Projects for Incredible Volunteers
Bring your family to Camp Magruder for quiet rest and take part in a work project that will benefit camp and give everyone a feeling of pride. Magruder is offering the chance for families and friend groups to stay with us, while doing work projects addressing some needs around camp.
Browse the work projects we’ve identified and choose one that fits the members of your family’s age and skill levels by clicking this link. Stay without lodging fees, enjoy the Fall Oregon Coast scenery, join in peaceful reflections, and bond together as you strengthen and support the camp we all love. In addition to volunteering of time and service, the use of personal equipment is graciously accepted if available. Donations for project supplies and equipment will also be accepted from those able and interested.
Call 503-355-2310 or email [email protected] to check dates and discuss details for reservations and projects.
Browse the work projects we’ve identified and choose one that fits the members of your family’s age and skill levels by clicking this link. Stay without lodging fees, enjoy the Fall Oregon Coast scenery, join in peaceful reflections, and bond together as you strengthen and support the camp we all love. In addition to volunteering of time and service, the use of personal equipment is graciously accepted if available. Donations for project supplies and equipment will also be accepted from those able and interested.
Call 503-355-2310 or email [email protected] to check dates and discuss details for reservations and projects.
Late Summer/Early Fall Projects (need sunny weather or lower lake level)
Oil/Stain Decks and Benches
Project: Much of the outdoor woodwork at Camp Magruder is drying out, taking on an old, gray look. If left too long, it will begin taking on water and rotting. There is work to do on several lodge decks and porches, and there are smaller scale projects for benches and picnic tables around camp.
Recommended Participants: Anyone old enough to hold a brush and scrub could participate, though several adults are recommended. Strong scrubbing will be required to initially clean out as much mold as possible, before oiling or staining the surfaces. Groups of 2-10 are recommended depending on the deck, porch, or bench being oiled/stained.
Projects identified for oiling: Wetlands Trail Bridge (6-12 hours)
Helpful Equipment: Scrub brushes and brooms, paint brushes and paint rollers, paint trays, breathing barrier masks
Funding Opportunities: Oil/Stain, brushes, rollers, trays
Estimated Timeframe: 2-12 hours depending on the project and group numbers.
Waterfront Clearing
Project: The lakefront swim area, Lakeside Chapel view, and lower Walworth lakefront have become overgrown with shrubs and bushes, and we need to remove some plants altogether and prune others.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older, particularly if mechanized tools are being used. Younger kids could be trusted with pruning shears and loppers, but parental discretion is advised. Most participants should be able to walk on uneven surfaces and operate mechanized equipment. Groups of 2-12, as long as there is enough equipment.
Helpful Equipment: Electric or gas-powered bush trimmers, small chainsaws, hand saws, pruning shears or scissors, loppers, weed trimmers with blades, gloves, safety glasses, protective chaps
Funding Opportunities: Power trimmers, blades, and accessory equipment
Estimated Timeframe: 3-6 hours depending on group size
Paint Bunch Lodge Exterior
Project: Bunch Lodge is one the few buildings left at Camp Magruder that has not been recently painted with the camp’s current underlying color scheme. This makes Bunch stick out among the buildings. A new paint job will greatly improve the building’s charm. If a group did not have time to do the entire building, they could opt to do the border work or do one out of the four walls.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers through older adults. Some ladder climbing will be required by a few participants to get the upper sections of the building. There will be a need for people skilled with edging and cutting in for borders. This will be one of our more challenging painting projects.
Helpful Equipment: Scrub brushes and brooms, paint brushes and paint rollers, paint trays, breathing barrier masks
Funding Opportunities: Paint, brushes, and trays
Estimated Timeframe: 8-20 hours
Any/Other Season Projects
Picnic Table Sanding & Sealing
Project: The picnic tables outside Carrier Dining Hall need to be sanded and resealed to increase their lifespan and make outdoor eating more comfortable. Volunteers sand down the deteriorating varnish after they are stripped, several new coats will be applied.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older. This project may require time on knees and may be stressful on knees and backs. Fumes from the varnish are strong and masks are highly recommended. This project will be done indoors, and its ideal time will be during the camp’s slow season mid-November - mid-February.
Helpful Equipment: Sandpaper, power sanders, masks
Funding Opportunities: Varnish, brushes, trays
Estimated Timeframe: 5-15 hours, there are about 25 tables to seal, and any number completed gets us closer. The most time consuming part of the project will be allowing first coats to dry before second coats are applied.
Paint Camp Office Interior
Project: We are sprucing up the camp office and welcome center with fresh green paint. We’ll be painting the walls and cabinets. This project can be split by wall or cabinet, with a group just doing one over the course of a day or weekend.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers through older adults. Some step-ladder climbing may be necessary. There will be a need for people skilled with edging and cutting in for borders. 2-6 participants are ideal per room.
Helpful Equipment: Paint brushes and paint rollers, paint trays, breathing barrier masks
Funding Opportunities: Brushes and trays
Estimated Timeframe: 6-8 hours per room, depending on participant numbers
Scanning in Old Camp Documents
Project: Camp Magruder has filing cabinets full of old documents we don’t want to totally throw away, but that we no longer want to have physical space set aside for. We want to scan these files digitally and keep them backed up on our hard drive and then recycle or shred the paper versions of the documents to free up office and storage space.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older. People with at least a basic comfort level with a copy machine or scanner and organizational skills to name files and sort them into searchable digital folders. This is a 1-2 person job.
Helpful Equipment: I high quality scanning machine that can run many pages through at a time will greatly speed up this project
Funding Opportunities: A high-end scanner
Estimated Timeframe: 2-20 hours
Organizing Camp History and Archives
Project: In the leadup to Camp Magruder's 80th Anniversary celebration, we pulled out several boxes full of Camp Magruder historical documents, photos, and memorabilia. We would like to better organize these treasures and potentially pinpoint pieces that should be on display around camp. We need someone to go through the boxes, inventory, and organize them so they don't just set on a shelf collecting dust until the 90th Anniversary.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older. Must have a passion for organization and an eye for valuable, interesting items. This is a 1-2 person job.
Helpful Equipment: A high-quality scanning machine that can run many pages through at a time will greatly speed up this project
Funding Opportunities: Shadow boxes, display cases, frames
Estimated Timeframe: 2-10 hours
Splitting Firewood
Project: Campfires are a big part of Camp Magruder, and we are regularly harvesting downed trees for firewood, but supplies of timber needing to be split can sometimes back up. Volunteers in this project will work with a wood splitter machine (or an ax if they are old fashioned) to split wood into manageable pieces of firewood for burning in campfires, wood stoves, and fireplaces.
Recommended Participants: Ages 14 and up. This project will require a lot of heavy lifting and twisting, so participants should be in good physical shape with healthy backs and knees. Some volunteers may be trusted to operate heavy machinery, and they will need to receive training and be over 18 years old. Groups of 2-5 people.
Helpful Equipment: Work gloves, safety glasses, noise canceling headphones, additional splitters or axes
Funding Opportunities: Additional safety equipment and more lumber
Estimated Timeframe: 2-8 hours, though this project can last as long as we have unsplit timber
Trail/Campfire Maintenance
Project: Salal and Blackberry grows relentlessly on the Oregon Coast, and it only takes about 6 months for a cleared trail to look like it’s been abandoned at Camp Magruder. Groups will trim back vines, branches, and grasses that make trail works more tedious or open up campfire and outdoor chapel spaces.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older, particularly if mechanized tools are being used. Younger kids could be trusted with pruning shears and loppers, but parental discretion is advised. Participants should be able to walk on uneven surfaces and operate mechanized equipment. Groups of 2-12, as long as there is enough equipment.
Helpful Equipment: Electric or gas-powered bush trimmers, small chainsaws, pruning shears or scissors, loppers, weed trimmers with blades, gloves, safety glasses, protective chaps,
Funding Opportunities: Power trimmers, blades, and accessory equipment
Estimated Timeframe: 3-15 hours, we will honestly never run out of trimming projects
Deconstruct Old Dock Structures
Project: Camp Magruder has a few old dock structures at Smith Lake that are no longer usable that are eye sores and could pose small hazards for outdoor school students who do field studies near them. The group will pull decking off the docks and relocate it to be reused, burned, or sent to the landfill. Groups of 5-15 recommended.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers at the youngest, and people who can walk uneven terrain, pry boards that are nailed/screwed into wood pieces and can carry planks of wood.
Helpful Equipment: Hammers, pry bars, hacksaws, work gloves
Estimated Timeframe: 4-8 hours depending on group size.
Chappell Hall Boiler Removal
Project: Camp Magruder recently replaced an old cast iron boiler system in Carrier Dining Hall. The boiler is still in the Carrier basement occupying storage space and should be removed to be hauled off for scrap iron.
Recommended Participants: Senior High and Adults. The boiler is pure cast iron and very heavy. It will take several strong individuals to lift the boiler onto a rolling cart that will need to be pushed up to a ramp where it can be hooked to a vehicle. Groups of 4-6 recommended.
Helpful Equipment: Work gloves, flat dolly
Estimated Timeframe: 1-3 hours
Oil/Stain Decks and Benches
Project: Much of the outdoor woodwork at Camp Magruder is drying out, taking on an old, gray look. If left too long, it will begin taking on water and rotting. There is work to do on several lodge decks and porches, and there are smaller scale projects for benches and picnic tables around camp.
Recommended Participants: Anyone old enough to hold a brush and scrub could participate, though several adults are recommended. Strong scrubbing will be required to initially clean out as much mold as possible, before oiling or staining the surfaces. Groups of 2-10 are recommended depending on the deck, porch, or bench being oiled/stained.
Projects identified for oiling: Wetlands Trail Bridge (6-12 hours)
Helpful Equipment: Scrub brushes and brooms, paint brushes and paint rollers, paint trays, breathing barrier masks
Funding Opportunities: Oil/Stain, brushes, rollers, trays
Estimated Timeframe: 2-12 hours depending on the project and group numbers.
Waterfront Clearing
Project: The lakefront swim area, Lakeside Chapel view, and lower Walworth lakefront have become overgrown with shrubs and bushes, and we need to remove some plants altogether and prune others.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older, particularly if mechanized tools are being used. Younger kids could be trusted with pruning shears and loppers, but parental discretion is advised. Most participants should be able to walk on uneven surfaces and operate mechanized equipment. Groups of 2-12, as long as there is enough equipment.
Helpful Equipment: Electric or gas-powered bush trimmers, small chainsaws, hand saws, pruning shears or scissors, loppers, weed trimmers with blades, gloves, safety glasses, protective chaps
Funding Opportunities: Power trimmers, blades, and accessory equipment
Estimated Timeframe: 3-6 hours depending on group size
Paint Bunch Lodge Exterior
Project: Bunch Lodge is one the few buildings left at Camp Magruder that has not been recently painted with the camp’s current underlying color scheme. This makes Bunch stick out among the buildings. A new paint job will greatly improve the building’s charm. If a group did not have time to do the entire building, they could opt to do the border work or do one out of the four walls.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers through older adults. Some ladder climbing will be required by a few participants to get the upper sections of the building. There will be a need for people skilled with edging and cutting in for borders. This will be one of our more challenging painting projects.
Helpful Equipment: Scrub brushes and brooms, paint brushes and paint rollers, paint trays, breathing barrier masks
Funding Opportunities: Paint, brushes, and trays
Estimated Timeframe: 8-20 hours
Any/Other Season Projects
Picnic Table Sanding & Sealing
Project: The picnic tables outside Carrier Dining Hall need to be sanded and resealed to increase their lifespan and make outdoor eating more comfortable. Volunteers sand down the deteriorating varnish after they are stripped, several new coats will be applied.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older. This project may require time on knees and may be stressful on knees and backs. Fumes from the varnish are strong and masks are highly recommended. This project will be done indoors, and its ideal time will be during the camp’s slow season mid-November - mid-February.
Helpful Equipment: Sandpaper, power sanders, masks
Funding Opportunities: Varnish, brushes, trays
Estimated Timeframe: 5-15 hours, there are about 25 tables to seal, and any number completed gets us closer. The most time consuming part of the project will be allowing first coats to dry before second coats are applied.
Paint Camp Office Interior
Project: We are sprucing up the camp office and welcome center with fresh green paint. We’ll be painting the walls and cabinets. This project can be split by wall or cabinet, with a group just doing one over the course of a day or weekend.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers through older adults. Some step-ladder climbing may be necessary. There will be a need for people skilled with edging and cutting in for borders. 2-6 participants are ideal per room.
Helpful Equipment: Paint brushes and paint rollers, paint trays, breathing barrier masks
Funding Opportunities: Brushes and trays
Estimated Timeframe: 6-8 hours per room, depending on participant numbers
Scanning in Old Camp Documents
Project: Camp Magruder has filing cabinets full of old documents we don’t want to totally throw away, but that we no longer want to have physical space set aside for. We want to scan these files digitally and keep them backed up on our hard drive and then recycle or shred the paper versions of the documents to free up office and storage space.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older. People with at least a basic comfort level with a copy machine or scanner and organizational skills to name files and sort them into searchable digital folders. This is a 1-2 person job.
Helpful Equipment: I high quality scanning machine that can run many pages through at a time will greatly speed up this project
Funding Opportunities: A high-end scanner
Estimated Timeframe: 2-20 hours
Organizing Camp History and Archives
Project: In the leadup to Camp Magruder's 80th Anniversary celebration, we pulled out several boxes full of Camp Magruder historical documents, photos, and memorabilia. We would like to better organize these treasures and potentially pinpoint pieces that should be on display around camp. We need someone to go through the boxes, inventory, and organize them so they don't just set on a shelf collecting dust until the 90th Anniversary.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older. Must have a passion for organization and an eye for valuable, interesting items. This is a 1-2 person job.
Helpful Equipment: A high-quality scanning machine that can run many pages through at a time will greatly speed up this project
Funding Opportunities: Shadow boxes, display cases, frames
Estimated Timeframe: 2-10 hours
Splitting Firewood
Project: Campfires are a big part of Camp Magruder, and we are regularly harvesting downed trees for firewood, but supplies of timber needing to be split can sometimes back up. Volunteers in this project will work with a wood splitter machine (or an ax if they are old fashioned) to split wood into manageable pieces of firewood for burning in campfires, wood stoves, and fireplaces.
Recommended Participants: Ages 14 and up. This project will require a lot of heavy lifting and twisting, so participants should be in good physical shape with healthy backs and knees. Some volunteers may be trusted to operate heavy machinery, and they will need to receive training and be over 18 years old. Groups of 2-5 people.
Helpful Equipment: Work gloves, safety glasses, noise canceling headphones, additional splitters or axes
Funding Opportunities: Additional safety equipment and more lumber
Estimated Timeframe: 2-8 hours, though this project can last as long as we have unsplit timber
Trail/Campfire Maintenance
Project: Salal and Blackberry grows relentlessly on the Oregon Coast, and it only takes about 6 months for a cleared trail to look like it’s been abandoned at Camp Magruder. Groups will trim back vines, branches, and grasses that make trail works more tedious or open up campfire and outdoor chapel spaces.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers and older, particularly if mechanized tools are being used. Younger kids could be trusted with pruning shears and loppers, but parental discretion is advised. Participants should be able to walk on uneven surfaces and operate mechanized equipment. Groups of 2-12, as long as there is enough equipment.
Helpful Equipment: Electric or gas-powered bush trimmers, small chainsaws, pruning shears or scissors, loppers, weed trimmers with blades, gloves, safety glasses, protective chaps,
Funding Opportunities: Power trimmers, blades, and accessory equipment
Estimated Timeframe: 3-15 hours, we will honestly never run out of trimming projects
Deconstruct Old Dock Structures
Project: Camp Magruder has a few old dock structures at Smith Lake that are no longer usable that are eye sores and could pose small hazards for outdoor school students who do field studies near them. The group will pull decking off the docks and relocate it to be reused, burned, or sent to the landfill. Groups of 5-15 recommended.
Recommended Participants: Teenagers at the youngest, and people who can walk uneven terrain, pry boards that are nailed/screwed into wood pieces and can carry planks of wood.
Helpful Equipment: Hammers, pry bars, hacksaws, work gloves
Estimated Timeframe: 4-8 hours depending on group size.
Chappell Hall Boiler Removal
Project: Camp Magruder recently replaced an old cast iron boiler system in Carrier Dining Hall. The boiler is still in the Carrier basement occupying storage space and should be removed to be hauled off for scrap iron.
Recommended Participants: Senior High and Adults. The boiler is pure cast iron and very heavy. It will take several strong individuals to lift the boiler onto a rolling cart that will need to be pushed up to a ramp where it can be hooked to a vehicle. Groups of 4-6 recommended.
Helpful Equipment: Work gloves, flat dolly
Estimated Timeframe: 1-3 hours