Illinois

Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, GSGCNWI

See also Indiana
See also Wisconsin
  • Wild Rose Program Center, St Charles
Sold September 2012

  • Morrison Program Center, Lake Villa
Rested in September 2011
Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Aligns Property Portfolio to Support Mission and Commitment to Girls  http://girlscoutsofgreaterchicagoandnorthwestindiana.businesscatalyst.com/media/files/property/boardapprovesportfolio_Sept2011.pdf
Our Council’s Long Range Property Plan Moves Forward with Completed Wild Rose Transaction
http://www.girlscoutsgcnwi.org/media/files/property/PropertyAnnouncement_WildRose.pdf
Three years ago, our Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana Board of Directors appointed a Long Range Property Planning Committee, comprised of geographically representative volunteers with relevant professional skills and who are passionate about their involvement in the Girl Scout Movement. 

The members of the committee thoughtfully and diligently reviewed input from thousands of girls and adult volunteers, analyzed volumes of statistical data, conducted site visits to all 12 individual properties and consulted with experts during an 18-month review period. The committee then presented to the board of directors a recommendation that the council move forward with a smaller portfolio of retained properties to better support the Girl Scout Mission and the council’s strategic plan. 

On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, our council transferred ownership of Wild Rose to an individual who intends to transfer it to a trust. Monies from the sale of the property will be held in a special account, separate from our council’s operating funds, until our board of directors deliberates on the capital use of these funds to invest and improve upon our remaining camp properties.

Girl Scouts of Central Illinois, GSCI
  • Camp Wildwood, Mt. Sterling
Closing announced November 2009, sold in 2011

  • Soldwedel Program Center, Pekin
Scheduled to be sold 2010. Purchased by Pekin Park District.

  • Hike Haven, Bloomington
Turned back over to the city ~2010

  • Camp Kiwanis, Mahomet
Scheduled to be sold 2018- 2020
Girls Scouts of Central Ill. sells Wildwood Girl Scout Center
http://www.connecttristates.com/news/story.aspx?id=649320#.Uh4ggtI3u8A
The Girls Scouts of Central Illinois has sold the Wildwood Girl Scout Center in Mt. Sterling to a private individual.

The Wildwood Girl Scout Center is among several properties the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois plans to sell as part of a 10-year property plan.

A few years ago, ten volunteers formed a committee to asses the Girl Scout properties.

The group worked with a market research company to survey the girls about what kinds of activities they wanted; evaluate who's using the properties and how much; and how much it costs to maintain them.

Communications Specialist Erica Douglas said, "What they found in that assessment is only 4 percent of our girl members area attending summer resident camp but 82 percent of our girls said they would attend resident camp if we offered the facilities they want. With this sale brings opportunity. We have preliminary architectural plans to bring an urban program center to Quincy, which provides meeting space for our troops and potential program opportunities such as a climbing wall, green space and a full kitchen."

Douglas also said the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois plans to develop a destination camp near Peoria that all girls can attend in the organization's 38-county region. The decision did not come without controversy. A few Girl Scouts boycotted cookie sales last year to oppose the Wildwood sale.

Douglas said, "We understand there are emotions tied to the sale of this property. Many memories were made there and that won't be forgotten."
Link to council Long Range Property Plan 

Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, GSOFSI

See also Indiana
  • Camp Cedar Point, Makanda, Illinois
  • Camp Chan Ya Ta, Worden, Illinois
  • Camp Whispering Oaks, Salem, IL (closed September 2015)
Board voted to retire the camps above in July 2015

  • Camp Wildwood, 
Vincennes, Indiana

After three year battle, control of Camp Wildwood is returned to local control from Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, GSOFSI, May 14, 2013 by the Indiana Supreme Court 

Facts and Procedural History:
In 1946, Vincennes University donated Camp Wildwood to Vincennes Indiana Girls,Inc.(“VIG”) —then known as Vincennes Indiana Girl Scout Council, Inc. —for use as a Girl Scout facility for the local troops. Then in 1965, the national Girl Scouts reorganized, and required VIG’s local organization to be absorbed into a predecessor entity of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois, Inc. (“GSSI”). That reorganization also required VIG to convey Camp Wildwood to GSSI’s pre-decessor for continued use as a camping facility for Girl Scouts in GSSI’s region.
Unhappy campers: Camp Cedar Point fans criticize Girl Scouts' closure plans
http://thesouthern.com/news/local/unhappy-campers-camp-cedar-point-fans-criticize-girl-scouts-closure/article_0da69915-9509-54ca-99c0-9f7feeeaec65.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share
What's playing out in Southern Illinois isn't an isolated controversy. Across the country, Girl Scouts' councils, situated under the umbrella of the Girl Scouts of the USA, have faced criticism for their rapid divestment of camp grounds and operations following a nationwide consolidation of regional councils. A January 2014 article in The Daily Beast titled “Why are Girl Scout Camps Being Closed,” raised questions about the amount of money Girl Scout organizations were spending on administrative costs, including to bail out a “woefully underfunded” pension plan. Cookie sales are the primary source of funding for the Girl Scouts organization.
Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois "Camp Properties Facility Planning and Assessment Summary Report" approved by the council board in July 2015
http://www.gsofsi.org/pdf/property/Camp%20Properties%20Summary%20Report.pdf

Link to council Property Assessment and Planning page
http://www.gsofsi.org/prop_assess_plan.html
Camp Wildwood Fight
http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/local/southern_indiana/camp-wildwood-fight#.Ubqmsuu2B40
Local scout leaders have tried to reclaim ownership of the property saying the closing broke an agreement made in the 1960's.

Right now about the only people getting any good out of Camp Wildwood are the vagrants and the vandals, something local girl scout leaders want to see changed.

"If they wanted to use it and use it for girl scout purposes that would be great," said Vincennes Girls Inc. board member Bob Lechner, "but you see they are wanting to sell the property."
Camp Wildwood Decision
Justices Put Girl Scout Camp Back To Local Control
http://www.wthitv.com/dpp/news/local/southern_indiana/camp-wildwood-decision#.Ubqoeuu2B40
Vincennes Girl Scouts operated Camp Wildwood for decades until a re-organization put it in the hands of an Illinois based Girl Scout Council that then attempted to sell it.

Local groups fought the deal and the legal fight ended in the Indiana Supreme Court.

Now, the camp is now back in local control.   

For the last 3 years Camp Wildwood has been locked away from kids in this community, tied up in an adult legal fight between Vincennes Girls Inc. and the Southern Illinois Girl Scout Council.