any personal growth you saw in your child?

Mrs. Wiegand

We've seen personal growth in both of our kids since starting at Camp IAWAH. For example, our oldest has grown as a servant leader. 

Every summer camp week has both junior and senior camps where we could send our 11- and nine-year-old simultaneously. Last summer, they came home, and Gavin told us how one day, Sawyer, his younger brother, was struggling to figure out an activity to do. So Gavin took a bit of a leadership role with his younger brother. He noticed him struggling and took some time out to help Sawyer decide, and figure out the logistics around it. We hadn't seen that leadership side of him before, that protective side. That was really nice. 

[They’ve also grown] in confidence and independence, in being there without us, making decisions on their own, and meeting other kids they've never met before, and trying new things. 

[They’ve got] confidence to try new things, make mistakes, learn from their mistakes, then try again, and finally succeed. That confidence gives them a sense of satisfaction and pride in themselves because of what they’ve learned and accomplished.

How can you help your child get the most out of their experience with Camp IAWAH?

Mr. Wiegand

If you go to the IAWAH website, you can find all the different opportunities and activities and open houses coming up in the near future. For example, there’s Thanksgiving weekend or there's one in February [time of recording] coming up. On the Saturday of the May long weekend, there’s a big open house. 

These are great opportunities for people who are newer to camp or don't even know of camp. It's an opportunity to see the property and what it's like, especially at the open house on the May long weekend. They can do different activities there: the climbing wall’s open, archery’s open. You get a tour of the property. You can see where your kid would be sleeping. And especially on the May long weekend, there's a barbecue lunch. It’s a great way to sample some of the food, see what the camp looks like, and experience a bit of  IAWAH in a very quick snapshot.

Mrs. Wiegand 

One thing a lot of parents struggle with is wondering what your kid has been up to, whether they're having fun, whether they’re feeling lonely or safe. IAWAH uses an app called Bunk One, a secure, password-protected app on your phone. 

The week before your child goes to camp, they'll provide you with a password. They have a photographer taking pictures of all the kids doing activities throughout the entire week and every day, uploading new photos of what they've been up to. So for the parent who is curious of what their child has been up to [can log in to the app and] see all the activities they've been up to and try to spot their child in those photos, to get an update.

What would you tell other parents about the overall value of sending kids to Camp IAWAH?

One of the most important things kids get when they come to IAWAH is an opportunity to see their Creator in his Creation. The beautiful property at IAWAH affords them that chance to see God's Creation at its fullest. It's not paved roads, sidewalks, or city lights. 

You’re out in the middle of the night sometimes, even going to the washroom, and you look up and see stars that you've never seen before. The night sky at IAWAH is absolutely beautiful. Or it's during the day when you just heard that Primetime message talking about maybe Creation or maybe Genesis, and you walk around through the forest, seeing trees in a way that you don't get to see them in the city. 

Probably the most important thing I appreciate is the disconnecting from screens. It's stepping back from what’s normal [and] every day in our society now, to get to a place where it's okay to not check your phone. It's okay not to play the latest video game every minute of the day. You can enjoy camp without having to be attached to something.

What does your child say about their experience with Camp IAWAH?

Mrs. Wiegand

Our family has been going up to Camp IAWAH for years now. Travis [father] has been going up since he was in university, as a counselor. When we started having kids, we were quick to introduce them to IAWAH to the point where when we tell them that we're going, they get very excited. 

They have a lot of fond memories of being there as campers now. They're old enough to be there for the week on their own and they really look forward to going up. The staff are always very relational and caring. Our youngest one, specifically, when he's been able to go to their camp, he attaches himself to the leaders because they're so caring and make all the kids feel special and like they belong. They go out of their way to meet the emotional needs of the children where they are. 

They come home singing camp songs. They have endless stories about their experiences and adventures. Gavin was very thrilled to be able to get up on the kneeboard this past summer in the water sports. They just look forward to going up every time we tell them that they are going.

When they get to go for two weeks, that's even better.

Any final thoughts?

Mr. Wiegand

Send your kids to IAWAH. It's something you won't regret. [Look at] the person they are when you send them to camp, and you’ll be amazed at the person they are when you pick them up. You're also going to get badgered day in, day out for the next while. “Can I go back to camp? Can you sign me up for next year? Can we go again, please?” Expect it and sign them up and you'll be good to go. 

Sending your kid to camp is something you will not regret.

Interviews with parents, participants, and alum