Summer Camps Canceled In Oklahoma Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

Across the county, more than 20 million kids head to summer camps each year, according to the American Camp Association. However, many of them will be staying home this summer due to COVID-19.

“We spend our summer investing in kids and their personal growth, and we are just deeply saddened by having to cancel but we need to do what's best for them,” Oklahoma Association of Student Councils Executive Director Dawn Brockman said.

The OASC canceled two “basic” workshops held at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and five “advanced” workshops at the University of Oklahoma.

“The OASC is the complete opposite of social distancing,” Brockman said. “We could not do what we do because everything is so close. We are huggers, we do a lot of group activities that require us being together.”

Both the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University have since closed their campuses for the summer, canceling all summer camps on their campuses.

As of Monday afternoon, the University of Central Oklahoma had only closed campus through May 31. A university spokeswoman said a few camps are still scheduled for this summer.

The state’s largest Baptist summer camp, Falls Creek, announced Monday it won’t begin welcoming more than 50,000 kids to camp until late June, a delay of about a month.

“After a lengthy period of time of prayer and reflection, as well as conversation with numerous ministry leaders, we have made the difficult decision to cancel our early summer camp plans and work toward a later, more condensed summer schedule,” the camp posted online.

“My message to the kids is we cared so much about them that we had to. We care about their health we care about their well-being,” Brockman said.

She said temporary summertime sadness now, is worth being able to see each other again later.

“We want to be back together,” Brockman said. “There's no one that enjoys each other’s company more than the OASC.”