Eagle’s Nest Foundation is committed to creating a supportive and joyful learning environment to all participants and staff.  We offer a safe space where we support all our campers and participants. Our community includes participants from various socioeconomic backgrounds, learning styles, cultures, and ability levels.  We teach and foster empathy and respect throughout our community. Our goal is to ensure all people are able to thrive.

A portion of our participants are awarded Camp/Hante Scholarships called Camperships.
This funding is given with consideration to the family’s need and the child’s desire for a Camp or Hante experience. For any questions about Camperships, please contact our Camp/Hante Registrar, Molly Herrmann by email at molly@enf.org or by phone at 336-761-1040.

There are two application deadlines for Camperships:

• Round 1: postmarked by December 1st; awards will be confirmed in January.
• Round 2: postmarked by February 28th, as well as applicants who did not receive Campership awards during Round 1; awards will be confirmed in March.
• After February 28th we will accept financial aid applications on a rolling basis and will award aid as able according to availability. If you are interested in applying please do so as soon as possible following the outlined steps.

To request a Campership please submit the following three items:

1. Camp or Hante Application Form or apply online on CampDoc.com
2. Deposit of $150 per child** (paper applicants – please send check or money order with your registration form; online applicants – please use a credit card to make your deposit when you submit the online registration)
3. Campership Request Form
4. Send the completed Campership Request Form and proof of income to our Camp/Hante Registrar, Molly Herrmann at molly@enf.org prior to the deadlines listed above.

You can also mail in your completed Campership Request Form and proof of income to:
Camp Registrar
Eagle’s Nest Camp
P.O. Box 5127
Winston-Salem, NC 27113-5127

While Campership applications submitted before the December 1st and February 28th deadlines will receive first priority, we continue to review all incoming applications for financial aid.

**Note: Deposit is refundable if Campership is not granted or insufficient Campership is granted. Once a Campership is accepted the Eagle’s Nest refund policy is in effect.

Our staff members are educators, outdoor enthusiasts, and mentors. All staff members must be at least 18 years old and have one year of life experience beyond high school. All staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid at a minimum.  They come from all over the US and abroad. A large portion of our staff are long-time campers who grew up at the Nest and are excited to share it with the next generation. Many applicants are referred by current and former counselors. All American and International staff members are hired and screened in accordance with ACA national standards. Our American staff members undergo an extensive hiring process that includes a video conference interview, two written references, at least one phone reference, and a background check through National Background Investigations. Our international staff members are pre-screened through J1 visa sponsors. These organizations conduct in person interviews, background checks, and reference checks. We are able to review this information along with their application and conduct our own video conference interviews.

Eagle’s Nest takes pride in the quality of its camp counselors and instructors. We maintain a strict selection process of hiring highly skilled and educated counselors and teachers. We carefully choose counselors who are creative, mature, engaging and fun-loving. Our staff enjoys the outdoors and has a love for working with children and youth. Eagle’s Nest maintains a ratio of one staff member to every four campers, and all staff members must be at least 18 years old and have one year of life experience beyond high school. All staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid at a minimum.

At Camp and on our Hante Adventures, we emphasize simplicity and community and so we do not allow music devices, cell phones, smart watches, video cameras, laptops, electronic games, radios, computer toys, or electronic readers. We recognize that many cameras have video filming capabilities. Campers may bring those cameras, but they will not be able to take video. Please leave other video equipment, etc. at home.

Campers arriving by air may travel with cell phones and chargers. Upon arrival, campers will need to turn off and turn their phone into the office for safe keeping during the session.

All programs within Eagle’s Nest Foundation are open and inclusive. We are welcoming of all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Eagle’s Nest Camp and Hante Adventures provide a safe space for LGBTQIA+ individuals, and we advocate for all of our campers, staff, and participants who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community.  Our goal is to foster a nurturing community for all.  At the center of campus,  we proudly fly the Rainbow flag as a symbol of LGBTQIA+ pride and a demonstration of our commitment to support all of our campers, participants and staff members.

We at Eagle’s Nest Foundation recognize that gender exists along a spectrum and may change at any point in an individual’s development.  In order to support our campers, students, faculty, and staff who are transgender and gender expansive campers,  our policies acknowledge that the needs of transgender and gender expansive participants are unique and should be treated individually and in consultation with the participant.  Therefore, our policies do not cover all situations that may arise with respect to supporting our expansive campers and participants who transgender and gender .

Gender Inclusion at Eagle’s Nest Camp/Hante Adventures FAQs:

1. How does gender identity apply to bathroom use on our campus?
   • All public bathrooms on our campus are gender neutral. Cabin bathrooms are multi-stalled and used only by those who live in that cabin.
2. How is gender handled at Camp/Hante with regard to cabin assignments and camping?
   • Our cabins and tent/tarp groups are separated by grade level and gender identity.  On our camp applications, we provide a question regarding housing preference so that we place all campers in the cabin of their choice. Our cabins do tend to lean toward the binary of female or male identifying, however these cabins are not referred to as “boys'” or “girls'” cabins. Recognizing that currently we do not have an all-gender cabin, we work with gender fluid and non-binary participants to help them find the most comfortable housing assignment.
   • We address participants by the name and pronoun that they indicate to us. Gender identity is self-identified by the camper and requires no documentation.  We support and honor individual camper’s self-identified gender.  On our Camp/Hante applications, we also offer the opportunity for Camp/Hante families to provide any details they may find relevant.  We encourage families to  reach out to our Camp Director to discuss particular ways we can support their child while at camp.
3. Will I know if my camper is in a cabin with a transgender or gender expansive camper or staff member?
   • Eagle’s Nest Camp and Hante Adventures ensures the confidential status of a camper, participant, or staff member’s transgender/gender identity and will not disclose this private information.
4. My camper is transgender and I have indicated this on their application.  With whom will this information be shared?
   • A camper or participant’s transgender/gender identity will only be accessed by full time Camp and Hante staff and summer health staff.  Your camper’s counselors will know your camper’s gender identity but not anything related to their health or transgender status unless consent to share this information is given by the camper/participant.
5. What if my camper begins transitioning at Camp/Hante in the form of using a pronoun or name that differs from their legal name.  Will you contact me to let me know this?
   • Camp/Hante staff will work with a camper transitioning at Camp or on Hante and encourage the camper/participant to reach out to their parent(s) or guardian(s).  However, Camp/Hante staff will not disclose a camper or participant’s gender identity to parents or guardians without consent from the camper or participant.
6. What about the use of pronouns at Camp/Hante?
   • All Camp/Hante staff will honor pronouns used by all campers.  Introductions at camp will include the sharing of pronouns by campers or participants providing the opportunity to the individual camper or participant to share their pronoun.  Additionally, there is a place on our Camp/Hante applications where we request the camper/participant’s pronoun.  At Eagle’s Nest, our staff work diligently to support our campers and we will use the pronoun used by each camper/participant and help other campers learn the importance of doing the same.
   • Campers and participants use a variety of pronouns including they/them, she/her, he/they, X/them, he/him, and others.
7. Will there be a transgender or gender expansive counselor in my camper’s cabin?
   • In the same way that we will not disclose the gender identity, transgender status, or gender identity of campers/participants, we do the same with regard to the private information of staff.
8. Can you recommend some resources?
   • Gender Spectrum
   • ACA
   • Transplaining

Our cabins are equipped with screens to allow for air flow during the summer.  All cabins have electricity and single bunk beds.  Each cabin has two to three bathrooms with stalls and two to three showers separated by dividers.  Three to four counselors are in each cabin.  Counselors have a separate sleeping area in the cabins.  Cabins have between six and fourteen campers.  And, in each cabin, are private changing areas, which are available for any participant’s use.

Watch part of our Parent/Guardian Video series on Cabins:

Table families are groups of six campers of different ages and two staff members. They eat every meal together for the entire session of camp.

We believe that nutritious foods are a cornerstone to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. All meals are made from scratch using natural and organically grown produce (including many vegetables from our garden), fruits, whole grains, unrefined sugar, as well as fresh meats and dairy products. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options are available at each meal, and special diets can be accommodated upon request.

Yes, each camper chooses their activities for the session. With the guidance of one of the camp leadership staff, they select 4-6 activities from the following categories: wilderness, arts/music/drama, and athletics. To create a well-balanced schedule, we ask that they choose at least one activity from each category.

For the most part, yes, though campers may choose to take some activities that meet every other day. Going to the same activity classes every day/every other day allows campers the opportunity to learn new skills and build on the ones they already have.

In order to manage homesickness, campers may not call home except in cases of emergency. We encourage campers to communicate via letters to family and friends while they’re at camp. The camp leadership will happily speak with parents who would like an update about how their child is doing. We welcome your calls and emails!