Overview
Our Winter Camp for children with heart disease is hosted annually over President’s Day weekend at Camp Wapogasset in Amery, WI, one hour and twenty minutes from the Twin Cities. Free round trip transportation is provided from Oakdale, MN (near St. Paul) and Milwaukee, WI.
Campers in grades 1-12 are invited to attend, no need to have attended a Camp Odayin camp previously. This is a great opportunity for first-time campers to meet new friends and experience a weekend of camp.
We enjoy tubing, broomball, arts & crafts, plenty of hot cocoa, and connecting with heart friends! There is always a choice to do indoor activities. Kids are grouped based on age and stay in cozy retreat-style housing with two camp counselors and a cabin nurse. Similar to our Summer Camp, a camp cardiologist is also on-site to supervise activities.
Payment & Financial Support
There is a $50 registration fee for Winter Camp. Our Pay-What-You-Can model for camp registrations supports our commitment to make our programs accessible to everyone in our community. There is always an option to pay $0. Families who choose to pay more than $50 receive a tax receipt for their additional contribution. If you have questions on the cost of camp, contact the Camp Odayin office at info@campodayin.org.
If it would be beneficial to your family, we offer transportation support by reimbursing up to $200 for your travel costs. Contact the Camp Odayin office at brooke@campodayin.org for details on the travel cost reimbursement process.
Transportation & Camper Check In
Our Winter Camp home is in Amery, WI, an hour and a half from Minneapolis, MN and about 5 hours from Milwaukee, WI. You can drop your child off at camp or choose one of two optional bus rides either from the Odayin Headquarters in Oakdale, MN and from the Greendale Clinic in Milwaukee, WI. Both buses pick up children on Saturday and return Monday afternoon/evening. At each location (drop-off at camp, or at the bus drop-off location), there is an extensive check-in with a camp nurse to review medications. If you have any questions regarding transportation, please contact info@campodayin.org.
Photos
Click here to see photos from the 2025 session of Winter Camp!
Camp Staff
Camp Odayin is staffed with medical professionals and camp counselors who supervise campers at all times. A pediatric cardiologist is at camp all weekend long, as well as a nurse per every 7-8 children. Camp counselors sleep in cabins with the campers and they have been trained with basic cardiac knowledge as well as how to deal with homesickness. Each cabin’s nurse oversees the health of their assigned campers and distributes their medications. Camp Odayin has a fully equipped cardiac health center, which is staffed around the clock. Accommodations can easily be made for campers who need medical attention during sleeping hours.
CONTACT US if you have any questions or to be added to our heart family email list to receive future applications and opportunities to gather.
Thinking About Coming to Camp?
Eligibility Guidelines to Attend Camp Odayin
What are the eligibility guidelines to attend Camp Odayin?
In order to have an application reviewed by our medical team, the child must meet the following requirements:
- The child’s primary health issue is heart disease
- The child has age appropriate knowledge of their heart disease and functions cognitively within 1-2 years of their age
- The child is seen by a cardiologist on a regular basis
- The child is either on a cardiac medication or has had a surgical intervention
In addition, campers attending any in-person camp, other than Family Camp, must fulfill these essential functions:
- The child must be independent in living skills and daily self – care (dress, shower and eat independently and is self- sufficient during their school day)
- The child willingly participates and effectively interacts in group-based activities
- The child adjusts and participates successfully in a community living environment
- The child demonstrates nonaggressive, cooperative behavior
Still not sure if you should apply? Here are some examples of abilities and behaviors that typically results in a successful Camp Odayin experience: Does my child…
- accept and follow directions?
- respect others’ personal space?
- adjust to sleeping in a new setting and communal living?
- tolerate unexpected changes in schedule?
- advocate for their own needs?
If you have concerns, please give our camp director a call to talk about your child’s abilities and what a typical day of overnight camp looks like. We want to answer your questions, help to set expectations, and confirm what we can do at camp to make your child succeed.
Is Camp Odayin able to accept campers with additional needs unrelated to their hearts?
When a child applies who has other diagnoses, illnesses, disabilities (physical or developmental), or diseases, Camp Odayin reviews those files, including their IEP and/or 504 plans, within a few weeks of submission to determine if Camp Odayin is an appropriate fit for the child. We regret that Camp Odayin does not have the facilities or the staff to care for children with developmental, cognitive, or physical disabilities that require one-on-one support.
Is My Child Ready for an Overnight Camp Experience?
Resources for determining camp readiness:
Parents often want to know if their child is ready for an overnight camp experience. While there isn’t one “sure fire” way to determine this, the questions in these articles can be used to help determine child (and parent) readiness:
- Prepare Your Child…And Yourself for Camp (Kiddos Magazine)
- 7 Things I Wish I Knew Before Sending Kids to Sleepaway Camp (today.com)
What are some practical ways to prepare your child emotionally for overnight camp?
- Discuss what camp will be like before your child leaves. Watching the Odayin video on our website will give them a good “feel” for their time with us. Call the camp office if you have questions
- Make sure your child knows that you will not talk by phone while they are at camp. Let them know they can go to their counselor or nurse with ANYTHING they might need, or with any issues they’re having while at camp
- If your child has not spent much time away from home, there is still time to practice! Arrange a sleepover at a friend’s house or with some other family members
- If your child is hesitant about going to camp, don’t bribe them. Linking a successful stay at camp to a material object can send the wrong message. The reward should be your child’s newfound confidence and independence!
- Let your child know that you’ll be seeing all the fun they have through the website photos! We will post these each day whenever we can, so check throughout the week for new pictures
- Avoid “escape clauses.” Telling your child that you can pick them up early if they aren’t happy sets them up for failure. If they are feeling nervous, emphasize all the fun times, new activities, and nice people at camp.
Camp Rules & Culture
Can my camper bring their cell phone to camp?
We maintain a strict cell phone and electronics policy for our campers and staff. Campers may not bring cell phones, smart watches, drones, or iPods to camp (or anything that can connect to the internet). At check in, campers and parents verify that phones and electronics are not packed for camp. If so, we will ask the parents to take the phone home with them or we’ll take care of it for the weekend. Any cell phone or electronic brought to camp will be confiscated and a consequence will be enforced. Calling home or texting friends distracts from the camp experience and is not allowed. Please respect this policy. If you have any questions, please contact info@campodayin.org.
Can parents/guardians stay at camp?
Family members may not stay at camp with their camper. If a family member of a camper is interested in volunteering for camp, we ask that you apply for a session that your camper is not attending.
