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Director’s Letter

This year we’ve really gone all out to make SWIM as exciting as it can be! We've got great music and dancing, really terrific age-group programs, and the best workshops and outdoor adventures ever. We’ve got a new chaplain, lots of new intergenerational activites, and even some surprises. We’re going to have the time of our lives at Owaissa Bauer – I hope you can join us!

Dee Medley
Director, SWIM 2000, Circle of Life
dmedley@knology.net

SWIM Community Responsibilities

The volunteers on SWIM’s staff who make this week possible welcome you to South Florida to join our intentional community. Our camp can be fragile, both physically and spiritually, so we have some basic guidelines for our behavior:

Owaissa Bauer is an oasis of calm and beauty in a large metropolitan area — we keep it that way by controlling waste and lessening impact on our surroundings.

Volunteers are needed to assist with transportation to many of our activities. We ask that only safe and insured drivers volunteer, and that no designated driver for these activities consume alcohol or any other drug that may impair driving skills.

Because we are an intergenerational community we all serve as surrogate parents when necessary, but parents must remember that they are responsible for their children outside of the regular youth programming times.

We hope to provide a safe and healthful experience for everyone, but we do not have facilities or staff to handle serious medical problems. Please bring needed medication and let us know of any serious problems you may have.

Volunteers Make SWIM Happen

We are an all-volunteer organization. This greatly reduces the cost of SWIM for everybody and helps to build a sense of community at SWIM. People in staff positions are compensated with a small reduction in the cost of SWIM, but they are volunteers, too!

All non-staff participants volunteer for three shifts - in the kitchen, at the information desk, and/or at Serendipity. All volunteer jobs provide time to socialize while getting the work done. For meals on Saturday, we are in the excellent hands of our teen volunteers.

When you register, you'll see a place to indicate your volunteer preferences on the registration form. We will do our best to give you the jobs you ask for on a first-come basis. Of course, you can also volunteer for any job that you see that needs to be done. There's no restriction to the number of helpful things you can do. Also, there's no restriction to the number of hugs of thanks we will give you!