Closure doesn’t keep Girl Scouts from camp fun
Girl Scouts were disappointed this summer when their weeklong Camp Lakota in the Los Padres National Forest was closed for safety reasons because of multiple sightings of mountain lions and loss of several livestock.
But Girl Scout officials didn’t quit trying to find alternative ways for members to get the outdoor camp experience, and they recently found success.
“We wanted to make sure all girls had an opportunity to attend another Girl Scout Camp of their choice,” said Jennifer Palmer, senior director of girl and volunteer experience for the Girls Scouts of Greater
Los Angeles. “We were thrilled to be able to offer them a space in one of our three day-camp locations for weeklong themed experiences. It is heartwarming to see these girls still have the opportunity to get outdoors, meet new friends and try new experiences.”
The girls and their parents were joyful, too.
“My daughter had the time of her life at El Ranchito,” one parent said of the day camp at 4040 N. Bellflower Blvd. “Thank you for helping a very anxious little girl be more confident and build new friendships.”
Another parent said her daughter has been having “a fabulous time” at the Girl Scout camp at Marine Landing, near Alamitos Bay.
“Every day she has come back feeling happy and inspire,” the mother said. “She has made new friends and challenged herself to trying new things.”
A sixth grader said El Ranchito was “a place where I was able to learn new things, make new friends and be myself! You never know what new and amazing friends you will make the next day.”
A fifth grader praised camp counselors “for always being there for me and encouraging me to try new things.”
The girls were able to go to the day camps because of donations from Press-Telegram readers as part of the publication's Send-a-Kid-toCamp program, which has finished its 22nd year. Readers set a record for donations this year, with $106,678. Other youth organizations that participated were the Boys & Girls Clubs of Long Beach, the YMCA of Greater Long Beach Camp Fire Angeles and the Boy Scouts, all of which sent kids to overnight, weeklong camps in the San Bernardino Mountains.
“The pivoting that families and organizations have had to endure in the last year has been extraordinary and challenging and the Girl Scouts organization is no exception,” said Marcelle Epley, president and CEO of the Long Beach Community Foundation, the Press-Telegram's longtime partner in the camp campaign. “Thankfully, the Girl Scouts found another way to continue to provide a life-changing experience for our Long Beach youth.”
Each of the day camp options provides girls with multiple activities, including nature exploration, outdoor cooking, arts and crafts, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) discoveries.
El Ranchito also offers archery, tower climbing and gaga ball — a variant on dodgeball. Activities at Marine Landing include canoeing, kayaking, swimming and stand-up paddleboarding.
The Girl Scouts also have day camps in Altadena (Mariposa) and Claremont (La Casita).
Camp Lakota, meanwhile, is on more than 60 acres near Frazier Park, in the Los Padres National Forest in Kern County. A fire had destroyed some of the camp and hasn't been used for 10 years. The camp was remade with four cabin villages, three tent villages and other updated facilities, including a state-of-the-art dining hall. It was set to open last summer, but the coronavirus pandemic prevented that from happening.
Girl Scout officials are meeting with mountain lion experts from state and local agencies to ensure safety at the camp next year.
But the girls are still enjoying themselves this year — just at the day camps. One parent said her daughter loved going every day.
“It was her first ‘camp,'” she said. “I couldn't be happier with the staff and her first experience. She is already talking about going next summer.”
The Press-Telegram
The camps at El Ranchito and Marina Landing offered multiple activities, including rock wall climbing, archery, outdoor cooking and arts and crafts for the Girls Scouts.
and the Community Foundation thank donors for making these camps
possible and for making a difference in the lives of our children.