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