FAQ

There are several ways to refer a child to camp.  A referral form sent to us, a phone call or an email; all will work.  Parents can also directly refer.

VOCA Camp is for children who are survivors of sexual abuse. There does NOT need to be a court process that has determined abuse.

No. Children may wish to talk about their experiences but will not be asked to by volunteers or staff. We find that most children enjoy the camp experience of  ‘just being a kid’ and find healing in the intentional safety created by our camp community.

We have an overnight camp, so typically children who are able to stay the night away from home are around age six.  We can accommodate for Day Campers as well.  We do not cut youth off from services at age 18; we let them decide when they are ready to be done being campers.  Many of our previous child campers transition into adult volunteers and continue going to camp.

Camps are, what we call, an extended weekend.  Boys camp is a Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Girls camp is Thursday night through Sunday.

We do not give out the dates of camp to the public. We believe in confidentiality of our campers and feel that publishing dates of camp can put some children at risk as well as break the confidentiality of our campers. People wishing to volunteer will complete all training dates and will also receive and agree to our Confidentiality Policy as well as pass a background check, before being notified of camp dates.

Spots at camp are limited.  We reserve a spot for returning youth.  Once we know if youth are returning and we find out how many volunteers we have, we can then invite new youth into camp. We have a waiting list and invite youth in order of referral date.

Originally VOCA Camp served only children in Clatsop County.  Due to increasing requests from outside our community, we have opened camp up to youth from other counties.  Clatsop County referrals will be taken first, then if there is space, out of county children will be invited.

All volunteers must complete our extensive volunteer training and background check process. For more information, please visit our Training Page.

The Healing Circle is a very small volunteer run nonprofit in great need of monetary donations and People Power through word of mouth.  We often also have a Wish List of items such as arts and crafts, school supplies, and items for the families that we need donated for our year round programs and general assistance. If you are able to assist or have ideas of support resources, please use the Contact Us form below.