
June 9, 2021
Summer camp is almost here!
GSWISE staff and volunteers have been hard at work preparing for the
return of camp with a fun and safe season this summer. We look
forward to helping girls experience the outdoors, develop friendships,
and make long-lasting memories at our GSWISE properties: Camp Alice
Chester, Camp Silver Brook, Chinook Program Center, and Trefoil Oaks
Program Center.
The previously announced property divestitures have recently been
completed, and our Camp Reimagined focus is centered on creating the
best camp and outdoor experiences we can for our Girl Scouts. Thanks
to the camp sale proceeds, we expect to add some new, fun girl
features at the camps for next summer and will further assess and
prioritize larger capital projects for future years.
Please enjoy these sunset videos as a tribute to the former Camp Winding
River and
Camp Pottawatomie Hills , which were developed with
the help of Girl Scout families who submitted pictures and provided
the voice-overs in the videos.
We are thankful for all of
the girls, parents and volunteers who make all Girl Scout camps
amazing! And we hope to see you out at camp this summer!
March 19, 2021
As GSWISE continues with Camp Reimagined and focuses efforts on Camp Alice Chester, Camp Silver Brook, Chinook Program Center, and Trefoil Oaks Program Center, there are items from the recently closed properties that will no longer be utilized. These items will be sold through an online auction between Mon. March 22nd at 4pm until Wed. March 31st at 6pm by Hansen Auction Group. There is a large variety of items, including commercial kitchen equipment, camping items, canoes, boats and more. If you are interested in bidding on any of these items, please check out this LINK for more information. Auction proceeds will be both reinvested into camp programs and the remaining GSWISE properties, as well as support the overall mission delivery of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE) for girls here in southeastern Wisconsin. Thank you for your support of Girl Scouting, and please feel free to spread the word about this online auction.
March 10, 2021
Dear Girl Scout Families,
I hope this finds you safe
and well. Last year, we announced Camp Reimagined, the project which
includes discovering what girls want as we create the next generation
of camp and outdoor experiences. As part of this process, we write to
share an important update: GSWISE has now closed on the sales of the
New Berlin Service Center and Camp Winding River and has accepted an
offer for Camp Pottawatomie Hills.
This summer we will
focus on making the 2021 camps safe and fun for everyone, and we are
excited to engage members and volunteers to shape the next steps of
Camp Reimagined.
It’s always hard to say goodbye and
these camps will forever hold a special place in our hearts. We are
thankful for the memories made, friendships formed, and confidence
developed at these camps, and we look forward to the next awesome
adventures that Camp Alice Chester, Camp Silver Brook, Chinook Program
Center and Trefoil Oaks Program Center will provide.
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Christy L. Brown
Chief
Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast
October 17, 2020
Dear Girl Scout Families,
I
hope this finds you and those you love safe and well. As CEO, I have
the incredible honor to serve countless girls and volunteers like you
throughout southeast Wisconsin with a unique, life-changing Girl Scout
Leadership Experience. It is an awesome responsibility that our staff,
Board of Directors, including Girl Board Members, and I undertake with
great seriousness and passion.
For more than 100 years,
Girl Scouts has been committed to providing every girl with outdoor
experiences filled with learning, adventure, and leadership-building
opportunities. To continue these meaningful camp experiences for you
and future generations of girls, GSWISE has partnered with leading
camp consultants in an ongoing project called “Camp Reimagined,” to
review our current camp program and properties.
Many Girl
Scouts and Girl Scout families like you, as well as volunteers,
community members, and council leadership and staff participated in a
series of surveys, focus groups, and virtual community sessions. The
goal was to discover what girls want as we seek to create the next
generation of camp and outdoor experiences. In addition, our
consultants delivered a thorough evaluation of our six camp properties
in southeast Wisconsin. This feedback was key to identifying how our
camp operations can best exceed the expectations of girls and families
in the future.
As we look ahead to delivering
outstanding camp and outdoor experiences, this assessment also
highlighted ongoing realities facing our camp program and properties.
It included a recommendation to divest in a portion of the overall
GSWISE property portfolio to best focus and invest in future
opportunities for girls. With this work now complete, and in the
spirit of transparency and openness, we share this update with you
directly.
The GSWISE Board, tasked with positioning the
council for future success as a provider of premier camp and outdoor
experiences, agreed with the consultant’s recommendation and have
decided to divest two of our six camp properties: Camp Winding River
(Neosho, WI) and Camp Pottawatomie Hills (East Troy, WI).
Additionally, the Chinook Program Center (Waukesha, WI) will begin
hosting additional volunteer services shifted from the New Berlin
Service Center (New Berlin, WI). With this shift in service, the New
Berlin Service Center will close at the end of the calendar
year.
We remain deeply committed to our camp and outdoor
programing, including our Day Camps by Community, and are working
alongside our volunteers to reimagine these offerings so we may
continue to provide first-class outdoor camp experiences.
To help answer questions regarding Camp Reimagined, please
see the attached FAQs. You can also email
CampReimagined@gswise.org with additional questions and we will
respond directly.
While sunsetting two camp properties is
difficult, we must acknowledge that needs change over time and so we
must adapt. Courage and confidence are part of our mission, and I am
proud that these qualities helped make this forward-thinking decision.
Both Camp Winding River and Camp Pottawatomie Hills will remain part
of our council’s legacy and we will honor them appropriately. I look
forward to sharing more of the exciting plans for Camp Reimagined.
Again, my profound thanks to all members of the Girl Scout community
that so generously shared their dream of excellence in camp and
outdoor experiences. Here is to another 100 years under the
stars!
Yours in Girl Scouting,
Christy L.
Brown
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast