Camp Whitman on Seneca Lake
Information for Parents
- Contact
Emergency Number to reach the camp: 315-536-8391
Presbytery of Geneva, 315-536-7753
If you have concerns about your child, please feel free to call the camp nurse during the week of camp: 315-536-8391
Campers love mail! Do send a letter, card, etc. to your child at least once. Better yet, send the mail the week before your child comes to camp so that it will be waiting on the first day’s mail call. Send mail from you, grandparents, pet dogs, cats, gerbils, etc. Send mail to:
Your Child’s Name
Camp Whitman
PO Box 278
Dresden, NY 14441-0278
Please do not send “care packages” with food. Food in the cabins attracts wild animals and any diseases they may carry.
Camper email: You can use the Bunk Notes service to send emails to your camper. Emails are printed at 6:00AM then delivered to your camper at lunchtime with the day’s regular postal mail delivery. Email received after 6:00AM is delivered on the following day. 
Camp Check In (first day of camp)- Check in begins at 2:00 PM each Sunday.
Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Camp check in begins at 2:00 PM Tuesday.
Camp check-in takes approximately 30 minutes and includes: camper cabin assignment; meeting counselors and other campers. Be sure you (the parent) and the camper check in with both the camp director and camp nurse before you leave and before the campers joins their group.
Bring any medications your child may require in their original package. All medications must be given to the camp nurse and cannot be left with the camper.
Parents should expect to depart by 3:00 p.m. as cabin groups will begin “safety walks”, camp tours and get acquainted activities.
Camp Check Out (last day of camp)- Camps conclude at 7:00 PM Fridays. The last meal will be Friday evening’s “bon voyage” dinner. Please pick up your camper between 6:00 and 7:00 pm. Plan to meet your child's counselor and director for information on your child’s week. You will also need to check out with the nurse.
Staff- Camp Whitman is staffed with a Camp Director, Property Manager, and Registrar (see our Staff page for more). Our seasonal staff are selected after a thorough application and interview process.
All staff are required to participate in intensive pre-season, on-site training in human relations, safety and first-aid, group skills, outdoor living and more. Each individual camp is under the direct leadership of a college-aged counselor. All counselors receive extensive training at camp prior to the arrival of the campers. We have staff with Lifeguard, CPR and First Aid certifications.
Our kitchen is staffed by a full time, creative cook and three helpful assistants. In addition, we have a full time registered nurse on site at all times.
See also: the New York State Department of Health’s Childrens Camp Staff Requirements
Accommodations- Thirty Cabins each consisting of sleeping accommodations (bunks) for four.
Medical Care- We have full time registered nurse in residence at the camp. All medications must be given to the camp nurse and cannot be left with the camper.
In the event that the nurse feels your child should be checked by a doctor, we will notify you immediately. Camp personnel will transport your child to the emergency room at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hospital in Penn Yan [ map ] (or the closest medical facility if the camper is off-site).
- Visiting
- We encourage you to come on Check In and/or Check Out day to meet your child's counselors and to see our facility. Due to a very full camp schedule, we would ask that you do not visit your child during the regular camp session.
Food- Our menu is planned by a nutritionist and cooked by an excellent staff! We offer a wide range of meals which provide the much needed energy utilized each day. Food is purchased and prepared to provide meals that are nutritious, appetizing, wholesome and appealing.
There is substantial medical evidence showing that caffeine, refined sugar and food preservatives are not healthy for our bodies or behavior. At Camp Whitman, we make most of our food items “from scratch”, thus minimizing preservatives. We serve fresh fruit and fruit juices as beverages, thus eliminating most refined sugars. Campers are not served coffee, tea or sodas.
- Licensing & Accreditation
- Camp Whitman is licensed by the New York State Department of Health. The camp is inspected twice yearly to assure all current regulations and industry standards are met. The inspection reports are filed at Presbytery of Geneva, 89 Main St., Dresden, New York.
