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Each of the On Eagles’ Wings teams travel in a chartered motor coach, while the support staff travels in a variety of motorhomes, cars, vans, and trailers.
We have found over the years that the best way to accommodate the team is in a local school facility (either high school or middle school and not elementary), that we can utilize in the following manner.
Access to:
- The gymnasium for recreation, group meetings, etc.
- Both guys and gals locker rooms for daily showers.
- Band/Chorus/Music room for team debriefings, teaching times, etc.
- 8-10 classrooms for:
- Sleeping rooms for gals (they utilize their own air mattresses and sleeping bags).
- Sleeping rooms for guys (also air mattresses and sleeping bags).
- Private sleeping room for bus driver.
- Sleeping rooms for our volunteer cooking team (2-3 rooms).
- Staff housing as necessary.
- One room for our office set up with internet connections (most high and middle schools are set up well for internet needs).
- Kitchen for our volunteer staff to prepare the OEW team’s daily meals (sometimes local believers help by assisting our cooking team, or by planning a meal such as an Indian taco night, etc.).
- Dining room for eating the team meals.
- Adequate laundry facilities located for the team. (Perhaps not on-site.)
Staff motorhomes are set up at the school facility, or if available, at a nearby RV campground that has full hook-ups. The RV facilities offered at campgrounds are the most ideal to care for the motorhome needs. We ask that the planning committee look into campground options and make reservations as needed, after discussing options available with our team leaders.
On the Preparing for an OEW Visit Downloadable Resource page there is an OEW school administrators letter that you can use to inquire if a local school would be willing to allow the team to be lodged there for our visit. Better yet, we suggest you take the content of the letter, and personalize it from your local planning committee. We have found that when the request comes from local people, who the school administrators know, it’s easier for them to say yes to the request.
We also need to know if and what the costs of housing the team at the facilities would be and if they need a deposit in advance. We will forward payment for any charges incurred.
Also on the Preparing for an OEW Visit Downloadable Resource page is a checklist of items needed to be confirmed so the team has a place to stay and eat while in your community.
Team Housing Checklist
- Select committee person to lead this area.
- Initial contact with school officials to ask if team can use facilities for housing and meals (preferably in person).
- Ask if official letter is needed (use downloadable file if needed) and costs.
- Ask if a deposit is required, and if so, by when? Communicate that information to our Harrison, Arkansas office as soon as possible.
- Confirm that our cooks have access to kitchen facilities, including refrigerator and freezer space. We would provide our own food and kitchen utensils, but cooks need to use the school’s facilities to prepare and serve the food.
- Inquire if they have internet for our temporary office, used only by leaders.
- Would they allow our motorhomes to park on site and hook up to their electricity if suitable campground facilities are not available?
- Do they require a signed contract? If so, please forward to us.
- Communicate above information with OEW team leaders.
- Staff Housing:
- Identify potential RV campgrounds and what services they offer.
- Identify its daily fees.
- Put on hold up to three campsites (we may not need that many).
- Check to see if other local lodging may be available that we could utilize. For example, we may have need for housing for our guest musician and family (wife and child). This could be in a private home of a local believer, rather than having them stay in a school classroom.
- Sometimes tribes/bands have provided several complimentary hotel rooms at a local hotel that could help accommodate staff.
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