Trees. Trails. Time together.

As the weather warms and spring has sprung, Girl Scouts are getting outdoors! Giving girls the opportunity for connection – with each other, with nature, and with trusted adults –contributes to girls learning leadership skills while growing!

Spending time outdoors provides so many benefits. From the physical health benefits of challenging yourself on a trail to reduced stress and pressure, being in nature also creates a sense of wonder that no other environment can provide.

When girls attend camp, they do more than cook s'mores around the campfire. They explore the outdoors and gain an appreciation for nature. They challenge themselves with archery and rock climbing. They learn to persevere and overcome challenges high atop the climbing wall. They meet friends and camp counselors from diverse backgrounds and make friendships that last a lifetime.

However, each girl may not have access to the outdoors and to camps. Through the generosity of donors like you, we provide camp scholarships to any girl who requests one. Your support also helps us to bring day camps to girls across our council, in their communities.

During school breaks, we invite girls who aren’t yet Girl Scouts to join us at local schools, parks, and community centers for a few days of Girl Scout camp fun! And, new this year, for girls who have participated in a Girl Scout program at their school, we are bringing them into nature at our camp properties for a sampling of camp.

As you read about these recent camps, take a moment to enjoy all the pictures. And be sure to read about Linda Chandler, a Girl Scout alum who has achieved great things in the outdoors!

I hope you get outside and take in some spring nature for yourself. Thank you for all you do to support girls getting outdoors and enjoying our wonderful camps!

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Aimée

Aimée Sproles

Chief Executive Officer

Girl Scouts of Western Ohio

Adventures at

Camp Rolling Hills

New this year, Girls Scouts of Western Ohio (GSWO) created Camp Samplers during spring breaks for girls who attend our Outreach Programs in communities where there are barriers to forming volunteer-led troops. 

On April 3, 13 girls from Dayton Public Schools spent the day at Camp Rolling Hills. They arrived by bus - singing camp songs and ready to participate in outdoor activities. Girls got to hike, learn to use binoculars, build bird feeders, become birders, use slingshots and, of course, eat s'mores!  See more photos here!

Most of the girls had never been to camp, but they had so much fun that now they can't wait for more camp (and Girl Scout) fun!

GSWO is committed to providing more opportunities for girls served through our direct delivery series program, in every region. Over spring break, 75 girls who participated in direct delivery series across our council had the opportunity to spend a day outdoors at one of three camp days.

Check out photos from our camp sampler days at Camp Butterworth and Camp Libbey, too!

Spring Break Day Camp

With spring birds and flowers come spring breaks in our schools! Each year, girls across our region who have not participated in Girl Scouts are invited to a 3-day day camp. Our Spring Break Day Camps are held at area schools and community locations to introduce girls to Girl Scouting!

At one local camp, a Daisy group enjoyed everything from tie-dye to egg drops. With a curriculum of "It's Your Earth - Explore It!,", the girls got to enjoy a day of investigating bugs, making butterfly art — out of coffee filters, markers, water, a clothespin, and a pipe cleaner — and playing games. They experienced teamwork as they moved two "spiders" (stuffed animals) around a parachute, moving them from one colored section to the next, and even tried to bounce the spiders off of the parachute!

By the end of their week at day camp, the girls were ready for more Girl Scouting, and excited to show and tell their caregivers all they had done during the week!

You can see more photos and read more about our 2023 Spring Break Day Camps!

Life-Changing Outdoor Experiences for Linda C.

We won’t want to protect something we don’t care about, and we won’t care about something that is alien to us.

In this time of climate change and the need to understand our place in nature, outdoor education is especially important. It is through spending time out-of-doors that we learn about the natural world. It is no longer strange, but rather a comforting friend, as we come to love it, care about it, and want to protect it. This is why I wholly support outdoor programming - especially for girls.  

I know my experiences at Camp Libbey in the 1960s allowed me to be myself - and to shine. I learned it was not so scary to sleep in a tent; that even snails were more cool than icky. So what if the cake made in a Dutch oven was a bit burnt on the bottom? Wasn’t it astonishing to learn to make a cake on top of the fire? (that still tasted good!) So what if my sleeping bag got wet when it started to rain? I didn’t melt, and the bag dried out. . . eventually.

I attribute my Girl Scout camping experiences to my success as a national park ranger where I was able to share my love of nature with park visitors from the Florida Everglades to Alaska, and where I learned to be prepared for anything that might come my way, from a sudden lightning storm to a bear on the trail.

Linda grew up in Maumee, Ohio, and had her first Girl Scout outdoor camp experience at Camp Libbey in 1962. She was in one of three patrols that represented the Toledo Area at the 1965 Girl Scout Roundup and went on to spend her college summers as a counselor at Girl Scout camps (in 1971 at Camp Libbey leading the bicycle and canoe trips.) She is a Lifetime Member of GSUSA.

We are preparing for summer camp! You can help provide necessary camping supplies from our Amazon Wishlist, or support girls going to camp with a donation!

Thank you for investing in girls, and supporting the visionary leaders, doers, innovators, creators, and thinkers of tomorrow.