Join us at Hope Heals Retreat!

Hope Heals Retreat is a weekend of respite, resourcing, and relaxation for families affected by disabilities. We holistically serve every member of a family unit, so we build our programming around the unique needs, abilities, and ages of every participant. Adults will enjoy times of worship, teaching, and small group conversation, while kids and teens dive into hours of fun and accessible recreation, arts and crafts, music, and adventure experiences. Kids age 3 and under will be cared for in the onsite nursery. In the evenings we’ll celebrate together at some amazing parties, eat a lot of good food, and—most importantly—build lifelong friendships with other campers and volunteers.

While the events and activities are wonderful, the real magic of Retreat happens as relationships form. Volunteers come to work and facilitate and serve, but your main job is to make a whole bunch of friends. As a volunteer, you will receive much more than you give—guaranteed.

Please note that volunteers are never responsible for the toileting or medical needs of campers.

Volunteers will arrive between 2 and 4 PM ET on Friday, November 8. It's important that you're able to arrive by 4 PM so you can participate in our volunteer orientation. Retreat will wrap up by noon ET on Sunday, November 10.

Because Hope Heals Retreat serves SO many types of amazing people, there are a ton of ways to contribute. Based on your preference and our needs, you may serve as...

• Compassionate Companion (CC): You'll be paired up with a person with a disability to act as a friend, encourager, and helper throughout the weekend. CCs may also be paired with a typically-abled child who is a sibling or child of a person with a disability. Typical family members often need as much love and attention as a person with disability.

• Flexer: Our kids and youth programming require a lot of extra hands, so Flexers are extremely valuable in activity facilitation and crowd control.

• Hospitality Crew: If you have a flair for hosting, decorating, or event planning, you can use your gifts to on the Hospitality Crew. You’ll facilitate special celebrations and add touches that make our campers feel right at home.

• Medical Crew: If you're a registered nurse or physician, you can keep our campers and volunteers happy and healthy by treating minor illnesses and injuries. Medical Crew is not responsible for medical or toileting needs of campers with disability.

• Logistics Crew: Simply put, you'll get stuff done around Hope Heals Retreat. Set up and take down of special events, refilling water jugs, golf cart transportation for campers with mobility issues—if a job needs doing, our Logistics Crew makes it happen.

No special certifications or experience is required to serve at Hope Heals Retreat. You just need a willingness to learn, adapt, and serve with the love, integrity, and humility of Jesus. All volunteer applicants must complete a background check to ensure the safest environment for our campers.

Serving Eligibility

• You must be 10 years or older (as of November 10, 2023) to serve at Retreat

• Individuals over 18 can attend and serve solo.

• Youth between 14 and 17 can attend and serve accompanied by a chaperone over age 21.

In light of the medical fragility of our campers and inherent logistical complications of our demographic, volunteers over 14 are the best fit for Hope Heals Retreat. We LOVE when families serve together, but have found that our campers are best served when there is a critical mass of adult and older teen volunteers. Our limited volunteers and resources must be allocated to our campers in the way that serves them first and best. Volunteers must be 10 years or older to serve at Hope Heals Retreat.

Volunteer kids between the ages of 10 and 12 will attend kids programming as “CCs-in-Training” right alongside our Campers! They will spend the day in a small group of kids with plenty of adult supervision, so parents can rest easy as they serve in other areas! Volunteer kids 12 and older will be given age-appropriate serving responsibilities.

Please note that volunteers sleep in male and female cabins. If a parent brings a child of the opposite gender, the child should be mature enough to comfortably sleep in a different cabin than his or her parent.

For logistical efficiency and maximum safety for our campers, volunteers must commit to serving the entire weekend of Hope Heals Retreat (Friday at 6 PM to Sunday at 2 PM ET). We do not offer day volunteer positions at this time.

Applications will be available from August 29 and will remain open until spots are full. You must complete the entire application and pay the $40 application fee per person to be considered to serve at Retreat. A Hope Heals team member will contact you within 15 business days with further instructions. If you are offered a spot at Hope Heals Retreat, you must complete a background check and pay the remaining tuition balance in order to attend.

Please refer to the Retreat Tuition section above for specific tuition costs.

In order for every Camper to attend camp at NO cost, our volunteers pay a tuition that covers their camp fees and partially contributes toward a camper's costs. Upon completion of the application and acceptance to serve at Hope Heals Retreat, each volunteer is equipped with online fundraising tools to help quickly raise their tuition.

Volunteer families of 5 more more who apply together will have their tuition capped at $1200 no matter how many members of the family attend Hope Heals Camp.

Please note that the application fee does count toward camp tuition. (Hooray!)

Volunteers will have access to online fundraising tools with which you can engage your networks to crowdfund your fees. You’ll receive further instruction on the fundraising tools once you are accepted to serve at Retreat.

Hope Heals Retreat takes place at Camp Twin Lakes, a brand new, fully accessible retreat center in Rutledge, GA. Volunteers will sleep in air-conditioned male or female cabins with bunkbeds and community bathrooms.

Wifi is available in all main buildings at Camp Twin Lakes.

The camp facility serves delicious food and is able to accommodate gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan diets.

We’re thrilled that the camp facilities include a distinct Celiac’s kitchen, so we can guarantee no cross-contamination for our gluten-free friends!

All volunteers will receive a series of informational emails and training resources the month of the retreat. You are expected to read these emails in order to arrive prepared to serve. (Or else!) Volunteers will receive their role assignments and role-specific orientation once they arrive at Retreat.

A Medical Crew of registered nurses and/or physicians will be present at Retreat. These medical professionals will only treat minor illness and injuries. If a camper or volunteer requires urgent medical attention, emergency services will be contacted.

Airport: The nearest airport is Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta (ATL), which is about an hour west of Camp Twin Lakes

Address: Camp Twin Lakes, 1391 Keencheefoonee Rd, Rutledge, GA 30663

Transportation: We aren’t able to arrange individual airport transportation, but we’d bet our lunch money that someone in the Hope Heals Camp Facebook Group would love to give you a lift. Renting a car, or hiring an Uber or Lyft are options, as well!

We are not able to coordinate airport transportation to or from Hope Heals Retreat. If you are a returning volunteer, we encourage you to get in touch with a camp friend to pick you up..they'd love to do it! If you are a new volunteer, try joining our Hope Heals Camp Community Facebook Group and asking for a lift.

• Comfortable clothes for (potentially) chilly weather

• Walking shoes

• Rain jacket or umbrella

• Reusable water bottle

• Prescription medications

• Snacks and/or special diet foods

• Toiletries

• Phones and chargers