Girl Scouts to close 5 camps in Ohio - Camp Sugarbush to be cut

For years Camp Sugarbush in Kinsman, Ohio has been the home of North East Ohio girl scouts in Trumbull County. The Girl Scouts organization has announced it will be selling Camp Sugarbush and four other camp grounds in Ohio.

The announcement to close Camp Sugarbush has been met with heartache amongst current and former Girl Scouts in North East Ohio. The camp was the 200 acre home of memories, fun, and learning for generations of girls. Despite the disapproval from the local troops, the Girl Scout council has decided on closing the camp. Five camps in North East Ohio did not make the cut. The Girl Scout Council of North East Ohio, or GSNEO, released the full reasoning for the closings on their website. GSNEO wants to upgrade two of the seven camps to be what they are deeming "premier camps." The Camps will have improved bathroom facilities, over night facilities, and access to technology. The counsel hopes by upgrading the camps that the 40,000 Girl Scouts of North East Ohio will be given more opportunity and resources for development. The camps to be closed are Camp Crowell/Hilaka (Summit County), Great Trail Camp (Carroll County) Camp Lejnar (Lake County), Camp Pleasant Valley (Seneca County), and Camp Sugarbush (Trumbull County). The remaining two camps, Camp Timberlane and Camp Ledgewood will be upgraded with the funds from the selling of the five cut camps. Camp operations will continue through the summer and fall, and all five camps will be closed by the end of the year. Despite the heartache of losing the camps, the Girl Scout members are glad to hear that the staff of the closed camps will not be losing their jobs but moved to support the expanded facilities. Camping is an important aspect of Girl Scouts and as recent ads placed on Hulu suggest, camping is a great place to build character. The American Camp Association has released a series of ads called "Because of Camp." The ads feature celebrities describing what they learned at summer camp that made them a better person. Camping with the scouts is a memorable experience for any child and can form great bonds of friendship and develop strong personal character. While many feel a great loss over their favorite camp being closed, hopefully the new premier camps will make up for the loss of nostalgia with greater opportunities for the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio.