Saving the Girl Scouts

BY NELLIE WELSH

The Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois are in an uproar. The four beloved camps: Camp Little Cloud, Camp Conestoga, Camp L-Kee-Ta and Camp Tahigwa, of this council are in danger of being sold. The camps are losing money, but that is not all that would be lost if they close the camps. At camp, girls learn independence and self-confidence that they can use in the real world. The council has been told that the camps do not fit the needs of the girls, but this is far from the truth. The camps exceed what the girls should need for a week at summer camp. They do not need air conditioning or flushable toilets, and not all the camps have that. Girls do not need these things; they are a want.

Girl Scouts learn a range of things. By the time girls are 10, they know how to start a fire and cook on that fire. Girls learn how to send letters and keep in touch with nature. The Camp Little Cloud in Dubuque County is used year round by troops, boy and girl, and by the Drexler Intermediate Middle School in Farley. Camp helps girls become family oriented because everything at camp is done in groups. By the end of the week, everyone is a family. Not to mention, Girl Scouts looks great on a college resume. The problem is, if the Girl Scout camps close, the closest Girl Scout camp in Iowa is at least three hours away.

On March 7, there was a Dubuque County meeting for girls and parents to plea their case to the council. Mariah Balmer was one of the girls in attendance.  Mariah, a camper of 11 years, was one of the girls who spoke at the meeting on her views of the sale. “[At the meeting,] we all sat around and answered four questions and then discussed the questions. One of the questions was ‘does the camp meet the needs of the girls?’” Mariah then went on to tell how it does meet the needs and more. “Girl Scouts helped me prepare for the real world,” Mariah said.

There are multiple petitions going on to save the camps. “There is a petition to change the bylaws to give the girls a vote on the council,” Mariah said. “The only requirements are to be a registered Girl Scout (cost is $12) and must be over 14.” There are many other petitions and ways to help the cause. Anyone can help by sending letters to the council, sending articles to the paper or just following the Facebook page. There is no limit to the things Girl Scouts can do because they are considerate, caring, courageous and strong.