Registration

Sairam,

The online registration is now closed. Only on-site (walk-in) registration is available. If you would like to attend the retreat, you may come up to the retreat site and register at the counter there. We have enough cabin accommodation available if you are interested in staying overnight or multiple days.

Here are some important reminders to help us get ready for the retreat:

Directions to Camp Westmont: (www.campwestmont.com). For Google directions use the address - 81 Spruce Lake Road, Poyntelle, PA 18439.

Parking, Registration and Cabin Assignment: As soon as you arrive at the retreat, volunteers in the parking lot will check your registration information before sharing your cabin assignments with you. Registration will close at 10 pm on Friday and reopen on Saturday morning. If you anticipate arriving later than 10 pm on Friday, please let us know as soon as possible. You will not be able to enter the campsite until you complete the check-in process.

Park your vehicle as instructed by the volunteers. Please note that cars are not allowed beyond the main entry gate. Volunteer driven golf carts will take you and your luggage to registration and your cabins. Please add identification tags to your bags with your name and Sai Center.

All are encouraged to wear their retreat registration badge and volunteer scarf (if you are a service volunteer) at all times during the retreat. To recycle and reduce waste, we request you to return the badges and scarves to the service desk prior to departure for home.

Early Arrival: Those who are planning to come to the retreat early on Friday are requested to help with setting up the camp and devotion hall, help in the kitchen and in parking lot seva.

Food allergies: If you have any food allergies, please make sure that the food team is informed of that so they can make arrangements accordingly. You should convey this information at Registration when you check in.

Dining hall schedule: For those arriving late on Friday night - fruit, milk, sandwich supplies will be available in the Dining Hall. Meals will be served only at the times specified in the schedule.

Weather: The Camp Director has provided the following website to check local weather conditions - https://www.wnep.com/weather in addition to your favorite weather forecast website. As of today, the forecast for Memorial Day Weekend is in the low 70s during the day and low 50s at night. There are some scattered showers forecasted for the weekend. The weather in the mountains can change at any time. So please pack for all contingencies.

Accommodation and things to bring with you: Upon registration, please DO NOT change the cabin that has been assigned to you even if cabins are not full on Friday night when you arrive. Other devotees arriving on Saturday would also have been pre-assigned to cabins, so kindly be considerate to all involved.

All cabins have beds with mattresses. Please bring blankets, bed sheets, pillows (or if you prefer a sleeping bag), warm clothes, towels, toiletries including soap, and flashlight. The camp is in the Pocono Mountains and tends to get cold at night and early morning. You may want to bring extra towels, socks, and waterproof shoes, umbrellas and raincoats.

There are water filling stations at the campsite. As part of the go-green initiative, we also suggest that you bring your own reusable water-bottle.

Health and Safety: We have designated on-call doctors who can be reached in case of medical emergencies. If you take prescription medications, please ensure that you have sufficient quantities to last through Sunday evening. Because the retreat occurs over the Memorial Day weekend and the campsite is remote, it will be difficult to obtain specialized medications. If any of the attendees or their family members experience Flu-like symptoms, please do not attend the retreat for your own safety and for the safety of all the attendees.

Dress code and rules: Modest clothing, suitable for an Ashram, is required at all times. No shorts, short skirts, transparent or tight-fitting clothes are allowed. Early mornings and evenings can be cold so please come prepared with sweaters and shawls.

All devotees are reminded that the lake/pond area and all swimming pools are strictly off-limits.

We ask for everyone’s co-operation in observing the Retreat guidelines, especially the 10 pm lights out time for each night. Please observe Sai-lence after 10 pm.

Program schedules and information: Program schedules are available on our retreat website at https://retreat.sairegion2usa.org/ in the program section. As part of our green initiatives, we will not be providing paper registration packets this year. Please note that Young Adult programs are only for young men and women who are 18 to 40 years of age.

Shruti: Pitch-setting sessions for lead singers are planned in the Devotion Hall. Please check at the Service Desk for the timings.

Seva: We are organizing two service activities at the retreat this year; canned food drive for the local community food pantry and free Health Consultations for anyone in need.

Canned Food Drive: To support the local community food pantry in the Poconos, we are organizing a canned food drive. We request all attendees to bring one canned food item and drop it off at the service desk in the registration room.

Health Consultations: Doctors from the Sai community will be offering free one-on-one health consultations at the retreat for anyone in need. The consultations will be offered from 7 – 8 am on Saturday and 6 – 8 am on Sunday. Please sign up for a slot at the service desk in the registration room.

Recycling - Take a Bag home: Please help us reduce the Retreat's carbon footprint by taking one or two bags of recyclable items (to recycle along with your usual household curbside recycling pick-up service) with you when you return home from the retreat site (there is no locally available or feasible option to recycle the recyclable items we collect at the retreat).

SSE - Note to Parents of SSE Students:

SSE children must participate in all organized SSE activities (See Schedule). Children should not be wandering around the campsite during scheduled SSE activities. Parents are required to supervise children when they are not engaged in the SSE program at the retreat.
SSE children will also be participating in outdoor activities (games, nature walk, etc.). It is important that they are dressed in full pants and are wearing comfortable walking shoes, preferably sneakers.
Clothing should be modest in nature - no shorts, tank tops, leggings, etc. Group 3 and 4 girls should plan to use a scarf or dupatta and have their shoulders covered.
It is recommended that children bring a notebook / pencil to take notes from sessions/activities planned for SSE Children
In order to save the environment, please send a reusable water bottle labeled with your child’s name to the camp.
Insect repellent use is encouraged as there may be mosquitos or flies.
Parents are requested to stay with their children during the campfire at night. The children will be brought back to the Dining Hall for lunch at noon and evening snacks at 4:15 pm. Please meet your children in the Dining Hall if they need assistance with meals.

Please be aware that some cell phones get weak or have no reception at the campsite. In addition, some GPS systems do not provide exact driving directions, so it is advisable to carry printed directions.

With love and cooperation, the retreat will be a great spiritual experience for everyone.

Let us all take advantage of this Divine opportunity to collectively reflect on the Life and Message of our Beloved Lord and rejoice in His glory.

Looking forward to seeing you at the Retreat!

With Love,

Retreat Planning Team