Orange Beach, AL
The Lodge at Gulf State Park
Sunday, September 21 - Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Sweet home, Alabama - where the skies are so blue!!
Connect with your soul, loved ones, and new friends in the natural beauty of The Lodge. Shed your stress and focus on relationships as you immerse yourself in the seashore and natural habitat of Gulf State Park. Every detail has been thoughtfully designed to connect you with nature and with those with you on the journey.
When it comes to “elevated comfort and Southern hospitality,” there’s nothing else like The Lodge anywhere on the Southern Alabama Coast.
check out the resort and get ready for an amazing retreat!
dinners will be at local restaurants and venues near the hotel!
WHAT TO KNOW
where
The Lodge at Gulf State Park
Address: 21196 E Beach Blvd, Gulf Shores, AL 36542
The Lodge is on CST.
ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Volunteer arrival time: Sunday, between 1pm - 2pm CST
Volunteer departure time: 9:00am CST
COST
Adult volunteers: TBD
(There is a non-refundable application fee of $50/application to cover the cost of the background check.)
Students: TBD
Support is due one week before camp.
Your support helps make it possible for our guest families to come to camp at no cost. Our goal is to bring down the cost of camp for volunteers. Costs continue to rise, but we are doing all we can to hold and hopefully decrease the volunteer expense. If you need help with funding, don't hesitate to contact us. We also have a limited number of partial scholarships available.
We ask volunteers to use the Blue Skies online personalized giving campaign (Givebutter). Our staff will send you super quick and easy instructions for you to create your personal page. When volunteers self-fund their trip, we ask that they reach out to their friends and family through social media, calls, letters, etc. allowing others to know about their trip to Blue Skies so they can pray, learn about Blue Skies, and have the opportunity to give directly to send a child with cancer and their family to camp. So many people are unable to serve at camp yet want to help and are glad to support others who can serve in their place!
schedule
Here’s our projected camp schedule:
SUnday:
4pm CHECK IN and CAMP WELCOME
5pm Orientation
6:00pm Dinner at Cactus Cantina
Monday:
9am Orientation
Lunch on your own
3pm Gather to prepare for Guest Arrival
4pm CHECK IN and CAMP WELCOME
5pm Pizza Party at ROTOLO’S
6:30pm Beach Bonfire S’mores
8pm Volunteer Gathering
Tuesday:
8am Continental breakfast bag delivered to guest’s rooms.
8:30am Volunteer Gathering
9am Good Morning Blue Skies!
10am Kindred Journeys (Parent Group); Sharks & Minnows - all children and volunteers have fun in the game area/pool
(We ask each parent to join us for our first Kindred Journeys session as you introduce yourselves and your stories.)
12:30pm Picnic lunch
Afternoon BEACH TIME/POOL TIME Enjoy your family!
6pm Dinner/Splish Splash BLUE Bash Pool Party!
8pm Volunteer Gathering
Wednesday:
8:30am Volunteer Gathering
9am Good Morning Blue Skies!
10am Kindred Journeys/Sharks & Minnows
12:30pm Picnic lunch
Afternoon FAMILY DAY Enjoy the rest of the day and evening with your family! Sight see, enjoy the resort, do what fills your cup! See you Thursday morning!
THURSday:
8:30am Volunteer Gathering
9am Good Morning Blue Skies!
10am Kindred Journeys/Sharks & Minnows
12:30pm Picnic lunch
Afternoon FAMILY DAY Enjoy the rest of the day and evening with your family! Sight see, enjoy the resort, do what fills your cup! See you Thursday morning!
6pm Dinner/Swim! Camp Benediction
FRIday:
9am Check Out by 9am
your role
Volunteers will serve caring for the families for camp and preparing for our activities. You/your family will be paired with guest families to help them feel welcome and host them throughout camp and befriend them. Volunteers will also help with setting up Good Morning Blue Skies and evening activities; setting up chairs/umbrellas on the beach; and serving/cleaning up meals.
meals
Blue Skies will provide most meals. We’ll have "grab and go" donuts and bars each morning as well as snacks and bottled water at the beach. Lunches and dinners will be served picnic-style at the resort with the exception of a few dinners served off-site.
housing
At our Orange Beach camp location, guests and volunteers will be staying in hotel rooms at the resort. Each family will have a hotel room at the resort, so that means mom, dad, and the kiddos are sharing a room together.
travel
The nearest airport to Orange Beach is Pensacola (PNS) Airport which is 26 miles away. Other nearby airports include Mobile (MOB) (48.3 miles), Valparaiso (VPS) (63 miles), Gulfport/Biloxi (GPT) (90.3 miles) and Panama City (ECP) (106.5 miles).
what to pack
You won’t need much! Pack casual clothes, bathing suits, flip flops, along with your toiletries, and a beach chair/umbrella if you like. Remember to bring all of your family's routine medications like Advil, Tylenol, bandaids, etc. along with any prescription medications, medical supplies, equipment and swim diapers if you have little ones.
We will provide:
Beach towels (provided by the resort)
Snacks and bottled water at the beach and pool
Sand toys, sand buckets, rafts, and pool toys
guidelines
Please review our guidelines for volunteering at camp by clicking HERE. We ask all volunteers to abide by these guidelines to ensure we all have an incredible week together!
podcast
Click here to hear Melinda’s heart behind the ministry and the hope Blue Skies brought to the Dryden family as they join Christy Nockels on her podcast!
2025 volunteer manual
Click here to view our volunteer manual with lots of helpful information!
Guest family welcome letter
Click here to read a welcome from Melinda to our guest families to learn more about Blue Skies!
Cancellation Policy
If for some reason you are unable to attend once your application has been accepted, you are required to raise/give the full amount of volunteer support due to find another volunteer/volunteer family (approved) to take your spot.