Armada PAL Camp has been a state-licensed camp for more than 40 years and counting. PAL continues to bring Armada Middle School students up north for the best week of the summer!
Supervising around 300 middle schoolers for a full week each summer takes some serious talent — but for Tim Woelkers, Camp Founder and Director for over four decades, the secret has always been staying a big kid at heart. Tim and our team of dedicated volunteers bring that energy every summer to Center Lake Bible Camp in Tustin, Michigan.
Tim was an officer with the Armada Police Department when he first launched PAL Camp, taking 103 kids and 27 volunteers to the middle of the state back in 1984. At the time, there were no extracurricular options for middle schoolers in Armada, and this trip created something entirely new.
Since then, Armada PAL Camp has grown in both size and spirit, averaging around 300 campers in 5th through 8th Grade each summer. Now in our 41st year, we’re proudly welcoming second-generation campers — kids whose parents once came to camp themselves. Even our volunteer staff is now made up primarily of former campers who return to give back.
As time goes on, we keep finding new ways to bring the wild outdoors to life for our campers. At Armada PAL Camp, the focus is simple: fun, connection, and the freedom to unplug. For six days, there are no cell phones, no electronics — just cabins, campfires, and a whole lot of laughter.
Updated 6/2025
Supervising around 300 middle schoolers for a full week each summer takes some serious talent — but for Tim Woelkers, Camp Founder and Director for over four decades, the secret has always been staying a big kid at heart. Tim and our team of dedicated volunteers bring that energy every summer to Center Lake Bible Camp in Tustin, Michigan.
Tim was an officer with the Armada Police Department when he first launched PAL Camp, taking 103 kids and 27 volunteers to the middle of the state back in 1984. At the time, there were no extracurricular options for middle schoolers in Armada, and this trip created something entirely new.
Since then, Armada PAL Camp has grown in both size and spirit, averaging around 300 campers in 5th through 8th Grade each summer. Now in our 41st year, we’re proudly welcoming second-generation campers — kids whose parents once came to camp themselves. Even our volunteer staff is now made up primarily of former campers who return to give back.
As time goes on, we keep finding new ways to bring the wild outdoors to life for our campers. At Armada PAL Camp, the focus is simple: fun, connection, and the freedom to unplug. For six days, there are no cell phones, no electronics — just cabins, campfires, and a whole lot of laughter.
Updated 6/2025
" It's the place where you get a little closer to the person you want to be. It's the place where you remember what matters, who matters. It's the place where trees blow on still nights and flowers bloom under frost. It's the place where pigs fly and boundaries are broken. It's the place that reminds you what life is really about. It's the place where the smell of campfire and evening dew stick to your skin. It's camp." - Cody Michael Pagan, 1992 - 2015 |