Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We do our best to keep our camping program intact even in the event of rain. Nevertheless, sometimes rain can be a deterrent and our schedule has to be adjusted. We are fortunate to have a lot of indoor space, and we typically relocate as many activities as possible to indoor sites. Our program coordinators come up with rainy day activities for our campers. These include 4-square in the Old Dining Hall, board games, etc.

Camp tuition costs $1100 for a 2-week session. The 1-week option during Session 1 costs $750, and Iconography Camp during Session 3 costs $800. This includes all meals (3 per day, except Sunday in which campers are served a hearty brunch after Liturgy and dinner), snacks, lodging, and programming.

Campers do not need to carry any money with them during the session for any reason. We collect any money upon arrival for safe-keeping, and return that money to the campers at the end of the session. Parents may wish to put money in their kids’ bookstore account(s) before arrival or by credit card upon arrival, so they may purchase items from our bookstore, and also for meals/snacks if traveling by bus, plane, or train. We suggest giving your child $40-$50 for the bookstore. This money is collected upon arrival and put into a personal bookstore account for each child. Our bookstore includes items such as various items of clothing, Byzantine icons, Christian-themed books, water bottles, stuffed animals, postcards, envelopes and stamps, rain ponchos, and lots of other fun items!

Yes! We provide transportation to and from the Pittsburgh International Airport and the Latrobe airport for a small fee. Arrivals and departures must fall within our designated times, which can be found in our Camper Parent Handbook. Uniformed staff will meet and drop off your campers at the gate.

The active camp schedule prevents regular contact with your camper. If your child is sent to camp via plane, bus, or train, your child will be reminded to call home immediately after checking in, in order to confirm­ his or her safe arrival. Thereafter, outgoing calls may be allowed only at the discretion of the Camp Director, and only for emergency situations. Receiving or placing phone calls during the session disrupts the program and often makes homesickness worse, so calls are now allowed except for emergency circumstances. Therefore, you will probably not hear from the camp or your camper during the session, and remember, “no news is good news!” If your camper suffers serious injury or illness, you will be promptly notified. This includes any issue requiring off-camp health services or an illness in which a fever lasts for more than 24 hours.

We know how hard it can be to “let go,” not knowing what your child is doing during their stay. To give you a non-invasive “peek” in on them, parents and others are invited to check the camp website for daily updates during the camping session at http://avcamp.smugmug.com/. At our website, you can find pictures of campers in action with accompanying narration to fill you in on the day’s events. Please understand that these photos merely give you a snapshot of the day. We are unable to provide photos of every child considering we have about 300 people at camp on any given day.

Should an emergency requiring communication with your child arise, please call the Camp Office at 724-238-9565. If it is after hours, the voicemail system will offer you an emergency number to dial.

We encourage letter writing both to and from camp, with mail being delivered daily (except for Sundays and national holidays). Sending a letter before your child leaves home is a good idea, as the mail will be waiting for your child on their first full day at camp. Ask questions about camp, but avoid telling your child how much you miss them or problems that may exist at home, as this may spark homesickness. Short declarations of love such as, “We’re so proud of you,” or “We love you,” or “See you real soon!” are just what your child will want to hear.

We also provide a service called Bunk1 where parents can send emails to their camper(s). See the link for more information.

If your camper suffers serious injury or illness, you will be promptly notified. This includes any issue requiring off-camp health services or an illness in which a fever lasts for more than 24 hours.

If there is an emergency at home that requires communication with your child, please call the Camp Office at 724-238-9565. If it is after hours, the voicemail system will offer you an emergency number to dial.

Your child will live in a furnished cabin with 6-7 other campers closest to his/her age and 1 counselor, though some cabins have 2 counselors and 6 campers, or 1 counselor and 1 CIT (Counselor-in-training) and 6 campers. Each cabin has 4 sets of bunk beds (8 beds total), a private bathroom with a sink, toilet, and shower, and a closet area to hang nice clothes and jackets.

The staff at Antiochian Village takes responsibility for your camper immediately following check-in on registration day, and our staff remains responsible until your camper is signed out on departure day. If flying or taking a train/bus, the Antiochian Village staff is responsible for your child from the moment he/she meets our staff at the gate/terminal, until your child boards the plane/train/bus to return home.

While at camp, your child is entrusted to one of our trained counselors. All of our staff are certified in First-Aid, CPR, and AED by the American Red Cross. As part of our accreditation status and in compliance with Pennsylvania state law, we run a series of criminal, child abuse, and sex offender background checks on both our hired and volunteer staff, to ensure that our campers are safe at all times.

Yes! The Church services are the central part of our Orthodox lifestyle we live here at the Antiochian Village. All campers, staff, and volunteers are required to attend the church services.

Campers are assigned to cabins based on age and separated by gender, so your child will be put in a cabin with 5 or 6 other campers closest in age. We are unable to accept roommate requests. However, due to the proximity of the cabins to each other and the many activities we offer, campers have several opportunities throughout the day to spend time with campers in other cabins.

All payments are due by April 30, or the camper’s spot may be offered to those on the waitlist for that particular session. Special payment arrangements can be made by writing the Camp Director, but such requests must be received prior to the April 30 deadline. All balances will be billed to the camper’s parents, regardless of any parish subsidies, so parents are encouraged to ensure that all parish subsidies are paid before the April 30 deadline to avoid losing their camper’s spot in the session.

After registering your child for summer camp, you must fill out the online Medical Information and submit the Camper Medical Form by April 30. You must pay the camp tuition in full by April 30, unless special payment arrangements have been made. Also, please prepare your child for camp by reading through the Camper Parent Handbook–we update it every year, so please read it as changes have been made.

Please read our camper parent handbook and take a look at our Parents Resources Page.

The Antiochian Village offers lots of activities that children normally do not get to experience at home! We offer church services twice a day, which very few parishes have. We have a challenge/ropes course with several high and low elements (ages 11 and up), an overnight camping program (ages 11 and up), and afternoon activities such as archery and canoeing. We also have some fun evening programs such as carnival night, hafli night (Arabic & ethnic dancing), a pool party, and serenade night, in which cabins write a song together and perform it for each other.

No snacks need to be sent with the campers or mailed to camp as each camper receives two snack items per day from our Gimme Shop, including soda, candy, snacks, fruit, or ice cream, and dessert is served twice daily at lunch and evening program. The cost of these snacks is included in the camper fee. At camp, packages with food are simply an invitation for rodents and ants to come to a scrumptious dinner. Treats from home also often lead to stomachaches and improper nutrition, and complicate relationships between campers with treats and those without. Please note that any food received will be shared immediately and must be nut-free.

The following list is from our packing list in the camper-parent handbook:

  • Changes of clothing for at least 7 days, with all items marked in indelible ink or iron-on tags
  • Nice outfits for Divine Liturgies (3 per session)
  • Long pants (jeans or sweats are OK) for church services each day other than Divine Liturgy
  • Long sleeve t-shirts or other long sleeve shirts (mosquito protection)
  • Sturdy tennis/athletic shoes
  • Modest swimsuit (no two-piece suits or one-piece with cut-outs permitted)
  • Sweater, sweatshirt, or lightweight jacket
  • Waterproof raincoat or poncho
  • Sleeping bag, sheet (twin-size) and pillow or (twin-size) set of sheets, blanket and pillow
  • Laundry Bag, marked with camper’s name
  • Two towels, washcloth
  • Insect Repellant (non-aerosol, 10% max DEET for children under 12, 30% max for 13 and up)
  • Toiletries, including: Comb/brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, deodorant (non-aerosol)
  • Flashlight
  • Optional: Bible, camera (marked with name), journal, hiking boots (age 16-17), water bottle, travel games (non-electronic), cards

If for medical reasons there are dietary restrictions or food allergies for your camper, please fill out the FARE Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan Form and upload it to your child’s account by April 30, so that the Camp Nurse and Kitchen Staff may properly prepare for your camper’s arrival.

A Registered Nurse is in residence during the camping season to take care of any health care needs. Please fill out the Medication Permission Form and upload it to your child’s account by April 30 to receive the $50 refund. Upon your camper’s arrival, he/she will meet with the Camp Nurse to review any medical concerns. All medication (prescription and over-the-counter) will be collected upon arrival at camp, so please pack them in an accessible location. Prescription medication must be brought in the original prescription container with the original pharmacy label.

Safety is always a priority for our ministry. We do this by hiring some of the finest young men and women to serve on our staff; through extensive training and education; having a team of professionals from a variety of disciplines to support our ministry; by having at least one full-time Registered Nurse to staff our Health Center; and by providing resources for our parents among other things. We run background clearance checks on our staff and volunteers, as required by the State of Pennsylvania and the American Camp Association. All of our staff are First-Aid, CPR, and AED certified. See the Safety Measures page for more information.

We receive our accreditation by the American Camp Association which signifies that we uphold the highest standards for safety and programming in the camping industry. We are visited every five years by a team of accreditation visitors to ensure that we are maintaining these standards for excellence.

We encourage you to visit the American Camp Association’s website for more information about accreditation and to see resources:

www.acacamps.org and www.campparents.org.

If you have any more questions, please call us at 724-238-9565, or e-mail us at office@avcamp.org. We will be more than happy to talk with you and answer any questions you may have!