Joan Villereal's Letter to the Editor
On December 28th, 2011, the following letter appeared in the Cleveland Plain Dealer:
As many are aware, the five Girl Scout councils in Northeast Ohio were
required by Girls Scouts of the United States to merge into one council.
That merger resulted in Girl Scouts of North East Ohio on Oct. 1, 2007.
The council has been working for the past four years to merge the girls,
volunteers, finances, staff and properties of the separate Girl Scout
councils across 18 counties. This was a challenging time, and we
continue to work on some issues. One of the more recent issues was our
board's decision to sell four of our seven remaining camps.
The board's Properties Committee has worked tirelessly to evaluate all
our properties, using experts. The reality is, if our properties had
been maintained properly for the past 25 years or more, and more Girl
Scouts were using our camps, the decision to divest of properties would
not have been necessary. In addition to low use of the camps, the
current estimate to complete all deferred maintenance on all seven
properties is in excess of $7 million. More than $18.8 million is needed
to meet current regulations.
The board believes the Girl Scouts deserve better than minimally
acceptable camps. We need to provide outstanding facilities that offer
additional types of programming and that are safe, environmentally
friendly and accessible. When we transform our camps, we believe more
girls will experience the outdoors and Girl Scout values.
Camping will continue, and the council will continue to subsidize and
promote it. Camping will remain affordable to members. All types of
camping will be available. Transportation to the facilities is a need
that will be part of the master plan.
We want more girls from all 18 counties to have outdoor and camp
experiences.
Our only goal in all of these decisions is to do what is best for the
girls of Northeast Ohio for today and tomorrow. We know how much our
volunteers and girls love their camps.
Board members have the same wonderful memories of friendships, skills
and confidences gained during their camping experiences. The council
wants to make these opportunities available in safe surroundings to more
Northeast Ohio girls.
Are all of us happy about these changes? Sadly, no. However, it is clear
that we must continue to share the work of the board, its committees and
the board's vision for camping. It is unfortunate that inaccurate
information continues to spread. We want our planning for the future to
be transparent.
We thank all our members for their continued passion for what happens
today, and in what will be our sustainable future. I know our girls will
reap the benefits and rewards for years to come.
Joan P. Villarreal
Chair, board of directors
Girl Scouts of North East Ohio
Macedonia
As many are aware, the five Girl Scout councils in Northeast Ohio were
required by Girls Scouts of the United States to merge into one council.
That merger resulted in Girl Scouts of North East Ohio on Oct. 1, 2007.
The council has been working for the past four years to merge the girls,
volunteers, finances, staff and properties of the separate Girl Scout
councils across 18 counties. This was a challenging time, and we
continue to work on some issues. One of the more recent issues was our
board's decision to sell four of our seven remaining camps.
The board's Properties Committee has worked tirelessly to evaluate all
our properties, using experts. The reality is, if our properties had
been maintained properly for the past 25 years or more, and more Girl
Scouts were using our camps, the decision to divest of properties would
not have been necessary. In addition to low use of the camps, the
current estimate to complete all deferred maintenance on all seven
properties is in excess of $7 million. More than $18.8 million is needed
to meet current regulations.
The board believes the Girl Scouts deserve better than minimally
acceptable camps. We need to provide outstanding facilities that offer
additional types of programming and that are safe, environmentally
friendly and accessible. When we transform our camps, we believe more
girls will experience the outdoors and Girl Scout values.
Camping will continue, and the council will continue to subsidize and
promote it. Camping will remain affordable to members. All types of
camping will be available. Transportation to the facilities is a need
that will be part of the master plan.
We want more girls from all 18 counties to have outdoor and camp
experiences.
Our only goal in all of these decisions is to do what is best for the
girls of Northeast Ohio for today and tomorrow. We know how much our
volunteers and girls love their camps.
Board members have the same wonderful memories of friendships, skills
and confidences gained during their camping experiences. The council
wants to make these opportunities available in safe surroundings to more
Northeast Ohio girls.
Are all of us happy about these changes? Sadly, no. However, it is clear
that we must continue to share the work of the board, its committees and
the board's vision for camping. It is unfortunate that inaccurate
information continues to spread. We want our planning for the future to
be transparent.
We thank all our members for their continued passion for what happens
today, and in what will be our sustainable future. I know our girls will
reap the benefits and rewards for years to come.
Joan P. Villarreal
Chair, board of directors
Girl Scouts of North East Ohio
Macedonia
