St. Simons Island, GA
The King and Prince Resort
Sunday, June 15 - Wednesday, June 18
Southern charm, southern hospitality, and Blue Skies above!
St. Simons Island is the largest barrier of the Golden Isles and lies across the immortalized Marshes of Glynn, made famous by poet Sidney Lanier. Moss-draped oaks line the winding island streets, creating a picture-perfect image worthy of a Faulkner tale. The island’s villages offer a charming and unique selection of shops, outdoor fun, and breathtaking beaches.
The King and Prince is a historic oceanfront resort on St. Simons island that includes a hotel and condos along with beautiful oceanfront pools and hot tubs. It is a perfect place for families to reconnect and enjoy a real vacation!
amazing venues
We’ll celebrate camp with our Red, White and Blue Skies parade to Village Creek Landing! In the heart of St. Simons Island Village Creek Landing is an amazing venue overlooking the tranquil marshes with breathtaking sunsets. Other fun spots we will enjoy on St. Simons Island include Neptune Water Park and the Village Center.
WHAT TO KNOW
where
The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort
Address: 201 Arnold Rd. St. Simons Island, Georgia 31522
ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE
Volunteer arrival time: Between 1pm - 2pm EST.
Volunteers arrive the same day as our guest families. We will have volunteer training, prepare for camp and have an opportunity to get to know one another during the pre-camp gathering when you arrive! We will also offer a Zoom call for those with questions prior to camp. Date TBA.
Volunteer departure time: 9:30am EST
COST
There are two housing options available for volunteers. (Shared 2 bdrm villa with another volunteer family at The King and Prince OR a room at a local hotel approximately one mile from resort.)
Adult volunteer cost at The King and Prince: $1500/adult (based on two adults/rm in a shared 2 bedroom villa) ($2,400 for single room in a shared 2 bedroom villa)
Adult volunteer cost at local hotel approximately one mile from resort: $1100/adult (based on two adults/rm) ($1800 for single room)
(There is a non-refundable application fee of $50/application to cover the cost of the background check.)
Students: The King and Prince $100; Local hotel $50
Locals on St. Simon’s: Please contact emily@whereskiesareblue.org for information.
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
Our morning and afternoon activities will be at The King and Prince Resort. Our dinner and evening activities will be at local venues around St. Simons Island.
Here’s an idea of what a day at camp looks like! You’ll get the full schedule about one month before camp. Our days are full of fun and togetherness! The festivities begin around 8am and we make every effort to wrap up by 9pm. Be sure to rest up before camp!
your role
Each volunteer will serve on a Family Host Team. You/your family will be paired with a guest family to help them feel welcome and host them throughout camp, befriend them. Volunteers may also be assigned to a service team: Program (setting up Good Morning Blue Skies and Evening Activities); Beach (setting up beach/pool); Hospitality/Food (setting up the welcome table, picking up food orders, running buffet line, etc.).
meals
Thanks to the support of the St. Simons locals, nearly all of our lunches and dinner meals are catered.
Lunches are traditionally a boxed picnic lunch for the beach with sandwiches/salads.
Dinner is offsite at the location of our evening activities.
Bottled water, canned sodas and snacks are available at the beach.
housing
Guest families will be staying at The King and Prince Beach & Golf Resort. Volunteers can choose to stay on site or at a hotel nearby (limited number of spaces available at each).
Whether at the resort or hotel room, as a friendly reminder, each volunteer family will share a bedroom and one bathroom together. (That means mom, dad, and all the kiddos are sharing a room together - that might be the greatest challenge and sacrifice at camp but also one of the greatest rewards and fondest memories you'll make as a family). There is great peace and blessing when we sacrifice for the good and benefit of others for His namesake.
travel
The airport closest to The King and Prince Resort on St. Simons is Brunswick Golden Isles Airport in Brunswick, GA. It is an easy drive at about 25-30 minutes from camp. The Jacksonville International Airport is a little over an hour away.
what to pack
You won’t need much! Pack casual clothes, bathing suits, flip-flops, toiletries, beach towels, and a beach chair/umbrella if you would like. Remember to bring all of your family's routine medications like Advil, Tylenol, bandaids, etc. along with any prescription medications, sunscreen, and swim diapers if you have little ones. Some evenings, we have theme parties that you may want an outfit from home for, or accessories to add fun to the evening!
Specific theme night details and ideas for accessories will be provided closer to camp dates! Our themes will be Splish Splash Blue Bash Pizza/Pool Party; Western Night Hoe Down; Red, White and Blue Skies!
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!
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!
additional info
Blue Skies has a wonderful support community on St. Simons. Our team of local volunteers make camp so wonderful and provide incredible help to the team!
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.