2010 Summer Camp Success

Letter from our CEO Daisy L. Alford-Smith, Ph.D.

Dear Girls, Volunteers, and Parents:

It is with great pleasure that I report to you the success of our 2010 Summer Camp programs. This summer had more than 4,000 participants register for GSNEO camp! That is 12.5% increase in participation, with 445 more girls attending camp programs this summer as compared to 2009! 

Girl Scouts and Camping

Girl Scouts and camping are synonymous.  Whether it is a week-long Resident Camp at one of our three American Camp Association Accredited resident camps, a girl camping with her troop or family, attending a one day taste of camp, or attending one of the 18 locally held, community day camps; the results are the same, great things happen!  Each girl learns about herself and discovers she really can do things she never dreamt before – she REALLY can climb to the top of that rock ledge, make a robot that works or hit the target at the archery range.  Camp is designed to give EVERY girl the chance to succeed, build friendships, challenge herself and most importantly…discover the fun of being a girl.

This year, GSNEO camps offered programs across the spectrum, for the young girls to those teenagers seeking high adventure.  Our camp programs ranged in length from one-to-ten days and girls ages 6-to-17 years, were able to participate.  This summer we reached an even wider audience by offering “Pathway Passes” as an incentive from the Cookie Sales, with the amount of the passes based on the amount of Cookies sold. Girls were able to use these passes to pay for camp programs.  Also “new” for 2010, was the addition of the one day opportunities for individual girls, which saw 592 girls participate. 

New One-Day Programs

Our one-day girl program opportunities were held at 3 locations, Camp Ledgewood, Camp Sugarbush and Camp Timberlane, and included some of the following programs: 

• Archery
• Craft Craze
• Ooey Gooey Science
• Girls Go Green
• Robot Mania (build and design Lego robot)
• Astro Adventure (explore the planets)
• Art In The Woods (create art In the outdoors) 
• Theater Bugs (acting)

Summer Core Camp

Summer Core Camp was run at four Girl Scouts of North East Ohio properties, including Great Trail Camp, Camp Hilaka, Camp Lejnar and Camp Timberlane.  Summer Core Camp offers entire troops the opportunity to come to a resident camp and participate in staff led programming.  31 troops, nearly 300 girls and 100 adults, participated which was a slight increase from the 2009 participation numbers.   Troops were offered regular camp programs such as archery, boating, swimming, nature activities, crafts and outdoor skills and cooking.  Plus they also got to participate in Stargazing, Fire Tech (science of fires), Cooperative Challenge (group thinking games), and Flag Ceremonies.

Resident Camp

Over the summer of 2010, Girl Scouts of North East Ohio saw its Resident Camp participation skyrocket!   Participation was up 15 % from 2009, with a 1,000 girls taking advantage of the wonderful programming GSNEO had to offer.  Girls were able to come to camp for three, four, or five days, even up to ten days!  Besides offering the “typical" type of camp programs such as archery, canoeing, swimming, nature activities, crafts, outdoor skills, outdoor cooking, etc....  GSNEO offered special programs, such as: 

• “Cache In, Camp Out” – discover the high-tech hobby of geo-caching
• “Saddle Up” – horse care and riding lessons
• “Sail Like The Wind” - sailing lessons on Lake Erie
• “Follow The Underground Railroad” - starting in southern Ohio travel north, experiencing the hopes & fears of runaway slaves
• “Park Hopper” - amusement parks
• “Explore The World Below” - caving and rappelling
• “Fun With Fashion” - make jewelry, decorate t-shirts, go to a fashion museum

Community Day Camps

For girls who chose to stay close to home, our volunteers offered 18 Community Day Camps that took place in each of our 18 counties this summer.  Over 1,200 girls took part and enjoyed the following themes:

• Hawaiian Luau
• World Thinking Days
• Out of this World Twilight Camp (explore outer space)
• Nature Explorers
• Mad Scientist (STEM experiments)
• Eureka! Discovery Station (arts and science)

GSNEO Day Camp

New in 2010, Pathfinder Day Camp was offered for 2 weeks at Camp Hilaka this summer, with a total of 144 girls participating.  The sessions ran Monday thru Friday from 9:00am to 3:00pm with Girl Scouts of North East Ohio staff taking the lead.  Bus service was offered from locations in Akron, Canton, and Cleveland. The Day Camp program included some of the following:  Archery, Drumming, Boating, Crafts, Environmental Issues, Astronomy, Uniquely Me, and Robotics.

The girls that attended a GSNEO camp were given the opportunity to:

• Strengthen her social skills
• Learn and practice leadership skills
• Build her self-esteem
• Safely test her limits and boost her confidence
• Discover new talents, interests and abilities
• Increase her awareness of our environment

Summary

So in conclusion, although the Girl Scout movement continues to transform, Girl Scouts continues to afford girls more opportunities to experience the world and those around them.  For over 4,000 girls, rather than texting or sitting at a computer, they experienced Real Adventures, made Real Friends and made memories that last a lifetime. For GSNEO, this means that our camps will always be an important component of the Girl Scout Experience. It is our intent to have the highest caliber of camps and the highest quality of programs available to all of our girls.  Please take a moment to watch the videos below and listen to the girls themselves as they share their favorite camp experiences.  Listen to how valuable camp is to our girls and to us.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Daisy L. Alford-Smith, Ph.D.
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of North East Ohio

Listen to Madison talk about her Resident Camp experience.

Listen to Avery talk about her Resident Camp experience.

Listen to Genesis talk about her Resident Camp Staff experience.

Listen to Brianna talk about her Community Day Camp experience. 

Listen to the girls talk about their Community Day Camp experience.