How to Send Snail Mail to Your Camper at WeHaKee

At Camp WeHaKee, letters from home aren't just nice to get. They're the kind of thing a girl reads twice, tucks under her pillow, and reads again. On Hunter Lake in Winter, Wisconsin, far from group chats and push notifications, a handwritten letter lands differently.

When Does Mail Get Delivered?

Mail received each day via USPS is placed directly into camper mailboxes and distributed during Valley Time. That's at 4:30pm daily, when campers gather at the Trading Post for snacks. It's one of the best moments of the day, and getting a letter makes it even better.

Letters from most US locations take about five days to arrive. If you want to be sure your daughter has mail waiting on her first full day, send it a week before her session starts. Just label the back of the envelope with the date you'd like it delivered, and we'll hold it until then.

Where to Send Mail

Address all letters and packages to:

Camp WeHaKee
Attn: [Camper Name, Cabin #]
N8104 Barker Lake Rd.
Winter, WI 54896

You won't always know your daughter's cabin number before she arrives, that's fine. Just use her name and we'll make sure it gets to her.

What to Send in a Care Package

Great care package ideas include: books and magazines, cabin party games or puzzles, funny dress-up items or cute accessories, markers and crayons, a family photo, stuffed animals, or small art supplies.

There are a bunch of rules for sending snacks or candy, so many parents avoid it altogether. Here's what we'll allow, if you decide to send food items: 

Food, candy or snacks to be shared with the cabin must be store-bought and wrapped/sealed, not homemade.

Homemade treats can be enjoyed by your camper, but not her cabinmates.

If the items aren't fully eaten that day at Valley Time, they'll need to be in a sealable plastic contain labeled with your campers name. It will be stored with a staff member and available by request.

Gum is not allowed (it gets too many place it shouldn't, like in hair, under tables, etc).

Prior to your session, we'll send a note to parents about any severe allergies of campers at camp that week. For example, we typically do not allow peanut products brought to camp.

How to Help Your Daughter Write Back

Campers are encouraged to write letters home. Stamps and stationery are available at the Camp Store, or your daughter can bring her own supply. Counselors are always happy to help with spelling and addressing.

One thing we recommend for families with younger or first-time campers: pack a small stack of pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelopes before camp. Your daughter just has to write the note and hand it off. It removes most obstacles between her and sending you a letter.

What About International Campers?

International mail can take weeks, which doesn't work well for a two-week session. Camp WeHaKee allows international campers to have letters scanned and emailed home. Each international camper can send up to five scanned letters per two-week session.

One More Thing

Encourage letters from grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, and family friends too. The more mail a camper gets, the more she learns to value connection that doesn't require WiFi. That's a skill that lasts longer than the summer.