It is very important that you stay on top of your BambooHR paperwork leading up to camp. Your Bamboo account (staff portal) is active beginning on April 15, and you will have a variety of tasks to complete in the inbox (top right corner) once it’s active.

Pro-Tip: Fill out your paperwork / complete tasks in Bamboo as you get notifications in your email / Bamboo account. This will help make sure all your tasks are complete before the deadline (one week prior to your arrival) and it will give you time to ask questions / troubleshoot prior to the deadline if needed.  

If you are a brand-new FH employee: You MUST complete a LiveScan background check prior to your assigned arrival. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT piece of your onboarding with HR and must be complete upon your arrival or HR will send you back down the mountain.

• You can access the LiveScan form within your BambooHR account: from the homepage of Bamboo click on the “Files” tab at the top of the page and then select “Onboarding” from the column on the left and open up the PDF titled “LiveScan Form.”
• Print that form, complete all the portions in the “Applicant Information” section and take it with you to an official LiveScan location. 
• CA Residents: Visit this website (https://oag.ca.gov/fingerprints/locations) to find a location that performs LiveScans. Generally, most UPS stores perform LiveScans! You’ll go to the store with your paper, they’ll perform the LiveScan, and you will pay for it. Forest Home will reimburse you $35 on your first paycheck to cover your LiveScan expense.
  • Non-CA Residents: On your way up to camp, you’ll want to stop at the UPS Store in Yucaipa (34428 Yucaipa Blvd # E, Yucaipa, CA 92399) where they will perform your LiveScan. This store is on the way to camp and does all our local employees’ LiveScans. Forest Home has an account with this specific UPS Store so that your LiveScan will be charged to our account, and you do not have to pay.

Check-In / Arrival

• *Double check with your manager for your specific arrival dates*
• May 19th – Family Camp, CCA, Recreation
• May 22nd – Youth and Children’s Camp leadership
• May 23rd – First Aid
• May 28th – Remaining Youth and Children’s Camp Staff and Retail

We will have a pretty streamlined staff check-in process on your assigned arrival day. You’ll check-in at Hormel Hall (follow the signs and balloons) to make sure all your staff paperwork is complete; then you’ll move into cabins, and we’ll start orientation off with time with your team, dinner, and a fun mixer on the first night!

One of the things that will take place during your check-in process at Hormel Hall is verifying your I-9 Paperwork. You will digitally upload it to your BambooHR account prior to your arrival, but you MUST also bring your original (no photocopies), government-issued identification with you to check-in day to be verified in person. If you forget to bring your I-9 documentation items with you, HR will send you back home.

The list below is what we’d consider things that are out of the ordinary when packing for time away. In addition to the things below, don’t forget the usual items you’d pack for time away: an assortment of clothes, shoes, socks, undergarments, shampoo / conditioner, toothbrush / toothpaste, deodorant, soap, etc.

Things to Bring:  

• Twin Size Sheets – You could use a sleeping bag for your bedding at camp, but having sheets will make your sleeping experience 100x better! Bring a mattress pad /cushion if you’re feeling bougie – no shame! Your bed is your coziest and safest space at camp!  

• Sunscreen / Insect Repellent / Lip Balm / Hat – We’ll be spending the majority of our days outdoors – be prepared! We are at a higher elevation, so the sun is a bit more intense and the air at camp is very dry!
• Extension Cord / Power Strip – You’ll be sharing your cabin with a handful of other people, so outlets will be in high demand. A power strip will help more people be able to charge at once and an extension cord will help you be able to reach an outlet so you can lay in bed and scroll. 
• Storage – I highly recommend plastic drawers to store clothes and other belongings in! Be prepared to share your space with other staff and make the most of small living quarters! Storage bins, drawers, and hangers will also help you feel more settled so that you’re not living out of a suitcase all summer long! 
  • It’s also smart to pack your things in the plastic drawers for traveling to camp so that way you don’t have to store a suitcase and all your things are packed into a functional thing to use once you get to camp!
• Flashlight / Head Lamp – It gets dark up here at night!
• Towels – You’ll for sure want to bring more than one towel. I’d recommend bringing at least one beach towel and one bath towel. 

• Swimsuits
  • Gentlemen – no speedos, no tiny shorts; 
  • Ladies – one-piece swimsuit and shorts to wear with it! Board shorts or running shorts work great!  
• Backpack / Fanny Pack – Something to carry your water bottle, Bible, journal, sunscreen, etc!  
• Reusable Water Bottle – hydrate or die-drate!  
• Bible & Journal – you’ll need your Bible for Solo Times, Staff Small Groups, and who knows what else!  
• A Good Attitude – Camp isn’t always sunshine and rainbows, but it can be the time of your life with the right attitude! 
• Recreation / Hobby Equipment – Hammock, rock climbing gear, hiking boots, camera, Nintendo switch, skateboard, etc. On the weekends, there is plenty of time for you to do your own thing! 
  • But your items are your responsibility – Forest Home is not responsible if these items are lost, damaged, or stolen.  
• Closed-Toed Shoes AND Sandals – Depending on our activity, you may have to wear a specific type of shoe, so be prepared!  
• Clothes for ALL Weather – Honestly, you’ll probably see it all this summer! Early summer (May) will likely still be chilly up on the mountain (Orientation 2019 we had snow) and when the sun goes down at night (even later on in the summer) it will be brisk! Bring shorts and t-shirts for your daytime activities when it’s hot out; but also bring pants and a sweatshirt – layers are good for our evenings when it gets chilly! A raincoat / poncho could also be useful for later in the summer when it gets rainy. 
• Medication – Our camp Health Techs will have over the counter medication (ibuprofen, Benadryl, Tylenol, etc.) and first aid supplies if you need them. However, if you take prescribed medication, you’ll bring that and be responsible for it inside your assigned staff cabin.
• Laundry Detergent and Basket / Hamper – Do your roommates a favor and contribute to keeping your cabin clean! Not all staff laundry facilities are inside of your cabin, so you’ll need to bring your laundry and supplies with you from your cabin to the washroom.  
• Your Official Documentation / Identification for I-9 Paperwork (SO important!) – Do not forget to bring your documentation (original versions, not photocopies) for verifying your I-9 Paperwork. If you have a passport, you can bring just that! If you do not have a passport, the next easiest items to bring are your driver’s license + your social security card or birth certificate.

Things Not to Bring:  

• Alcohol / Drugs – This summer, we’ll all be abiding by a code of conduct that agrees to not consuming alcohol during the summer months, even if you’re 21+. From driveway to driveway (when you leave your house at the beginning of the summer to when you return at the end), we’ll be abiding by these expectations together. Breaking this code of conduct could lead to termination of employment.
• Expectations of Regular Use of Technology – Part of our Youth team’s expectations will be not using cell phones when we’re around guests. We’ll talk more about it during orientation, but you’ll definitely want to put yourself in the mindset that we’ll all be on our phones less at camp than when we are in our lives right now. Cell phone service isn’t great around camp, anyways! 
• Weapons – Firearms of any kind are NOT permitted at camp. If you wish to responsibly carry a pocketknife, you may do so. 
• Things that aren’t smart decisions to do while at camp – piercing supplies, fireworks, tattoo supplies, etc. Maybe you laugh at this, but we’ve seen it all! It’s simple – please don’t be dumb.
• Political Items – Please leave shirts, hats, flags, or any other things affiliated with the election or political parties at home. Please even avoid having them stored in your car or cabin; we want to avoid any possibilities for division among our team and campers.

• Our Guest Dining Team is able to accommodate for a variety of food allergies. This is the blurb that they have written for guests (and it applies for staff, too): “Our chefs are trained and able to accommodate for the following common dietary allergies: Gluten Free Diets, Dairy Intolerances, Egg Allergies, Vegetarian Diets, and Vegan Diets. If you have a dietary allergy other than those listed above, we require that you bring your own food items to satisfy your dining needs during your stay.” If you have a special diet / allergy, please include that on your Medical Form (one of your BambooHR tasks). That information will be shared with the Guest Dining team so that they can prepare meals for you accordingly.   

• Your housing will be pre-assigned and you will receive your housing assignment at check-in.
• You will be sharing your housing with other summer staff of the same gender.
• Since you will be sharing your space with many other people, please be sure to pack reasonably and responsibly. There is not a whole lot of extra space in any staff housing units. Think creatively on bringing space-saving items with you: under the bed storage bins, hangers, stackable storage drawers, etc.
• A big bonus is if you use those bins / drawer sets and pack all of your items in them to come to camp so that you don’t have to store a suitcase all summer and they’re functional and ready to use!

• Your supervisor will be the one to communicate this to you.

• You can receive mail and packages at camp! When having mail sent to you, have it addressed like this:  

Your Name – Your Specific Summer Staff (Youth, Retail, Children’s, Rec, CCA, Family Camp)

40000 Valley of the Falls Drive

Forest Falls, CA 92339

• You will be on your phone significantly less than you are right now in your present life.
• While you are working, your phone needs to stay in your pocket / backpack / cabin / wherever instructed by your specific manager.
• Verizon has reliable service at camp; any other carrier has super spotty service or might just be totally unavailable. 

• What you choose to do on the weekend is your decision and your financial responsibility. If you do activities or go out to eat, that is up to you.  
• Any retail options around camp will also be on you if you choose to partake. Clubhouse (snack bar), Stagecoach (coffee shop), and Round House (retail store) all give 20% staff discount with your FH nametag. 
  • All retail locations on camp are cashless, so if you’re purchasing items at camp, you’ll have to use a credit / debit card or Apple Pay.  

• Each team will have different expectations determined by their specific supervisor. So, please be sensitive to the fact that your expectations might look different than your friend’s expectations on another team.

• There is a staff laundry room at camp available for all staff to use. It has 4-5 washers and 4-5 dryers. Washers and dryers are free to use, but you’ll need to bring your own laundry detergent / softener / dryer sheets. You can do laundry whenever you have time – your time off or on the weekend.
• Since the laundry room is not within your cabin, be sure to bring a laundry basket / hamper to transport your laundry.

• However you are getting to camp will be perfect – whether you’re planning on flying in, having a family member or friend drop you off, carpooling, or driving yourself – it will work! On weekends, if people do things off camp, communicate with your fellow staff members to figure out who is driving and who needs rides.

If there is a serious family emergency and a someone needs to contact you while you are at camp, they may contact the Forest Home Roundhouse at 909-389-2300 and they can put them in contact with your supervisor.