TRAIL WEST LODGE CHAMPION PROGRAM TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS Welcome Letter... 3 Champion Program FAQs... 4 Champion Check List... 5 Sample Agenda for Dessert Night... 6 Testimonies... 7 New Features for Summer 2014... 8 Trail West Family Camp FAQs... 9 Pricing & Schedule Information... 10 For questions concerning this packet, feel free to contact us at: Trail West Lodge 719-395-2477 trailwest@trailwest.younglife.org Charlie Chupp Camp Manager cchupp@trailwest.younglife.org Kyle Young Guest Services Coordinator kyoung@trailwest.younglife.org Brenda Saewert Guest Group Communications Coordinator bsaewert@trailwest.younglife.org TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 2
Dear Trail West Champion, Thank you for your support of Trail West Family Camp, Young Life s ONLY national, week-long family camp program! After 50 years of ministry, we re still going strong, thanks to people like you! This is your Family Camp in a Box everything you need to help recruit families from your area to join you next summer at Trail West. What you re about to embark on is so valuable for your family, the families you invite, your local Young Life area and, ultimately, the kingdom of God. The lives of men, women and children will be forever changed, thanks to your time and commitment to ask them to experience the best week of their lives at Young Life s Trail West Lodge. Enclosed you will find: Brochures to give to prospective families. A DVD with the Family Camp promotional video. FAQs about what it means to be a Trail West Champion. A checklist to help you maximize your efforts over the next several months. A sample agenda for a Family Camp Dessert night (preferably to be hosted at your home). FAQs about Family Camp, which are bound to come up when you speak to other families about experiencing Trail West. A list of new features families can expect to find at Trail West next year. A sampling of quotes from delighted guests of Trail West. These are just some of the resources that will help you recruit families to join you next year at Trail West. The biggest resource couldn t fit in this box the Trail West staff! We re here to help. So, if you have any questions, need more information or simply want help inviting as many families as you can, give us a call at 719-395-2477. We ll drop everything to help you. Because that s how important what you re doing is for the entire ministry of Young Life! We can t thank you enough for your support. As a very small token of our appreciation, we ve also enclosed a Trail West bumper sticker to proudly display on your car. We hope it sparks conversation with people who see it about Trail West and why you bring your family there. Thanks, again, for everything you re about to do to make an impact on families from your area! Please let us know if there s anything we can do to help. The Trail West Staff TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 3
CHAMPION PROGRAM FAQs Who can be a champion? Anyone! Young Life staff, committee, or simply someone who is passionate about Young Life s family camping. Can there be more than one champion in a Young Life area? Yes! But, champions must be approved by your local area director. Is this going to be a huge time commitment? No! And, Trail West will provide you with ideas for get togethers, marketing materials and monthly newsletters. What are the steps for becoming a champion? Contact your area director to let him or her know you would like to be a Trail West champion. Have your area director email Trail West to designate you as a champion. Trail West will contact you to get your information. You will receive a packet specifically for Trail West champions, with instructions and support materials. What are the benefits to my local Young Life area? Stronger adult support. Over 67% increase in giving. Stronger committees. Shared vision and passion for the local area. Encouragement and prayer. TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 4
CHAMPION CHECK LIST Pre-Spring Break Strategy phone call with Trail West property staff. Pre Arrival to Camp Camp staff will contact you to see how we can serve you well and pray specifically. While at Camp Meet with assigned team and property staff beginning of week regarding logistics, keys for week and more. Gather families for check up time (two nights). Discuss best time to return next year with families. Share prayer requests. Establish date for follow-up gathering with families after they get home (two or three weeks). Include area director. Ask families whom they would like to invite to Trail West next summer. Create list of targeted families. Document Best part of our week. Tag photos on Facebook. Upon Return Home Meet with area director to review the week: How families were influenced. Families interest in engaging in local ministry. Help connect them with area director. Review targeted families for next year. Any area director would like to add? Review dates for Trail West next summer and whether area director can go. Have family gathering to celebrate their time at Trail West. Show video, share photos, dessert, invite to banquet, have them sign and address Best Part of Our Week postcards to targeted families (provided by Trail West). September/October/November Contact target families for next summer. Have family who suggested them contact them. Set up dessert (available resource: Family Camp in a Box) Send postcard invitation (available from Trail West) Follow-up phone call Contact area director to get Trail West on banquet agenda (available resource: Family Camp in a Box). Ask area director about regional family camp weekends. Attend and present Trail West at weekend (available resource: Family Camp in a Box). Attend Trail West property committee meeting (arrive Friday, enjoy FREE weekend at Trail West). TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 5
SAMPLE AGENDA FOR DESSERT NIGHT Mingle and dessert time Welcome Introductions Purpose of get-together What is Young Life? What is Young Life s family camp? Family camp video Stories from family members. Share best part of our week. Pass out Trail West brochures Cost (pass out comparative analysis) Why was it the best week of our family s life? Why was it better than other family vacations (e.g., Disney World, the beach)? o Spiritual component, o Activities designed to be done together, o No worries about creating an agenda, meals and more. o No commercialization (e.g., funneling families into gift stores following rides), Provide dates the families from your area are going this year (not necessary to go together, if it doesn't fit your schedule), and who s already signed up. How to make a reservation. Pass out information cards. Q&A time TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 6
TESTIMONIES We are big fans of Trail West family camp. A stay there will turn your kids on to the Rockies, give mom a well-deserved rest and dad a chance to play Frisbee golf. It was a great time for our whole family to be drawn to Jesus. We didn't want to leave! Max and Denalyn Lucado Our kids have been involved in many youth groups, but no one has ever loved on my kids the way the summer staff did at Trail West. We cried all the way home, then put in the DVD of our week at Trail West the minute we stepped foot in the house. And we cried some more. Our kids loved it so much, they went back to serve on work crew. A Tulsa, Oklahoma, family Got back last night from your camp. Thanks for the greatest week of our family s life! Post on Trail West s Facebook page An exceptional place run by exceptional people dedicated to providing the very best experience a family can have. If your life is so busy and hectic that you find little time for family, then Trail West is a great place to reconnect with those you love and rediscover God and His wondrous creation. It will change your life forever. Allen M. I want to say thank you for reconnecting my family, for saving me and helping renew our faith and our marriage. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Anonymous It was good, clean fun. I laughed until my sides hurt and tears poured down my face! Susie A. What a blessing this has been for us. I can t remember a time when I have felt so relaxed. Our children are already asking when they can come back. I love the freedom they have to roam around camp and make friends. I love the trust. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! A Jacksonville, Florida, family If I could travel anywhere, I would go to Trail West. To me, it is the best place ever. It is so fun. A VIP guest, age 6 TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 7
NEW FEATURES FOR SUMMER 2015 All New Remodeled Rooms! Flexible Sleeping for up to SIX Family Members (one queen bed, two stacked Murphy over/under beds, privacy curtain) Every Room Includes Private Bath, Extra Sink and Vanity Area New Furniture New Bedding New Carpet New Game Room! New Fitness Center! New Car less Camping Option! Don t worry about driving; we ll take care of that! Fly into Denver International Airport, and hop on the free Trail West shuttle. By using the new, free shuttle service, you ll save $500-$1,500 on renting a car for a week! More programming for high school and middle school kids! More elements of adventure. More opportunities for spiritual growth. TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 8
TRAIL WEST FAMILY CAMP FAQs Who can stay at Trail West? Our summer family camp experience is open to all family members who wish to attend. Small families, large families, single-parent families, grandparents you name it. They are all welcome. What is included on a Trail West family vacation? A Trail West family vacation is all inclusive: lodging, meals, activities, program and housekeeping are all included. For a full list of activities, please see our website at trailwest.younglife.org. (Please note: Rafting is an optional activity not included in your camp fees.) What is the optimum age of children to bring to Trail West? Quite simply, ANY age is perfect! Our programming is designed for ages 0-100. And, we re working on creating even more programming with adventure and spiritual content suitable for middle- and high school-aged kids. How many families can Trail West accommodate? Generally, Trail West can accommodate 40 families each week. What is the cost for a family to experience Trail West Family Camp? An average family of five costs a little as $2,695, depending on which week you reserve at Trail West (see trailwest.younglife.org for current pricing). Compared to other family experiences, that s a bargain. The same-sized family can expect to spend over $6,000 at one of the nation s most famous theme parks, and that doesn t include transportation. I am ready to make a reservation, what s my next step? Call us at 719 395 2477 to make a deposit of $1,000 to reserve the best week of your family s life! What if I can t afford to bring my family? There are several options to make family camp available to every family: One, we can set up a customized installment plan for you. You choose the number of months and/or the amount you d like to pay monthly, and we ll lock in the current summer pricing for you, with no interest! Two, you can raise the money through sites like FundMe.com, where family members and friends can contribute toward family camp for you and your family. Or, three, you can recruit new families from your area who have never come to Trail West before, and we ll give you 20% off for each one. Recruit 5 or more families, and your week at Trail West is free. Contact us for more details. Do I have to rent a car? No, we are offering a car less camp option if you fly into Denver International Airport by 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, and your outgoing flight is after 2:30 p.m. the following Saturday. We will provide your camp transportation for the week. You save the cost of a rental car, which can run $500 to $1,500. Please note: You will need to bring your car seats for the jeep tour. TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 9
2015 Family Camp Pricing Age 14+ 7-13 1-6 0-11 mos. Weeks 1, 12 Full Full Full Full Weeks 2, 3 $699 $499 $299 No charge Weeks 4, 5 $899 $699 $359 No charge Weeks 6, 7, 11 $999 $799 $399 No charge Week 8, 9, 10 $1,099 $799 $399 No charge 2015 Family Camp Schedule Week 1 May 24-30 Week 5 June 21-27 Week 9 July 19-25 Week 2 May 31-June 6 Week 6 June 28-July 4 Week 10 July 26-Aug 1 Week 3 June 7-13 Week 7 July 5-11 Week 11 August 2-8 Week 4 June 14-20 Week 8 July 12-18 Week 12 August 9-15 TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 10
Charlie Chupp, Camp Manager 719-395-2477 cchupp@trailwest.younglife.org TRAIL WEST CHAMPION PROGRAM Page 11